We recently connected with Donna Wise and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Donna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

The shipping industry is hot right now, with costs skyrocketing, labor shortages and supply chain delays. People are looking for answers, transparency and partners they can trust. Unfortunately, demand outstrips supply so there are some in the industry that either feel they don’t need to take their time with smaller opportunities or they steer customers towards the options that are most lucrative for them. As a #shippingconcierge, I differentiate on taking an educational approach to helping those who don’t have the resources to help themselves. It is a labor of love as I don’t always make money on spending time helping people navigate the complicated waters of logistics. Our InXpress franchise model allows owners to specialize as we choose, based on our experience, passions or local market dynamics. I have chosen to specialize in problem solving, helping my customers to learn and understand all of the options and potential pitfalls they may face. In the long run, they appreciate the focused attention and it results in loyal customers and referrals.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My story begins in inner city Philadelphia where I quickly learned the importance of diversity, entrepreneurship and collaboration. As a musician and language major, I went on to live and work abroad and developed a passion for bringing diverse cultures together for the greater good. My undergrad and graduate studies at Georgetown University and Georgia State helped shape my interests in global business. My experience in corporate America with IBM, Viacom and Kimberly-Clark, along with stints as a freelance strategy consultant, working for ad agencies and nonprofits, led me to pursue my current interests in global trade and philanthropy.

I was referred to InXpress by a franchise consultant. Gus Iurillo, of The Entrepreneur’s Source, encouraged me to leverage my experience as a growth strategist, my international business expertise and my passion for helping others in this thriving logistics industry. InXpress is a perfect fit for me because theirs is a simple model that assists small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits with discounts, education and full-service assistance. It was quite a leap from corporate and freelance work to franchise ownership. I couldn’t have done it successfully without the support of my family and the inspiration of entrepreneurial friends and mentors.

InXpress is unique in that we offer a complimentary shipping account with no contract or minimum volume commitments. Our services include research, quoting, booking, tracking and claims support for shipping everything from envelopes and small packages to heavy equipment and machinery, both domestically and internationally, The InXpress network of trusted carriers includes DHL, UPS, truck, ocean and air cargo and insurance partners that have been vetted and offer significant discounts otherwise not available.

We fill a gap in the marketplace that allows business and nonprofit leaders to focus on what they do best without having to learn the ins and outs of logistics. We can become their outsourced shipping department, or we can teach them everything they need to know to train their own employees. I’m proud that, as an award-winning business growth consultant, I’m now able to offer my considerable experience at no cost along with the InXpress offerings. I’d like people to know that they can rely on me and my team to guide them to the best possible shipping solutions that will help their organizations to grow and thrive. #goglobalwithdonna

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

After leaving a corporate career in sales and marketing, I was brought on board by a dear friend who had just started her own marketing agency. I was soon promoted to Director of Strategy and helped the agency grow by developing research-based, targeted marketing strategies for their clients. However, I had twins in elementary school and found it difficult to stay involved with their extracurriculars and schoolwork because of my commute and lack of flexibility during the work day.

Another friend, who was Director of Marketing for a large corporation, was about to go out on maternity leave and asked me to help her with a strategy for her company to enter a new market. This was my first freelance project and it was hugely successful. This gave me the confidence to pursue more freelance work which eventually led to my going out into the world as a full-time freelance strategy consultant. I wish I could say that it was by choice, but it was because I was laid off unexpectedly. After being the primary breadwinner for my family for many years, it was a very scary time which required much sacrifice. I had to dig deep and find the strength to value my independence and potential over the prospects of greater stability working for someone else. My husband, Tommy Wise, was fully onboard with the transition, so together we chose to pursue this new journey.

One key milestone was being recruited by another friend to consult with a cadre of nonprofit leaders to help them develop growth strategies. I learned so much about mission-driven planning in a philanthropic environment. Another key milestone was being recruited back into corporate as a consultant. That was validation of everything that I had to offer as an individual contributor. Working in corporate as a consultant is a very different experience from working as an employee. My corporate experiences varied widely from company to company, which helped me to understand the kind of business owner I wanted to be and the kind of environment I wanted to create. I made many mistakes along the way, but wouldn’t trade any of it.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I had a very loving and supportive middle class upbringing in inner city North Philadelphia. Neither of my parents or grandparents had gone to college and my father had not completed high school. My older sister, Pat Thompson, was the first in the family to graduate college and continues to be a huge inspiration for me. During my formative years, our neighborhood was fraught with gangs, drugs, violence and poverty. Looking back, it was miraculous that my parents were able not only to survive but to thrive, raising four children who managed to get out and go on to become successful. Resilience was required to maintain a positive outlook and the strength to rise above the chaos. We helped each other and others reached back and helped us.

My parents instilled love, compassion and concern for others, along with intense pride and fierce independence. This motivated me to drive hard to succeed at part-time jobs, in college, grad school and in my career pursuits. It’s difficult to choose one story of resilience out of so many. But one that stands out is the adversity I faced as a Black woman in my early days in corporate. I worked in positions that were male dominated and where I was also the only minority. Prior to diversity training and the acknowledgement of micro aggressions, I learned to be my authentic self, despite pressures to conform. One of the most therapeutic things I did was to write a full-length motion picture screenplay about my true life experiences as a corporate manager, raging an uphill battle against a machine that was my livelihood at the time. The screenplay was recognized with a national award by Time Warner, and was the driving force behind my getting out and pursuing my dreams. This life lesson is that taking the time to express your creativity can be a saving grace when the deck seems stacked against you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.InXpressRoswell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donna.inxpress/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnalwise/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVnb_g0eUqjfpBR6FBGAiJA

Image Credits
Kara Wise, AKR Productions, Photographer