We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wendy Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

as I shared.. leaving the company I trained with for 14 years.. and leaving for an unknown agency on the other coast to use my experience. All unknowns..just took the leap.

Wendy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Wendy Williams is a sales professional, trainer, coach and manager with over 42 years of experience, and is currently the majority partner and President of JR Resources. In 2008, she opened an office in Princeton, NJ, where she currently lives and works in a bi coastal atmosphere. Running a woman owned company is her passion.

Throughout her sales career, she has sold and managed offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tulare County in California, Chicago, Cleveland/Columbus Ohio, Houston, and Philadelphia.

In Houston, as a sales manager from 1979 to 1985, she witnessed the beginning of a new industry in promotion and recognition with the oil companies in safety, and developed a special niche operating to this very day:Wendy’s Safety Boutique – a woman’s touch on employee engagement and empowerment processes to be aware of all safety issues and initiatives and partnered with the OSHA program: VPP, which started in 1985.

Wendy is currently a member of and Board of Directors of the CDI Philadelphia for citizen diplomacy since 1995, with an ultimate goal of world peace – one relationship at a time. The IVC hosts international guests of our State Department at work or home, showcasing the American people and our culture, and learning about their respective cultures. As a citizen diplomat, Wendy has represented Philadelphia in Kazan, Russia, Florence, Italy, Aix en Provence, France and Havana, Cuba.

As a resident of Princeton, NJ , she is engaged in the Davis Program mentoring International Grad students every semester on acclimating to the American Culture for over 20 years.

Her other memberships include:Global Ties, WBENC and , Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Philadelphia Art Museum, The Barnes Foundation, and The Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau(PCVB). and San Diego Tourism Bureau.

She is a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook with a BA in Psychology, as well as Certified Sales Trainer by the State of California extensive training in Organizational Development(OD) in the change processes.

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

As a woman in the business world , one deals with Being overlooked and not seen

After developing $10 million dollar territory in Houston, TX for my first company from, the company was being bought by different owners, The new owners from within.. offered the VP Sales job to my counterpart, a guy with less sales experience or results or passion about the work that I had, and offered me 1/2 the salary to be an assistant and teach a lawyer friend of his the business. It was not a matter even of not liking me, the men (A Texas-born gentleman and a Ph.D. scientist) just had no idea how to see me outside of a petite likable woman who wasn’t quite ready from their paradigm. They had no idea how I did what I did and did not identify.. so told me I was not ready yet.

Women have different work styles, or at least this woman: ME. I had a different work style than the men that trained me in the 1970s. the theme of Marketing Warfare did not resonate with me.. I wasn’t going into battle or trying to win/lose over my customers or suppliers. I was dedicated to building relationships with both my customers and suppliers to reach a WIN/WIN level of doing business.
This was pereceived as weak by upper management when I was rising in my company. It was not weak to my sales staff, as they flourished with real support, nurturing and relationship building as a new concept to be important. Many of those I trained, left to start their own businesses successfully from the support and insights of many different ways to sell and do business with an openness to let them find their own way.

Walking away from my 14years at the company -(where I learned everything and had gratitude )_was a big break through for me to have a moment of clarity of my own self worth. I knew I could not change the way they perceived me, but I HAD changed the way I saw my self.. so I took advantage of that clarity and was offered a few jobs in the industry to take my next leap. in the relationship world, my sister had a placement agency in Philadelphia , which is where I Hail from and called me about an entrepreneur of an AD Agency looking for someone with my skills in promo products.
The never ending lesson.. One door closes and another one opens even wider if you Look and see with clarity. I boldly took the leap and moved back to Philadelphia to jump into a new company and new people to work with and new beginnings..which served me well for almost 19 years, which then kept me in the marketplace to be offered yet anohter opportunity to partner with JR Resources, out of Calif and start a bi coastal life and principal owner to Lead a Woman owned company into the future.

I offer this advice.. when you are clear about who you are and what you want.. there are so many new doors opening around you to notice. I promise you they are there. Another important way to Notice, is
to be clear headed and not resentful about what you might perceive as in justice. Resentment never serves you and distorts your vision of what is out there for you. Dont waste your Time on regrets or anger.. let them go.. to dance through the next door.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Relationship building of positivity and Trust are the most important way to build your reputation I am in the Promo Products industry since 1975. and have always valued positive relationships with my cherished suppliers and customers. I take all the extra efforts to see them , learn about them, honor their accomplishments and show appreciation and gratitude for their business.
I visit them, take them to lunch, write many thank you notes hand written and send cards at special times for starters. People are my motivator to do my work.. so I come up with as many ways to meet them and get to know them. My visits are always welcome all around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jesuiswendy.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendygaye/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendywilliams77/
• Other: www.jesuiswendy.com

Image Credits
I just took pix with my phone.. no credisst necessary