One thing I really enjoy doing is connecting with people through story telling. And, have I got the stories. The family that I grew up in was made of the most fascinating people, who exposed me to so many interesting ideas and adventures. Read my founder’s story here.
- My mom was a teacher, political activist, and harpist.
- My dad was the Regional VP of Jolly Rancher Candies.
- My uncle had perfect pitch, played about 15 instruments, and worked on projects like digitizing Disney’s Fantasia.
- My brother could draw anything, was born with Spencerian handwriting, and ended up owning several businesses.
- My sister was a tree-hugger who taught me about organic gardening and composting. She canned and made her own granola.
All that creativity! What a an extraordinary childhood I had.
My Life Created the 2C Brand
It feels as though my childhood was steeped in every possible opportunity to dream the impossible dream. And, I did. I broke the 9 to 5 “real job” mold, and became the engineer of my own destiny by becoming a serial entrepreneur. That lead to this company, 2C. Our brand is a compilation of my life, in which I learned how 2C outside the box.
It didn’t just happen. I was exposed to so much tech. From all the tech in the office at the private school I attended, to all the manufacturing and chemistry tech on the floor at Jolly Rancher, on Green Apple or Watermelon day. (You could smell which flavor they were making, clear out on the parking lot. Yum!) From taking toasters and watches apart, to helping my dad work on his car, to anything that processed data. Especially that.
Frankly, my first love was a beautiful Underwood typewriter. I still have a yearning to pull it out, fit the carbon paper between sheets of paper, roll it into that gorgeous piece of machinery, and watch the keys fly. And stick.
Later, I moved onto electric typewriters, and became a font collector. Oh, the daisy wheels. So many fonts. So little time.
Then, my entrance to electronic data processing. I ordered the first electronic data processor in Denver, where I grew up. I was so obsessed with it. That printing ribbon, the dot matrix font, the way it spewed out my writing in an instant, and I didn’t have to erase my mistakes with a typewriter eraser. Those darn things, that dug holes in the paper.
There was only one natural succession – into the magical world of computing.
And here I am today. The CEO of a company born out of the perseverance of one women, who saw the frontier of website ownership, and wanted to be one of the first to design B2B and B2C websites. That was 1995.
It was an honor to tell my story to the Wichita Chapter of Women Who Code.
If you are interested in having me speak to your group, please connect with me 316-686-2284.
