Entrepreneur, business owner and women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Lauer Reed, believes in taking the road less traveled to round out her professional profile and find opportunities for herself. A photo of Ruth Bader Ginsburg overlooks her office, as a reminder to keep pushing forward, not concerning yourself with obstacles.
Elizabeth’s mind-set is to consistently push for endeavours that strengthen her entrepreneurial resolve, taking on many past positions from professional massage therapist to Nordstrom buyer, and from farm co-op buyer to business owner of Interface Technologies NW.
In March of 2018, Elizabeth and her partner purchased Interface Technologies NW, a Seattle-based technology/telecommunications firm specializing in UCaaS phone systems, network cabling and wireless access points. With her diverse, entrepreneurial background, Elizabeth considers the co-ownership of ITN the next logical step, rounding out her work experience and utilizing all her established skills. Elizabeth and her partner share ownership duties, Elizabeth specializing in finance, marketing, human relations, and just recently phone sales.
Talking about her organization, she says, “We are a business communications technology company, —offering solutions for Wi-Fi, IT, and phone systems — we make it easy for businesses to get what they need in an accessible way…. We bought an established company but remade it. We are delighted that heritage clients of the business are thrilled with the updates to our services, and we’ve been able to grow to serve even more businesses around the state.” Interface Technologies NW was nominated and recognized, in the July 2021 CIO Review Magazine, as one of the 10 Most Promising UCAAS Providers.
Taking the unconventional career path, Elizabeth does not let the fact that she doesn’t have a college degree affect her future, stating “Even if you don’t have a degree; you need to get people to understand that your experiences are valid. Not having a degree shouldn’t be treated as a handicap”. She is working in a new arena and is learning the trade daily. Her professional experiences so far have helped her become successful in life.
Leaving an inspiring message for the readers, she says, “You don’t have to be the best — that sounds counterintuitive. It seems that a lot of us think we have to be great at something to even try it. But once you jump in you realize that most of us are learning as we go and bring our own talents to what we do. Less amazing people than you have been successful, so jump in.”