Winning Ideas from Winning Women
with Judy Miller

After training her share of bosses and bumping into several glass ceilings, Judy Miller decided to start her own business in 1985. Based on a common-sense concept that companies would pay someone to respond to sales leads generated through advertising and promotional efforts, RSVP Communications in Greensboro was born.

Today, Judy’s company offers direct mail services, literature and product fulfillment, database management, lead tracking, call center services and sweepstakes/rebate program administration. Judy has grown her company from one employee to 53 and from 200 sq. ft. with two metal storage shelves to a 79,000 sq. ft. facility on 11 acres.

In addition to her role as President of RSVP Communications, Judy serves on the Board of Directors at Elon University’s Love School of Business and on the Foundation Board of Directors at Guilford Technical Community College. This year, the Commission on the Status of Women awarded her the Business Woman of Achievement Award.

NCJW: You’ve been a successful business owner for some time now, where did your entrepreneurial nature come from?

MILLER: I think creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit go hand in hand. I grew up poor, but didn’t know it. When we couldn’t afford an item, we would often improvise by creating something. My daddy was great at it, never throwing away a piece of scrap metal. The women in my life were strong-willed and hard-working. They were neither afraid nor too proud to take on any task, from being a mid-wife to bailing hay, while milking, canning, quilting, cooking and caring for a family. If they saw a need, they filled it. They had to; there was no one else to do it.

NCJW: So, did you grow up thinking you’d start your own business?

Judy Miller

MILLER: I never planned to be in business for myself. When the direct mail/fulfillment division of the advertising agency I had managed was acquired, I realized that my creative talents would be wasted, so I resigned. At the time, I was a divorced mother of two and it was a pretty gutsy move. But my advertising experience had pointed out a common need among large manufacturers. They would promote via direct mail, media advertising, tradeshows, etc., but had no mechanism in place to take advantage of their leads. To someone who was taught from birth to never throw away anything of value, not following up on these leads was incomprehensible. So, I took that idea, my passion for serving the client, and a vision of what it could grow into and started RSVP.

NCJW: What has been your family’s reaction to your business?

MILLER: My family members are “good-to-the-bone” folks and the entrepreneurial spirit runs rampant. Many of them have had their own businesses. Some have enjoyed success, some have failed and I have learned from both. My children are very supportive of the business and of me, personally. My husband is the Vice President/General Manager of RSVP, and my daughter is Vice President of Account Management.

NCJW: Was there a particular person in your family who lit the path for you?

MILLER: I would have to say my Aunt Beulah. In the family, we say she’s as tough as a “Pine Knot.” She has always served as my example, embodying a wonderful balance of humility, strength, determination, energy, resilience, compassion and genuine goodness. And, may I add, with a great deal of class.

NCJW: Although you’ve followed her lead, I’m sure everything hasn’t been perfect. What do you think has been your biggest business mistake over the years?

MILLER: Not charging enough for my services. A combination of things contributed to that situation: Initially I didn’t have competitors to follow in pricing, then my own humility and servant’s heart made me give way more than the client was paying for. After recognizing the error of my ways, I was too insecure to increase prices. When my husband came into the business, he convinced me to adjust prices to reality. Before that I had been working to pay salaries and overheads, but with nothing to invest in cash flow, security or growth. Charging appropriately really got my business on track.

NCJW: Because the advice of others has made a difference to you, what advice would you give to a woman starting her own business?

MILLER: If you have a service business, make sure that you offer something that can stand the value-added test. If you’re selling a product, do your homework. Conduct focus groups even if only among your friends and family. Ask them if they would buy your product and then ask them to actually buy it. Once there is monetary commitment involved, you will get an honest answer. And finally, do the research to price your product correctly.

NCJW: It’s clear to see why you have been so successful, Judy. What final message would you like women to take away from our conversation?

MILLER: You do not always have to have money to make money. I’m an example of that. But, you have to have a plan for filling a need, the willingness to work hard, and you have to inspire trust.