Building relationships, growing a business, cultivating a personal life.

When she reflects on her last four years, Sabrina Simpson couldn’t have dreamed a bigger dream, not in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of experiences.

The business she owns with her husband, Anthony, has allowed her to be part of some amazing organizations: Pensacola Women’s Alliance, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area and multiple business networking groups where she has met amazing people. Simpson, chief operating officer of Something Old Salvage, stresses the importance of building relationships.

“Sales and marketing mean nothing if you don’t build relationships,” Simpson said. “Relationships have been the X Factor in our business.”

Building those relationships has helped her to understand that she is not alone. A product or service may be unique, but running a business is based on a formula.

“Have a lot of people you feel comfortable talking with about both wins and struggles,” she recommended to entrepreneurs. “Struggles help you grow and get to the wins.

It’s OK to say, ‘I’m not OK today.’ You are not alone, we all have those struggles. Growth involves knowing when you need help and asking for it.”

Asking for help hasn’t always been easy for Simpson. As the oldest of eight siblings, she was in a leadership role naturally and had to learn to delegate to siblings for family event planning. Personal growth has allowed her to recognize she can’t do everything and to understand the value of collaboration and delegation both in her personal and professional lives. Before, she looked at the bottom line in revenue, not in terms of her own time and energy. Now her ROI is measured on her time. That change freed her to do activities where she excels and allowed her to be strategic instead of tactical in planning. She and her husband divided chores, and she now asks for help from him; before he didn’t know she needed help because she just did everything.

Simpson has worked with family members and friends in the past, so when opening SOS, she knew she needed separation and accountability.

“Things need to be black and white – gray areas cause trouble,” she explained.

She finds that working with her husband is both a blessing and a curse. Each have different roles, but a unique understanding of the business and the work the other does. She and her husband have different work styles and strengths that make the business better and more successful. They do find it hard to turn off work on date night or vacation, it’s their livelihood so they have chosen to embrace the blending of work and personal life.

Read the full  article: December Bella Magazine :: Pages 36 & 37