415: Women In Supply Chain, Evin Sisemore

Evin Sisemore talks about founding a business alongside her husband; navigating its acquisition; how sales have evolved; & supporting women in supply chain.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.47] Evin’s career journey, and how she found supply chain. “I ended up taking a job and falling in love with it. We always joke, ‘Don’t ever burn any bridges in this industry’ because, once you’re in it, you’re hooked!” [09.22] Why Evin decided to found her own business, Texas Motive Solutions, in 2018; and her advice for budding entrepreneurs. “The reason we were so successful is because we had an amazing team. I would never go into anything without having the best people surrounding me.” [12.52] Evin’s experience founding a business with her husband, and how they achieved a work/life balance whilst living and working so closely together. “My husband is my biggest cheerleader, but he will also push me more than anyone else to be better.” [16.29] How Evin navigated the acquisition of Texas Motive Solutions by Concentric; how the acquisition allowed her to continue to achieve high levels of customer experience whilst growing rapidly; and how she found her place in the new organization. “It didn’t feel like I was selling our company. It was: we’re merging with these other people, and we’re going to have people that we can share best practices with. They have their strengths, we have ours – and we’re just bringing them all together and making it better for our customers.” [19.41] Evin’s role as Regional Vice President, and why entrepreneurship means doing the dirty work. [23.51] A closer look at the forklift power industry, and its increasing focus on sustainability issues. [26.14] The changing face of sales, and how Evin adapted her strategies and techniques, especially as a woman in the industry. “Sales used to be that you had to be at the golf course, or the bar. But, as a woman, I didn’t want to just go out to happy hours every night – we had to find a way to bring our customers value. We go in, find their problems, and find a way to prevent them.” [28.31] Evin’s experience as a woman in the forklift power industry, and how she approaches equality in her own organization. “There are definitely still challenges, but it’s changing – people are seeing value in great people, whether you’re male or female.” [32.18] How Evin supports women in the industry and her advice for what we can all do to help move the needle. [33.52] The biggest lessons Evin has learned over the course of her career so far. [35.20] Evin’s love of sports! [37.08] The future for Evin.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   You can connect with Evin over on LinkedIn. If you'd like to hear more stories from other incredible women in supply chain, check out 410: Women In Supply Chain™, Julie Tilenius or 380: Women In Supply Chain™, Christine Barnhart.