WomenandBiz.com

Tell us about your background before starting Warrior Wear Inc.

Carolyn Newman

I attended American University in Washington D.C. and completed both a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Communications in 1985 and a Masters Degree in Public Administration in 1987.   I have happily worked in the non-profit sector for 22 years, primarily for Jewish organizations.  I was a Vice President for the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Director of Development for the Jewish Community Foundation of Broward County, Miami Regional Director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Florida Foundation Director for AIPAC.

I retired in April of 2006 after my mother’s passing 5 months earlier from Breast Cancer.   One month after retirement, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer.

Read more

Dear Lauron,

Could you share more about your background prior to starting your own business?

Lauron Sonnier

After a short while, though, I became very restless like I think most entrepreneurs are. I had tapped out where I was, so I headed to the big city of Houston, Texas, with high aspirations. I found very quickly that the world of television worked very differently there. I instead took a position as Marketing Director of a book manufacturing company. I was really naïve and didn’t even ask what their marketing budget was. It was a small but mighty business owned by two brothers who started the company in their early twenties. They became like family to me, and I got a terrific opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a business. I also learned how to make marketing magic happen without a lot of money. It was a terrific opportunity that paved the way for me to go out on my own. In fact, after four years there I became restless again. When I went to quit the job, the owners asked me what I really wanted to do. I told them I eventually wanted to go into business for myself. They came back the next day and said, “If you’re serious, we’ll help you.” After I picked myself off the floor, we started a company together, and that was my official foray into entrepreneurship. They were true angels and for me, it was true baptism by fire. You never know when or how your dreams are going to come to fruition! A few years later, I bought them out and I’ve been solo ever since.Marketing is all I’ve ever done, in one form or another, and I have been very fortunate to have numerous pportunities early in life and career to give me a foundation for being an entrepreneur. When I was in high school and college, I worked at a small newspaper and then at an advertising agency. All of that helped me to get connected in the community, and, while I was in college, I got offered a position with the local television station in a marketing position. It was a huge break. So, very early on, I was able to learn about business and to get some great hands-on experience in my field. (I graduated with a BS in Marketing.) Read more