Barbara Miller – A Business Success Story (Part One)

It is often rational for many people to start their entrepreneurial endeavors at a young age. However, for others, entrepreneurship spirit catches up with them late in life. Typically, it comes even when traditional conventions dictate that it is the retirement age for some entrepreneurs. Even so, one needs to be tough to succeed as an entrepreneur regardless of the age they start.

In this article, we shall focus on the business success story from one of the renowned women entrepreneurs in Texas State – Barbara Miller. She is the founder, and President of the Miller Paper Company based in Amarillo, Texas and her toughness character cannot go unnoticed. Ms. Miller is a woman entrepreneur who can be well described by the old adage – ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’.

Many people who know Ms. Miller describes her as a “Woman of Steel’ for what she has gone through. Ms. Miller lost her job, started a business, and won her bout with cancer around the age of 60 years. Regardless of all adversities, she certainly maintained her ambition to get things rolling as she planned. After forming the Miller paper company, she started transformed it into a multi-million dollar company after a span of five years.

It is Never too Late to Start a Business

It is certainly true that being an entrepreneur was not foremost in Barbara Miller’s life. She spent most part of her life as an employee. Notably, she worked for various corporations in the paper industry. Nonetheless, an expected twist of fate led her to shift gears away from the relative comforts of being an employee. It is then that she decided to be at the helm of her own ship.

In collaboration with some of her former colleagues, Ms. Miller pulled resources together to start the company. In January 1995, Miller Paper Company opened its doors with only 15 employees. The company was started in Amarillo, Texas, and is now a leading manufacturer, wholesaler, and distributor of paper and related products in the Midwest.

Even at her ripe age, Ms. Miller has proven that it is never too late to jam-start an entrepreneurial career. She recommends that there is no specific age to start a business. In fact, Ms. Miller believes that one can start a business at retirement age and see it thrive to a multi-billion entity.

Growing the Company

According to Ms. Miller, her fight with cancer was a major turning point in life. Actually, even her doctor did not imagine that she would soon be at the helm of a multi-million dollar corporation. Against all odds, the business would grow the boast a twenty percent annual growth rate. Initially, the business started with a capital of about $300,000. Afterward, the company generated almost $3 million within the first year of doing business. In 1999, the company had annual revenue of about $7 million. The company’s performance was outstanding in the entire industry.

At present, Miller Paper Company now occupies a 50,000 square feet warehouse with 33 employees. It also boasts to offer their products to just about every imaginable industry. The company deals with office supplies of all kinds, towels, toilet, tissues, cups, packaging material, among other things. Sustaining such a wide target group by means of a diversified product line certainly boosts sales and ensures that the orders keep flowing.

In addition, the scope of the business has now expanded to exploit new markets. The company now has sites in the Panhandle of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, about 150 miles radius from Amarillo. That has been contributed by the aggressive marketing activities by the company’s sales representatives. The sales and marketing activities have been nonstop, from going to the streets to making personalized calls to potential customers. Over 15 sales representatives make rounds in offices of potential customers every business day to look for more sales. Ms. Miller has also been able to spread the word out about the products of the company.

Advice to Upcoming Entrepreneurs

From the beginning, Ms. Miller focused her energy on growing and expanding her business. She aimed to achieve this through either introducing new products or increasing the sales area. Ms. Miller notes that the company is constantly working on an expansion in one way or another. The company aims at expanding by covering additional territories or through adding new product items in their product line.

Ms. Miller’s advice to entrepreneurs – it is prudent to find a niche that puts your customer needs first. That way you will successfully be able to take care of their needs. Besides, it would be best for every entrepreneur to practice inclusivity and treat people exactly as they (entrepreneurs) would like to be treated. It is vital to make customers feel very important because they are! If there come a time you may lose them, you will be out of business.