In this episode, Brian talks with Judi Henderson, an accidental entrepreneur who owns the largest mannequin recycling/liquidation company in the country. Judi has an amazing story to tell.
Highlights from Judi Henderson
- When I grew up, entrepreneurship wasn’t on the table. There was no such thing as girl boss. To me, living close to Silicon Valley, an entrepreneur was a young white male from Stanford with venture capital money in the tech field. I certainly didn’t see myself in that life.
- When I found out how many retail stores threw out perfectly good mannequins because it was last year’s style, I saw an opportunity. And this was way before people were talking about sustainability.
- I offered retail stores an alternative. They give me their mannequins, and I pay to remove them. I then sold the mannequins for a nice profit. This became my business model. The Internet allowed me to reach customers all over the U.S. and Canada.
- I called my company “Mannequin Madness because, when I started the business, everyone thought I was a little crazy for doing it.
- We have 55,000 followers on Pinterest. It’s a big DIY market where people turn mannequins into Christmas trees and mailboxes.
- The biggest mistake I made was not seeing myself as a entrepreneur.
- I’m 65 and not even close to retirement. I have new and bigger dreams today than I had 20 years ago. I’m much more comfortable when taking risks.
- There is always something you can learn from other entrepreneurs.
