FEATURE
“The few tips that I did get were mostly from male driven companies
and I took everything into consideration, but I’d dig deeper and
listen. Women have an ability to really micro-process the more
strategic end of what people are saying, and I used that.”
Coming into this industry and building herself – her brand – from
the ground up wasn’t easy, though she’s made friends and
connections along the way that have been invaluable to her
success. But the real driving force has always been her passion
and the myriad ways she’s witnessed vaping help people, which
was what encouraged her to get involved in the first place.
Ironically, her journey into the world of vape started with big
tobacco, when she moved from Metro Detroit to California.
She was offered a job as a brand ambassador for a marketing
company and tobacco was her first client.
“I did that activation for one month and, as I was going to all these
shops – whether it be smoke shops, convenience stores, gas
stations – everywhere I went I saw e-liquid.
“Seeing it everywhere was really amazing, I was intrigued but, at
the same time, I was staring at the face of big tobacco every single
day and the people that used tobacco products, it broke my heart.”
When she was offered an extension, she declined and dove feet-
first into vaping by attending her first expo. Those early days were
all trial and error.
She says: “I love talking to people and I love presenting the
products. I don’t think there’s anything better than being able to
put something in someone’s hands, seeing the reaction on their
face when they try it and educating them about the product.
“In the beginning, that was pretty much me; my first Vaper Expo I
had this beautiful booth, I’d built it really tall and borrowed boxes
from my friends, it was a lot of work setting up all by myself and it
was a little lonely, so it forced me to go out and make more friends
in the community because I was solo.”
Four years later, she’s built up her marketing team of ten, the
people she credits as being her support system. If it weren’t for
this team, she explains, she’d not be able to continually look
ahead to the next opportunity or event: “I can run around and not
worry, because I know they’ve got it covered.”
So much has changed for Ashley since she entered this arena,
but she says that her biggest achievement is having the ability to
create jobs and opportunities for people – building her team has
been her proudest moment. Getting to this point in her career has
not come without it’s sacrifices though. When you put your career
first, it leaves little room for other things.
“I stay very busy and I’m very dedicated. In the beginning, when
people asked me to go out, I’d be like ‘I’m working…’ When you
say that enough people stop asking and I was grateful, because I
just know what I want right now, I want it all and I’m going to get it.
“And, after four years, of course I can tell you a million things about
how to run this booth and how to be specific, but I have so much
left to learn: so, I’m still listening.”
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