Meet Innovative Woman Linda Ashley, Business Strategist and Today’s Innovative Woman City Director.
1. How/why did you begin your business?
I was born into an entrepreneurial family and so it was natural that I would continue the tradition. I have been self-employed in a variety of businesses for most of my life. Being a Gemini, I like variety! Shortly after I lost my husband to a massive heart attack, I was offered the position of President/CEO of the Newark Chamber of Commerce, a position I held for 10 years. Even while working at the Chamber, I continued my own business.
2. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
I retired from the Chamber on July 14, 2013, but my replacement didn’t work out so I went back on August 14 as a consultant for 5 ½ months. While working days at the Chamber, I continued working nights & weekends to update Ashley Marketing to fit my plans for part-time retirement. This was a challenge, but it was just the beginning!
My biggest challenge came when I finally left the Chamber on January 31, 2014 and I suddenly realized that Ashley Marketing just wasn’t me anymore! What was my problem? I wish I knew! I must have changed my business name, Mission & Vision Statements, and business plan at least a dozen times. My friends looked at me each time as if I was crazy! Then I attended an event called “Time to THRIVE, A Business Intensive with Caterina Rando” (coincidentally, Caterina is also a contributor to Today’s Innovative Woman). Within the first few minutes of the seminar I had the first of many ah-ha moments that would begin to define my relationship with my new mentor and with my business. Within a month I had clarity of purpose for this phase of my life. I realized the missing component in my plan was that I had changed in those 10 years. I loved the event planning, speaking, writing, connecting, coaching, retreat facilitating, masterminding, the tools, and more, that defined my tenure at the Chamber. I discovered that my many years of self-employment plus my 10 years as President/CEO of the Chamber set me up perfectly as a Business Strategist to small & home-based business owners.
3. How do you define SUCCESS?
As a Business Strategist, my clients SUCCESS defines my SUCCESS! There is no better feeling than to receive a testimonial, whether verbal or written, that I have had a positive impact. To know that my creativity, knowledge, experience, and tools have inspired someone to take that extra step to their own success is a great feeling.
4. If there was one thing you wish you knew before you began your business, what would that be?
I believe there was a meaning and a purpose to every step I made along the way to where I am today. The ups and downs of life teach us lessons and give us understanding. I think my years as an entrepreneur with its challenges led to my success at the Chamber, and that my success at the Chamber led me here. I understand the opportunities & challenges business owners face because I have been in their shoes! So, honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing.
5. What makes you an innovative woman?
An innovative woman, in my mind, is a creative thinker who with compassion, clarity, and purpose works to improve the lives of others. A favorite quote by Edmund Lee in Lessons Learned in Life sums up my philosophy
“Surround yourself with the dreamers & the doers,
the believers and the thinkers,
but most of all, surround yourself with
those who see the greatness within you,
even when you don’t see it yourself”.
This Innovative Woman sees the greatness in you!
To find out more about Linda visit www.ashleybiz.com, or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter. Find out more about her local digital editions of Today’s Innovative Woman for the San Francisco Bay Area or the Central Valley by visiting her City Pages on our website.