Entrepreneur and woman business owner Shannon McLinden has traded in vacations and quiet weekends with friends and family for busy days where every minute is practically accounted for. But she doesn’t seem to mind. As president of FarmHouse Fresh, Shannon is involved in every aspect of the hugely successful company. From thinking up new product ideas to designing them and making them a reality, she’s there for it all.
Although she’s busy promoting her company’s new products which include Fluffy Bunny Shea Butter Body Cream, Honey Magnolia Sparkling Soak, Front Porch Punch Shea Butter Soap and her sister company, Summer Soles, line of peel-and-stick shoe liners of the same name, Shannon found time to chat with MyCity4Her. She shared invaluable insight about starting your own business and more in her Q&A 4Her interview.
Did you ever imagine yourself achieving what you have?
I’ve been entrepreneurial for as long as I can remember, even crocheting towels and selling them around my neighborhood when I was in grade school. When I was in middle school I began writing stories and drawing pictures about creating perfumes and body creams and designing a retail space. So, yes, the foundation I envisioned has certainly come to life. But there is so much more. Every year we imagine greater evolutions for our company, and begin to apply ourselves to bringing them to fruition.
What in hindsight would you say you underestimated about your industry or business and why?
So many people have a romanticized notion of “starting a business.” The big-picture details are there — like having a great idea, making a product, and making money from the product. But the work behind that big picture is truly daunting, and definitely not for the faint of heart. My day begins at 5am and doesn’t end until the evening news is on. I am lucky to squeeze in a shower and a quick walk with my dog most days. We don’t use real dishes in my house to save 20 minutes a day, and quadruple tasking is a regular event. Eating while standing up, reviewing emails and texting while slipping on shoes and racing out to a meeting. So from a personal standpoint I underestimated what it meant to run your own business. I do love it. But I have given up vacations, weekends and friendships, in lieu of successfully squeezing every moment out of a 7 day workweek. Most of my friends have 2 and 3 kids, get together with friends and family regularly and schedule vacations. I chose not to have children, and my best friends are inventory spreadsheets. A mini vacation for me is getting my hair cut.
What is the best business related advice you have ever been given?
You will juggle 1000 balls every day, and if 700 of them stay in the air, it’s been a good day.
What do you love most about what you do and why?
We launch an incredible number of new products each year, and the process of dreaming up a product, crafting it, designing it, and making it a reality is so rewarding for me. It’s quintessential creationism. Just an absolute joy to be a part of on a daily basis.
What if you knew then what you know now – would you do differently and why?
I would have taken more specialized classes – even taken community college and design courses to help bring a more robust artistic approach to my designing. Like fashion design, architecture, advertising copywriting, ad product layout, textile design. Once you get out there in building your business there is very little time to go back or fold in anything else.
When you’re not working how do you like to spend your time?
I’m confused. What does that mean “when you’re not working?” Kidding aside, having a 30 minute conversation at a restaurant with my husband is great. Sleep – getting to sleep in is fabulous. I’ve been told by my friends that my schedule is very similar to families with newborns, only my newborn never grows up.
How do you define success?
Having created a company that is profitable and in high demand, that employs fabulous people, and creates products that touch people’s lives in a positive way.
If you had to share one final thought.
Do every single thing well, and let the chips fall where they may. I spent years getting headaches, grinding my teeth, and more… all worrying about outcomes. But I’ve learned that what you can control is what matters. Just do everything well, and the outcome tends to match your efforts.
About Shannon McLinden: Shannon McLinden spent 10 years working in the advertising agency field in Dallas, Texas before realizing there was something she hated about her job – it had nothing to do with the job itself – but the tacky, sticky feeling in her sandals as she braved the Texas heat. In 2004, she began working with manufacturers to develop the perfect perspiration-fix for sandals and open shoes. Summer Soles were born – the first-ever peel and stick liner for stay-dry comfort in sandals. The company expanded their line to include natural bath and body product s under the brand FarmHouse Fresh. The FarmHouse Fresh brand includes a trio of salt scrubs selected by Oprah for her O-List and a Redbook “Most Valuable Product” award winner called Whoopie! Cream. The brand is sold in four and five-star hotels and resorts throughout the US, including Saks Fifth Avenue Spas, Ritz-Carltons, Hyatt Regencys, among others, and finer retail boutiques.
In addition to running Summer Soles, Shannon is also a motivational speaker for teens and is the author of motivational self-help book for teen girls titled, The Me Nobody Knew, published in 1998, which details the struggles and triumphs of overcoming her teen years. Today, it is sold in two languages: English and Taiwanese, and is used as curriculum in middle school, high school and college classes throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Shannon graduated with her MBA from Texas Christian University.