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GWBC Radio: Tina Stevens with Secondary Solutions

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Secondary Solutions CEO Tina Stevens grew up at a time where women knew their place in business —and that was being at the top of their game in everything they did. With a military school education at Vermont’s prestigious Norwich University, Tina’s earliest influencers taught her the importance of “thinking differently” especially as it related to business processes and applications.

When Tina first began working in the male-dominated manufacturing industry, she quickly discovered that she was someone who saw solutions where others might have only seen problems. After carefully examining the many challenges of modern manufacturing, Tina was on her way to a new venture in Florida when she stopped along the way in Spartanburg, SC. It was there in South Carolina’s rapidly evolving manufacturing community that Tina saw an entrepreneurial opportunity with the creation of Secondary Solutions, a company solely designed to solve the many challenges that manufacturers face.

Secondary Solutions has developed a stellar reputation as the company known for solving errors and failures in product design, assembly, and delivery. Their roster of clients includes major appliance, healthcare, packaging, and industrial equipment manufacturers—along with first tier automotive companies like BMW and aerospace leaders like Boeing.

In addition to her executive duties at Secondary Solutions, Tina also serves as a board member for the Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC). She is also a part of the National Forum of the WBENC (the largest certifier and advocate of women-owned businesses in the U.S) to help strengthen women’s business opportunities across the nation. Along with having a woman-owned business that is also a certified ISO9001:2015 Company, Tina is most proud that-since founding Secondary Solutions in 1997-they have established a legacy of success in problem-solving for clients.

Transcript

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC Open for Business. And this will be a good one. Today, we have with us Tina Stevens with Secondary Solutions. Welcome, Tina.

Tina Stevens: [00:00:29] Welcome. I’m looking forward to talking to you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:32] Well, before we get too far in the things, tell us about Secondary Solutions. How are you serving folks?

Tina Stevens: [00:00:38] We are a third-party inspection company for the manufacturing world, as well as we do assembly, kitting, marketing and packaging for when a purchase displays for the retail sector of business.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:53] So, how’d you get into this line of work?

Tina Stevens: [00:00:57] Well, we started as a machine shop. It’s really interesting to think about it. In 1997, I was working for a company that was a dye caster and doing all different various functions of that position. And it was an opportunity that opened up for what’s called the secondary operations of that business. They wanted to outsource it. So, at the time, my husband and I decided that it would be a great opportunity. So, it was machining, solely a machine company. And as you will note, 23 years later, I have eliminated that out of our repertoire business.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:34] And that’s funny lesson about business, right? You might start at one place, and then end somewhere else. And it just all happened just kind of organically, right?

Tina Stevens: [00:01:44] Yes. It’s just meeting the needs and finding out what needs to happen. The Ross Perot giant sucking sound of everything going overseas really affected our business. And slowly over the years, we’ve pivoted out of it into into this new line of business. And so, it’s a whole different world. And specifically, since COVID hit, we’ve even transferred more out of the automotive world and into more packaging and helping customers in a different whole marketplace to support the COVID pandemic.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:27] Now, that’s a great lesson for business leaders everywhere. How do you know when it’s time to make that pivot and where the forces are just to kind of insurmountable that, “We’ve got to make a move”? And then, how do you kind of implement that change?

Tina Stevens: [00:02:44] Well, for me, the biggest factor happened in 2008 and 2009. We were one hundred percent automotive at that time. And that taught me a big lesson about diversification. So, over that period of time, we started working with customers like WesTrac that do a lot of entertainment kind of work that needed hand packaging kind of operations. And then, we also picked up the nutraceuticals. There’s lots of pharma nutraceutical happening in South Carolina where I’m located at. And we started picking up those kinds of customers.

Tina Stevens: [00:03:24] And so, when we looked at our metric system and where we wanted to be positioned, we had a third, a third, a third. So, when COVID hit, and one third of the business was going down, we took the opportunity of taking the PPP loan, and keeping all of our people on staff, and pivoted and said, “Where can we go to?” So, when we started reaching out to the other sectors of our business and said, “Do you have a need for more people?,” the answer was yes. They were struggling to keep their lines open because of the influx of business. So, we were able to transition out of the automotive sector and into the other sectors.

