It takes two to make a thing go right. That’s how you could describe the tag-team approach Robin Baxley and Sandi Shields have to run Best Office Solutions.
The pair manages everything a commercial business needs: furniture, supplies, promotional products, and more. For more than 20 years, they have worked together to help set their company apart from the rest.
“We both worked for a similar company that went out of business after 63 years,” Baxley said. “Our customers asked us to continue in the same type of business, and it was the best ‘yes’ we could even have given! We had no idea what we were getting into, and we continue to learn daily. We love being a business partner and consultant to other businesses.”
Both Baxley and Shields do outside sales as well as other duties. They say they are passionate about finding solutions that fit their clients’ budgets and functions. They believe in turning their clients’ vision into reality and receive rave reviews for great customer service long after the sale is done. They have even connected customers to other customers to encourage broader partnership opportunities for all involved.
“Our customers tell us that our attention to detail, response times, and integrity are unlike anyone they have worked with before,” Shields said. “We’ve made it a policy to always ‘run to the problem,’ not away from it. In our business, there will be installations that are less than perfect from time to time, but our customers know that they can count on us to make sure that every detail is complete on a job. We still love what we do every day.”
That love fuels them to remain competitive in their respective industry. They encourage other women to do the same.
“We would tell other women to go for it,” Shields said. “At least two of our former employees own their own businesses and we are so proud of them! We did have a situation once where we were ‘point blank’ told that a man would have to give the presentation because otherwise, we would not get the deal. That was quite a while ago, so hopefully times have changed. We have joked that we need to play golf more.”
“We have come a long way since we started in 2000,” Baxley said. “It was just the two of us, with one of us working in the office and one of us out selling. We are proud to be strong, hard-working, open-minded women that love empowering our employees, as well as learning from other businesses/customers! We enjoy sharing what we have learned while we are making a living.”
The two dynamic women are humble and modest and obviously have been doing a lot right. Their revenues have increased two times in the last two years and recently, they celebrated 22 years in business. It all started with just the two of them!
Best Office is one of the presenters for ABD’s Business Expo on Oct. 20. Their topic, Best Refresh, will include a discussion of office furnishings and lighting.
By: Monique Williams and Neil Gordon
Photography by: Melissa Gordon
ABD Boardroom furnishings by: Best Office Solutions
