Rowena Fullinwider Runs a Successful Business, Helps Others Succeed, and Beats Cancer: "It's all part of the job."
Rowena Fullinwider is the epitome of success. Despite a bout with ovarian cancer, she runs a profitable gourmet food business, employs 20 people year round and about 125 during the holiday season. Rowena also mentors women and girls, donates time and energy to the community and various charitable causes, spends time with family and friends, and is politically active. "She's like the Energizer Bunny and it's hard to keep up with her," says Cameron Foster, Rowena's first and longest employee.
(PRWEB) September 17, 2004
Meet Success: Rowena Fullinwider
When entrepreneur Rowena Fullinwider, 65, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year, she never stopped working.
As she was lying in bed in her hospital room in Norfolk, Virginia, with a needle in her arm feeding her chemotherapy drugs that would make her sick and weak for days, she made phone calls to customers, suppliers, employees and anyone else she needed to keep in touch with so her gourmet food business wouldn't miss a beat.
You see, Rowena has been in business since 1983 and she now has a lot of people depending on her--20 year-round employees and about 125 during the holiday season. And they're like family to her. She was determined they wouldn't suffer as a result of her cancer. When she got sick, she was also spearheading and co-authoring a new historical cookbook, CELEBRATE VIRGINIA!, which was published in April 2003. (She did, however, cut back on her political and charity work.)
So once a month for eight months, Rowena sat in her hospital bed for an entire day, watching the drip, drip, drip of the poison that would cure her, continuing to work and be cheerful. For days after each treatment, she was nauseous and exhausted. And for almost a year, she didn't have the same energy level and attention to detail as usual. Sales were down slightly although the company's general manager, Joan Place, Creative Director Cameron Foster, and other employees did their best to fill Rowena's shoes during this trying time.
It was a tough year for the mail-order food industry, and it's hard to say whether Rowena's illness was the cause of the company's somewhat lower sales. Rowena's produces delicious gourmet cakes and sauces, and sells other gourmet food products through its catalog, website and retail shop. It also has a lovely tearoom that serves lunch daily.
What did the business do to survive the slowdown and its leader's illness?
"We had implemented a new email program in 2002 and we were blessed with a strong increase in our website sales," Rowena says. The company sent emails about once a month to its customer base promoting various products and encouraging online sales. It is quite successful.
"We've seen our online sales grow by 50% over the last two years as a result of these efforts," says Joan Place. The company has now uploaded its entire catalog to the website. "We expect online sales to be our biggest growth area in the coming year."
Rowena has made it through one year in her path back to health, but 2004 has not been without its challenges. Early this year, Rowena's 77-year-old husband, Peter, was also diagnosed with cancer. As with her own illness, Rowena asked friends and family for prayers and kept her positive attitude. "We'll get through this as we always do," she says. So the roles have reversed. Now she's spending one day a month at Peter's side in the hospital. "As you progress through life, there are always challenges. We don't say, 'Why me?'" says Rowena, "We say, 'What are we going to do about this?' and then we do it."
That's the key. Rowena refuses to sit back and let life happen. "I fought the cancer just like I have dealt with other obstacles in my life--directly, positively and with the help of God, family and friends," she says. She also kept a very positive attitude. "I worked in health care for many years," she says, "and I know that recovery often depends on attitude."
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM ROWENA:
==> Give thanks to God and family every day.
==> Take care of your body and mind. You only get one of each.
==> Give back to the community and you will be rewarded abundantly.
==> Don't let others tell you your dreams are not valid. Your dreams are your dreams. YOU make them happen.
==> Be a good model for children. They learn by example.
==> Make a good product and people will buy it.
==> Give excellent customer service and your customers will return again and again.
==> Thank your employees, vendors, business associates and others frequently. Your appreciation will be rewarded.
==> Use your creativity. You can always think of another way to do something.
==> Always act like a lady, but don't let people push you around. Stand up for what you believe.
HOW TO CONTACT THIS SUCCESSFUL WOMAN:
Rowena J. Fullinwider, President
Rowena's, Inc.
758 W. 22nd Street
Norfolk, Va. 23517
Phone: 757-627-8699 or 800-627-8699
Fax: 757-627-1505
Email: through website
Web: http://www. rowenas. com (http://www. rowenas. com)
If you'd like to read more, go to http://www. marketingideashop. com/rowena. html (http://www. marketingideashop. com/rowena. html) for a full business profile.
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