Tina Stevens: [00:04:08] And then, when COVID came – not only came down, but when the opportunity for the automotive came back up, we’ve been slowly going back into that sector. So, really, our businesses is much bigger than it was before COVID as a result of COVID. That sounds strange, but that’s really where we’re at.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:30] Right, because you were able to make the change. And then, when it kind of stabilized a little, then you benefited from still having all of the skill to execute on what you were previously doing. That didn’t change.

Tina Stevens: [00:04:43] Yeah, I was really happy because that PPP alone really gave us the advantage of being able to keep our skilled people on staff. So, they were prepared to be able to go back into the marketplace the second that we had the opening and could pivot them. So, in that three to six-week period of time, we are able to transition everybody into another job until the other jobs came up available. And then, we’ve been adding people.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:09] Now, in your career, you said initially you were working for somebody else, and then you took over. Is that what happened that you were working for a plant, and then you had the opportunity came that you can kind of be the owner of it?

Tina Stevens: [00:05:25] Yes. That happened in 2001. I took over the business in 2001.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:32] And when that happened – I was just reading Seth Godin. I’m a big fan of Seth Godin. I don’t know if you know who he is, but he’s a marketing person. But he talked about the imposter syndrome, and he says that everybody has it and just get over it. That’s just the way it is. There’s always that point where you don’t know how to do something, and then you’re trying something, and then you’re doing something. Did you have any of challenges from that same role, from a leadership standpoint that, “Am I the right person to lead this company?” Like you said, it’s male-dominated. “Are they going to be able to see me as the leader?” Did you have to overcome anything along those lines?

Tina Stevens: [00:06:09] I really did. And what’s interesting is that in 2001, when I took over the company, I ended up hiring a man as a salesperson because I was finding that I couldn’t get in the door to get the appointment to even have the conversation. So, thankfully, we’ve transitioned. So, I don’t feel that way anymore, that I can open the door myself. So, I would say that’s a great change for women in business in the last 20 years. So, I did.

Tina Stevens: [00:06:46] But as far as being a leader. I don’t really feel the imposter syndrome anymore. I used to. And that’s what’s really great about WBENC, GWBC, the Women’s Presidential Organization. All these women’s groups have really taught me and helped me to see the value that I bring, the value that the company brings, and also that we’re all in this together, not in the COVID sense of the word, but in the business sense of the word, that everybody is struggling with those. I really didn’t take advantage of for many, many years what that would bring to the table of networking with all these other great women.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:36] Now, when you were coming up, there had to be fewer of those opportunities to find groups of women that were organized and kind of supporting each other. But now, it seems there’s more. There’s quite a few kind of avenues for a young leader to go, to plug in, to kind of find that support network and to find peers that are going to kind of help you up and hold you accountable and things like that.

Tina Stevens: [00:08:04] That is definitely true. I would say, I have been with GWBC for almost 10 years, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I wish I had plugged in 10 years ago. I only really plugged in, I would say, in the last three years, and that’s when those relationships have really ballooned and grown. And anybody that’s listening to this, please take that as a piece of grand advice. Plug in, networking. All these women are your friend and they want to help you. And take that help, and take that advice, and run with it because they’re seeing things that you didn’t see before.

Tina Stevens: [00:08:04] For me, in my experience, that’s what was so overwhelming. It’s like, “Wow!” I had my head down, and was working really, really hard, and making decisions that, now, I look back and go, “It would have been so much easier if I just asked for some help, and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this issue. What do you think?'” because the information or the help is out there and available. Just to ask.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:15] Yeah, and that’s a good lesson for leaders to be kind of humble in this regard, and have some humility, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable and ask for help. Like you don’t have to be a lone ranger. This doesn’t have to be kind of a solo operation. There’s plenty of resources out there and plenty of willing people that have been there and done that, that are open to sharing with you. It’s not a close kind of environment in most cases.

