PPB March 2020

too much business right now. That’s what we’ve done in the past: filled seats because orders are coming in so fast, but we didn’t give enough time to hiring the right fit. When you lose an employee, that’s a lot of time and investment spent on getting them trained in the promo industry. We have a labor shortage where we are located, and that makes it an even greater challenge. What’s tough in this industry is growing. It’s hard finding the talent who want to work in this quirky industry. I think it’s becoming easier for most distributors to find more talent because I think that merchandise is having a strong comeback. What is your favorite product or campaign in which your product was used? Why is it a favorite? We’ve found a sweet spot with Instagram-influencer kits, and what’s cool is we canmonitor the success of themby going onto those influencers’ Instagram [pages] to see howmany likes they got and howmany times they posted those products. One that stuck out was with Powerbar. Powerbar made deals with 50 athletes in different sports, frombicycling tomotocross, and we created kits that had rain jackets in the brand colors, we rolled t-shirts in wristbands and the box itself had each name printed on the inside with amessage from the brand. Our relationship with our suppliers gives us the opportunity to do things that surprise and delight our clients. What are your tips to achieve a work/life balance? We don’t work after-hours; we let everyone know that. It’s so important for our employees and us to have a life because if we don’t, we aren’t creative, and if we aren’t creative, then we are not giving our clients ‘the special sauce.’ We promote traveling and taking time off to be with your family even though we have those emails come in at 11:30 pm for a rush order. When I first started the company, I would answer those emails. But I realized that it is so detrimental to company culture when you let everyone in and you don’t say ‘no.’ Outside of work, how do you like to spend your time? I amvery social; I go to a lot of art events. I spearhead a lot of community art, in fact, I spearheaded amural project inmy neighborhood wheremy company is located. The city granted $150,000 to 12 different artists to paint murals in our neighborhood, and I amworking on another mural project with our senator. I am an art activist inmy community, and I also belong to a few design groups. I love fashion and interior design. I just remodeled two bathrooms inmy house, and they aremy favorite places in the house. One is designed based off a London pub and the other is based off a PalmSprings cabana house. What advice or resources do you have for other women business owners or those planning to start their own business? Stay strong to who you are. Don’t change your stripes for an account that you are working on. For example, I had a meeting one time with a group of conservative men, and they almost acted uninterested in me. I already worked with several big brands, so I was shocked that I was so disrespected. I was really sad about it and then I got angry. I had built them a huge deck, presented it and spent $500 on samples for the meeting. I did everything right, and they barely looked me in the eye. I don’t want to work with a company that has those kinds of values where women don’t matter or when there aren’t any women in the room with decision-making power. My advice for women is to persevere through the dark times and align yourself with mentors, both male and female, who see your vision and who you can talk to. I am also a part of a Mastermind group of other female promotional product business owners and we answer each other’s questions. The answers are so awesome, and to be able to have that support and be vulnerable with each other is so cool. We also communicate with each other if we are having issues with suppliers. — Kristina Valdez LEEATT ROTHSCHILD Founder, CEO Packed with Purpose Chicago, Illinois It was a cold December day in Chicago when Leeatt Rothschild realized a disconnect between the gifts that companies were sending or receiving and the social impact they were trying to create. Looking around her office at the common holiday gifts such as a wicker basket of cookies and a box of pears, Rothschild got an idea—create a gift that’s memorable because of its social impact. To Rothschild, corporate social responsibility isn’t a new business model; it is the business. Rothschild is the founder of Packed with Purpose, a Chicago-based supplier that specializes in corporate gift-giving. Combining her passion for social impact and marketing, she launched Packed with Purpose in 2016 to support women empowerment, youth and workforce development, wellness and the environment. Behind each product is a “purposeful purveyor,” a company handpicked by Rothschild and her team with a unique story of how their products impact the greater good. From beekeeping for the formerly incarcerated to baking a better future for at-risk youth, she proves that great products and meaningful social impact can go hand-in-hand. FEATURE | Women In Business 66 | MARCH 2020 |