From secretary to the Smile Ambassador
Like many people, Gail Foley’s real story starts at the end of her first career.
After 24 years, Gail’s career as a secretary ended. Her company was sold, closing the location where she worked. Gail was offered to transfer with the company, but chose not to uproot her daughters. Instead, she decided to stay in upstate New York and venture into advertising sales.
The decision was scary. Gail had to teach herself how to sell. She didn’t do well enough initially to support herself and her two daughters. In two years, she quit selling advertising three times, went back to managing offices, and then finally came upon something good.
The same newspaper near Lake Champlain had just hired her back for a third time. Gail was soon called into a meeting. The local owners shockingly announced that they’d sold the publication to a New York City investor. The investor had no clue about the little town or its newspaper. And it knew nothing about publishing.
After several weeks of upheaval there, a local magazine finally contacted Gail and offered her a hands-on advertising position. So off she went. Gail passionately loved this new job. She lived and breathed it. Gail was selling and creating ads and laying out two publications every month.
She then decided to create another publication that was needed in the area. The product was an overnight success with her tailor-made marketing strategy – and made the magazine a lot of money. This is when Gail learned an important lesson: If you create something while employed by someone else, that product belongs to the company and not you!
Fourteen years later, the magazine is still gleaning profits and popularity for what Gail created. After the initial months of growth, the company let Gail go. Management figured that it could do things on its own without paying her commission.
After this experience, Gail moved to Virginia to take a job selling timeshare. She fell in love again with her new surroundings. But after four years, when grandchildren started arriving, she decided that it was time to rejoin her family in Kansas. Gail has now lived in Kansas for 10 years.
By then, after countless hours working for others – selling ads, editing, and writing a column – Gail decided that she’d had it. She wanted to work for herself!
Gail’s mistreatment by employers over the years and her overwhelming desire to treat people right in her own life led to important discoveries about herself. She thoroughly enjoys sharing with people what she has learned. She has a knack for finding humor in everyday things. And through all the years of her selling, Gail became known for her enthusiasm. She decided to channel this energy into her own business.
Now, Gail is president and CEO of her own company, “With Enthusiasm Productions.” She shares, through www. PassOnASmile.com, her affiliate website business, all the experiences and materials that have helped her transition into a vocation that involves helping others. Gail can’t wait to get to work every day!
Gail also does motivational speaking, in addition to keeping people up to date on what’s valuable in life. Reflecting on her life’s travels brings her great pleasure and PURPOSE and allows her to share her journey with others, in the hope of helping them grow.
Gail’s personal mission is to encourage, enlighten, and enthuse people as she passes on a smile. It’s an epidemic she feels that she must spread, so she’s now referred to as the “Smile Ambassador.”