Tina Stevens: [00:09:42] Well, I think a big change for this year, this has been the 2020 aha moment was when we had the COVID shutdown, and we couldn’t go to the conferences, and we couldn’t do the traditional networking opportunities that come up, what really interested me was the Zoom meetings and all these teleconferencing opportunities. It really has opened my eyes to being able to have more face-to-face networking opportunities than I have ever had before just sitting in my office because I get to see their picture, I get to engage with them and have a conversation; whereas, at the conference, there’s thousands and thousands of people, and I’m seeing some of the same people. And your inclination is to network with the same group of women. And occasionally, you get to meet another person.

Tina Stevens: [00:10:34] But through this platform, which I hope never goes away, I still want to do the live people events as well, but this platform really has given me an opportunity to really hone in and meet people that I really can do business with and that I’ve built great relationships with. So, I fully embrace this kind of environment of the teleconferencing world. It’s a big advantage to businesses.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:04] Yeah, I think that networking had that kind of a stigma attached to it in a negative way maybe more back in the day then than today where it was kind of superficial, and it was like everybody’s handing out business cards, and they don’t care about you, and it’s very transactional. And I think what people are finding is if you find the right group of people, it’s very supportive, and it’s kind of there’s a high kind of IQ when you’re dealing with a lot of these folks that are leaders, that are involved in these groups. They really want to help. They want to get back. They’ve learned some lessons. They want to share the lessons. They want to open some doors for folks. Isn’t that kind of old-school, hand-me-my-business-card, what-do-you-do kind of environment?

Tina Stevens: [00:11:50] Well said. That is more true than ever. I really feel the engagement. That’s the part that is being really promoted, the engagement portion of it. People really want to engage with you and want to feel part of the inclusive environment. So, that’s just a different … you’re right. I mean, I’m not giving out business cards, but that whole philosophy of giving out a card, and you come back with a stack and never follow up on it. This changes what that looks like because this is a more real conversation.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:27] Right. It’s personal. You’re getting really to know the people. And if you do this kind of work over time, it pays dividends. But like any group, this isn’t something you can just join and then expect benefits. You really have to kind of lean in and volunteer, take leadership roles, and kind of proactively interact rather than just wait for stuff to come your way. I mean, that’s not going to work for anybody.

Tina Stevens: [00:12:51] Yeah, I would say that, for me, being a part of GWBC, I’m also the head of the Voice Committee, which is a group of women. They get together to have your voice be heard, thinking together, and just trying to figure out how we can get a networking message out to more women and get them involved because there’s so many opportunities.

Tina Stevens: [00:13:17] The educational opportunities. I took two classes this year that were supported by Wells Fargo and UPS, several different businesses, TruWest and stuff. But they had these classes that was called Thrive, and they did the EOS, the entrepreneurial operating system. Both those classes, not only do you get to network with people, but what the educational portion that you learn from it really helped your business, and it made you be able to concentrate on your business and implement systems. In our business, we took full advantage of those educational opportunities.

Tina Stevens: [00:13:55] So, really, plugging in in the marketing sector, the marketing committee, or being on the Voice Committee. I’d really invite anybody to join the Voice Committee of any of the RPOs that are out there because it’s a great networking opportunity.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:14] Right. And it’s a great way for young folks and kind of new business people to demonstrate their kind of core values, and skill, and leadership in those environments in a safe way that kind of lets people see, “Okay, this person is for real. They got it going on. I can trust them with a project,” or “I can trust them to be referred.”

Tina Stevens: [00:14:38] Yes. And so, we have a question that just happened recently where there was a whole webinar on that, and it was an interactive one. And the questions you need to ask to protect yourself and make those relationships work for both of you, it was so eye opening because when you start a project, you’re so full of hope, and you’re working together, and you don’t think of the downside. So, having that educational opportunity to look at that made me realize, “Okay, yeah. So, we need to look at this.”

