This blog post has been authored by Stand Out Online Member Rena McGill, Corlinc

“There, there little girl” hinted the man wearing the prominent “VC” hat. “Mother-Son Team… I don’t think so” said his representative. “We’ve had a bad experience with your type and you probably won’t find an open mind here”, she said. Our type? You mean family that is hyper focused, driven to succeed, spent years and risked it all to bring a product to market that will change lives and arm underserved entrepreneurs with the tools to prosper? You mean family that covers 2 generations of business expertise, 2 genders that identify with the needs of both, 2 skill sets that consistently test each other, and together a passion to bypass all barriers to become a $100M tech company. Hmmm….

SEE THE TEAM SAY “WATCH US!”
Small business is the foundation of this country and entrepreneurs fuel the innovation that is our future. I come from a long line of women who taught me the value of the struggle and the courage to overcome any challenge that darkened my path. There is one huge statistic that blows me away. Of the 30 million small businesses in this country, 25 million are solopreneurs and 12.5 million are women. Opportunity and resources need to be available to us all in order to effect change, for our playing small does not serve the world. Until we are tested, we cannot possibly imagine the greatness that lies within.

THE ROOT OF SUCCESS
It’s interesting when you evaluate the roots that formed your personal belief system. As so many of us have experienced, I was raised in a broken home shattered with domestic violence. With two much older sisters who left as soon as they were old enough to do so, my mother and I found shelter in each other. We grew to be more friends than mother-daughter. Post-divorce, my mother found herself in a new marriage, worse than the one before. This time… gun violence. She, and I, barely survived it yet she pushed me towards success. A brilliant woman, an inventor, and a consummate entrepreneur… my mother pleaded that I follow a professional path that paid tribute to the women before us and not only survive… but thrive.

THE LITTLE VOICE OF DOUBT
They say failure is the mother of success. If that’s the case (and I believe that it is), then this is going to be one hell of a success story! My middle name should have been “perseverance” because I NEVER give up and never face a challenge that doesn’t fuel my fire. With years of experience comes enough stories to write a nail-biting book that keeps you in tears alternating with rolling laughter. I’ve won design awards in the timeshare industry while battling competitors who lacked integrity. I built a landmark kitchen store in a neighborhood that eventually became a haven for crack addicts and even a dangerous mental patient who frequented the store and was measuring me for a box as he played with knives. Scary. I co-created a money management education program that ultimately lost its funding and took a pause to say… Now what? You can let life kick you to the curb and go back to the J-O-B or you can evaluate your personal mission and vision for the next journey. Nothing at all wrong with a job; however, it just wasn’t for me.

Doubt. That nasty little feeling that creeps up from the depth of your soul and drives uncertainty. It can own you or you can own it. Choose the latter.

A PURPOSE-DRIVEN BUSINESS
You often hear that if you love what you are doing… you will never work a day in your life. Life experiences have driven me to “do more and be more”. I have always known the importance of leaving my mark on this earth. To deliver the solution in partnership with my son is an incredible gift.

Enter Corlinc. We believe in servant leadership. At the end of the day, money doesn’t create happiness… it simply magnifies the foundation of your heart. In order to lift ourselves up, we must first lift up someone else.

As a marketing tool hyper-focused on growth into an entrepreneurial ecosystem, Corlinc was built to be an affordable marketing solution created to benefit small brands and the unique marketing challenges they face. The second phase of our platform is the creation of Corlinc University… delivering ever-expanding resources and tools to make a positive economic impact by support equipping underserved small brands with tools they will need for success. These same small brands are the very foundation of our future. We can do good while doing well, building business relationships that will increase profits for all.

This is the mission and vision that gets me out of bed every day. What is your mission and vision?

35+ yr career in new product development, operations, management, and market strategy
• Built an award-winning interior design and furnishings firm in the resort industry
• Co-created a money management education system for distressed homeowners
• Recent Board member of National Association of Women Business Owners-NW
• With their passion for successful entrepreneurship, Rena joined forces with her son, Taylor McGill, to develop Corlinc as the disruptive marketing platform that delivers a greater customer experience.
• Corlinc launched a beta campaign with the largest annual nonprofit in Spokane and broke their all-time fund-raising record by 30%.
• Corlinc simplifies the way a small brand engages with, markets, and sells to their audience online, while Corlinc University delivers education and ever-expanding resources and tools
• Gourmet cook and loves to travel