By Jessica O. Swink
Editor, Small Business Insight
Dory Wilgus entered the workforce at 16 years old as a sewing machine operator in a shoe company. She then became a machine operator for US Flag & Signal 32 years ago, and later purchased the company in 1998 with a business partner. As president of the business, her employees know that she has been where they are now, and she’s truly built the business from the ground up.
One lesson learned by Wilgus is realizing that one person doesn’t know everything. “You won’t know it all, but surround yourself with those who do,” Wilgus explains.
Of those people, she mentions her business partner who handles the finances, the creativity and talent of her employees and fellow members of NAWBO.
Since buying the company, sales have increased dramatically and the number of employees has doubled. In 2005, Wilgus moved the company from a 9,000 square-foot facility in Virginia Beach to a 22,000 square-foot facility in Portsmouth.
Wilgus and her team continue to service all branches of the military and have a strong local presence through contracts with local universities. They have also provided flags for Busch Gardens for the past 26 years.
The business shows no sign of slowing, either. After recently hiring a web designer, Wilgus hopes to increase online presence and expand marketing reach.
“You have to be able to adapt and invest in technology, and you have to stay updated,” Wilgus explains. “You also have to help promote your employees and they promote you.”
While Wilgus states that there aren’t many challenges associated with being a woman business owner today, she remembers a time when it was slightly more difficult.
“The first time signing my name as a business owner, they wanted my husbands’s name,” Wilgus reflects. “Also, when you go to conferences, there are many men. I’m treated differently until they realize I’m not the director of marketing or there on behalf of anyone else.”
If there’s one piece of advice Wilgus is quick to pass along, it is a simple one: “Don’t forget where you came from. Appreciate the people that helped you get here.”
- Who were the other 2011 SBI Minerva Award Honorees? Click here to find out!