Tina Stevens: [00:15:12] And I thought it was interesting. She said, “You really need to think about it is getting a divorce when you start doing business with other companies, so that you know, worst-case scenario, work your way back from that.” I thought, “That’s so true. Get everything down ready. Get it all. Get all your questions, all the concerns that you have about doing business with somebody else out on the table, so that you can have a good relationship to start with. And you know if something goes what goes wrong, what’s your one, two, three you’re going to handle, how are you going to handle it?” And I thought that was very intuitive.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:48] Yeah. I think that GWBC does a great job in setting up these smaller business folks with opportunities, with these enterprise level and kind of educates them on, “Look, you can’t just show up here and say, ‘This is what I do.’ You’re going to have to really have a lot of empathy and understand, from the enterprise level’s standpoint, what they have to gain and what they have to lose.'” So, you have to kind of shore up some areas a lot of the times that the young person may be or the new business person isn’t aware of.

Tina Stevens: [00:16:21] That’s very well said as well, because I love what GWBC is doing and WBENC is doing as well, is that they’ve identified groups of women that are having more of a struggle than other groups. So, they have another group within the group called Women of Color. And I’m very excited to see that program coming to fruition and seeing the excitement in the level because lots of businesses fail because they don’t have all the knowledge and the expertise coming into it.

Tina Stevens: [00:17:00] So, the Mentor Protege Program that they have within GWBC another way to work with a corporate. They can help you build that relationship, and get those questions, and get those soft skills and hard skills that you need in order to be competitive and withstand all that’s coming at you and make your business be successful.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:24] Right. And those kind of relationships, that can catapult your company from one level to five levels higher if you kind of listen and kind of let them help you.

Tina Stevens: [00:17:39] That is so important. That really is so important. Because at the end of the day, all these people, men and women, are trying to be successful. And I will say that I have not run into, really, anybody in my recent past year that hasn’t given me something to think about that can help my business, or give me a hand up, or make an introduction, or give me a thoughtful idea that I hadn’t seen it because they’re looking at my business 10,000 feet out. So, always being open to that, I think, is the most important thing to move your business forward.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:24] So, what could we be doing to help you move your business forward? What do you need more of?

Tina Stevens: [00:18:30] Actually, I’m in a really great place. I mean, I’m in a position where I’m wanting to help others. So, what can the community do? I’m looking to do more assembly work and kitting work. We’re an ISM. We’re also a hub zone company. So, I’m looking to do some more government contracting and expand our company into that field. That’s been on my radar for the last couple of years. Now, I’ve got my certification, so I’m moving in that direction. So, thank you for asking that.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:08] Well, congratulations on all of your success and thank you so much for sharing your story today.

Tina Stevens: [00:19:14] I appreciate the time. And this is a great avenue. And I love listening to the stories, the great, success stories. They’re motivating. I’m listening too. Whenever you put on out, I’m listening to it. So, thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:26] All right. Well, Tina, again, thank you for what you’re doing. You’re doing important work, and we appreciate you.

Tina Stevens: [00:19:32] Thank you. You have a great day.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:34] Well, if somebody wants to get a hold of you, what’s the website and the best way to connect with you or somebody on your team?

Tina Stevens: [00:19:40] Okay. So, our company name is Secondary Solutions, but our website is www.getproblemsolved.com. It’s “problem.” We’re not two Ss. We found that to be an issue, but that’s what our email addresses. Our telephone number is 864-574-6550. And please reach out.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:05] All right. Thank you again for sharing your story.

Tina Stevens: [00:20:08] Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:09] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on GWBC for Business.

About GWBC

The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC®) is at the forefront of redefining women business enterprises (WBEs). An increasing focus on supplier diversity means major corporations are viewing our WBEs as innovative, flexible and competitive solutions. The number of women-owned businesses is rising to reflect an increasingly diverse consumer base of women making a majority of buying decision for herself, her family and her business. 

GWBC^® has partnered with dozens of major companies who are committed to providing a sustainable foundation through our guiding principles to bring education, training and the standardization of national certification to women businesses in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.