Lisa Smith started her career in the business as a temp, at that time she was recently divorced and as a single mom, learned the ins-and-outs of this business box by box, and order by order. Six years ago, she struck out on her own along with business partners Amber and Dee Dee, and built Republic Promos, one of Austin’s most vibrant promotional products companies. In 2016 they made the Fast 50 list, in 2017 they were recognized as one of the top 25 marketing companies in Austin and one of the top women-owned businesses.
Mark Graham and I traveled to Austin where, among the lush rolling green hills on the outskirts of town, we sat at Lisa’s dining room table in her beautiful home to talk about her incredible journey full of faith and perseverance. Lisa shared:
- Her journey from temp to co-founding Republic Promos.
- The mix of clients that Republic Promos serves and the types of services they offer
- How home-based workers are more productive
- How the roles of the team are being restructured
- How mentors have encouraged Lisa to accomplish her goals
- The advantages of apprenticeship for business owners