In 1975, with only $400, I started Arkansas Flag and Banner. And now, what began as a series of unfortunate events has turned out to be one of the most gratifying blessings in my life. I was not good at school. I tried a little college but was unsuccessful. Undaunted, I entered Ms. Wade’s Vocational Technical school in Dallas and graduated, only to find myself in the middle of a recession and unable to find a job. When I finally managed to find employment, the only job I could get was that of selling flags. After six months in Dallas, I was homesick and ready to quit. At this point, my mother said “Why don’t you just come home to Little Rock, honey, and start your own business.”
At first I wasn’t sure. I thought about my Father. He had always worked for himself by owning small businesses, and while he was never hugely successful monetarily, he was honest and took good care of his family. So I took my Mother’s advice. I moved back to Little Rock, gave my company a name, printed business cards and began selling flags to businesses door-to-door. That was thirty years ago.
Today, Arkansas Flag and Banner is still selling business to business, but we have grown to meet the needs of our residential customers. After 9/11, we opened a retail store and more recently, we began selling on the internet at FlagandBanner.com. What was once a one woman show has now grown into a thriving global business with multiple departments and twenty-three employees. And like my Father, we are still honest and knowledgeable. We strive everyday to add the little things to a sale that will win your loyalty: A good product for a fair price, delivered on time, from people you like doing business with.
