“Believe in yourself and go for it when others tell you ‘you can’t’ just because they can’t.”
— Sandy Stein, Founder, Finders Key Purse, www.finderskeypurse.com
Sandy Stein was a flight attendant for over 30 years when her husband lost his job and her son was just 10. In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, the airline industry was going through a lean phase as well. Basically, the outlook seemed pretty challenging for Sandy. In her own words, “Living in Los Angeles requires a lot more than a $25,000 part-time flight attendant salary.”
She knew she had to find a way out to improve her finances. And she turned to her deceased father in Heaven; she earnestly prayed for wisdom. “That night I had a dream about a new invention that came to be called Finders Key Purse®,” reveals Sandy.
Her Big Idea
She was excited about the idea. Sandy quickly worked on it, and before long she was ready with a rough prototype of the item. She knew she had something very exciting that could be useful to millions and was therefore potentially profitable. “I showed it to all my flight attendant friends and they loved it.” Sandy Stein was sold on the idea, and she was ready to put her life savings to get things rolling. The decision was very uncomfortable, but she had complete belief in her idea and herself.
Believing in Herself When No One Did
While Sandy was all gung-ho about the idea, there were plenty of naysayers as well. She recollects, “When I told my husband I was going to spend almost my entire life savings to get the product made he thought I was crazy. He introduced me to some of his friends in the gift industry who also dissuaded me from trying to make a business out of one item.” Everyone around seems to have an impression of her being “just” a flight attendant with no college or business experience.
Finding Success
Sandy, however, marched ahead unabashedly. She tells, “I created a sales team with my flight attendant friends and their friends.” In 2005—the first year of their operations—they sold 1 million Finders Key Purse®! The success was unprecedented.
In her own words, “Now if that is not motivation to persevere I don’t know what is!” They have sold more than 11 million Finders Key Purse® to date. Her unwavering self-belief, dogged determination, and spirit of strive have triumphed. Sandy has achieved success amidst daunting odds and truly embodies the spirit of strive.
How are you striving? Order Strive today to start your journey to a life of fulfillment and joy, one that holds the possibility of discovering your fullest potential.
