Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Karla Trotman.

She is president and CEO of Electro Soft, Incorporated (ESI), an electronics manufacturing and engineering firm in the United States. She holds a B.S. in Business Logistics from Penn State and an MBA from Drexel University. The breadth of her experience in business extends to supply chain logistics, purchasing, global scheduling and e-commerce, where she served in key roles in companies to include Honeywell, Gap and IKEA.   She is the author of Dark, Dirty, Dangerous: The Vibrant Future of Manufacturing.  

Trotman welcomed her two sons during her time at IKEA, giving her firsthand experience with the difficulties prenatal and postnatal mothers face in their professional and personal lives. While on maternity leave, she founded the Belly Button Boutique, an online shop for pre- and postnatal women. Over the span of eight years, her business expanded to celebrity and international clientele, earning her features in PEOPLE and on NBC 10, CBS News, HuffPost Live and more.

The success of Belly Button Boutique inspired Trotman to propel ESI, founded by her parents in 1986, even further forward. Over the past 15 years, she served in the roles at ESI as special projects and marketing manager, executive vice president, COO and currently CEO and president. Under her guidance, ESI implemented both online marketing and acquisition strategies, dramatically increasing revenue.

Through her leadership at ESI, Trotman was named an Enterprising Woman of the Year, Transformational Woman in Family Business, Top 25 Leader Transforming Manufacturing, and most recently Entrepreneur of The Year® 2024 Greater Philadelphia Award winner. Trotman recognizes the plights and potential of minority business enterprises (MBEs) and how their power can be used to help close the ever-widening minority wealth gap. Leveraging her connections to funding, access, and networks, she advocates for minority business owners and educates on how investment in minority businesses uplifts minority families and communities.

Trotman is a board member for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Museum of the American Revolution, African Women’s Entrepreneurship Collective (AWEC) and Forum of Executive Women Foundation. She is co-chair of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturing Alliance (SEPMA) and a member of both the Drexel University Board of Governors and President’s Council. 

#STRAW

#BEST

#SHMS

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Karla Trotman.
She is president and CEO of Electro Soft, Incorporated (ESI), an electronics manufacturing and engineering firm in the United States. She holds a B.S. in Business Logistics from Penn State and an MBA from Drexel University. The breadth of her experience in business extends to supply chain logistics, purchasing, global scheduling and e-commerce, where she served in key roles in companies to include Honeywell, Gap and IKEA. &nbsp; She is the author of Dark, Dirty, Dangerous: The Vibrant Future of Manufacturing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Trotman welcomed her two sons during her time at IKEA, giving her firsthand experience with the difficulties prenatal and postnatal mothers face in their professional and personal lives. While on maternity leave, she founded the Belly Button Boutique, an online shop for pre- and postnatal women. Over the span of eight years, her business expanded to celebrity and international clientele, earning her features in PEOPLE and on NBC 10, CBS News, HuffPost Live and more.
The success of Belly Button Boutique inspired Trotman to propel ESI, founded by her parents in 1986, even further forward. Over the past 15 years, she served in the roles at ESI as special projects and marketing manager, executive vice president, COO and currently CEO and president. Under her guidance, ESI implemented both online marketing and acquisition strategies, dramatically increasing revenue.
Through her leadership at ESI, Trotman was named an Enterprising Woman of the Year, Transformational Woman in Family Business, Top 25 Leader Transforming Manufacturing, and most recently Entrepreneur of The Year&reg; 2024 Greater Philadelphia Award winner. Trotman recognizes the plights and potential of minority business enterprises (MBEs) and how their power can be used to help close the ever-widening minority wealth gap. Leveraging her connections to funding, access, and networks, she advocates for minority business owners and educates on how investment in minority businesses uplifts minority families and communities.
Trotman is a board member for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Museum of the American Revolution, African Women&rsquo;s Entrepreneurship Collective (AWEC) and Forum of Executive Women Foundation. She is co-chair of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturing Alliance (SEPMA) and a member of both the Drexel University Board of Governors and President&rsquo;s Council.&nbsp;
#STRAW
#BEST
#SHMS

Hi, this is Rushion McDonald. Welcome to the podcast world of Money Making Conversations Master Class. I interview profits and nonprofits to learn their "Secrets to Success."  I'm a former IBM Executive with a degree in Mathematics. I started my entrepreneurial career as a stand-up comic, then became a sitcom writer, award-winning baker, social media influencer, award-winning television Executive Producer, and brand architect for super-successful celebrities and products. Money Making Conversations Master Class interviews a diverse group of celebrities, entrepreneurs, and influencers in the financial and business community with their advice and tips so you can be successful, too. It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start building your own. People always talk about their purpose or gifts. If you have a gift, Lead with your Gift, and don't let your friends, family, or co-workers stop you from planning or living your dream. Keep Winning!

https://www.moneymakingconversations.com

https://www.youtube.com/MoneyMakingConversations

https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations/

https://twitter.com/moneymakingconv

https://www.instagram.com/moneymakingconversations/

Hi, this is Rushion McDonald. Welcome to the podcast world of Money Making Conversations Master Class. I interview profits and nonprofits to learn their "Secrets to Success."  I'm a former IBM Executive with a degree in Mathematics. I started my entrepreneurial career as a stand-up comic, then became a sitcom writer, award-winning baker, social media influencer, award-winning television Executive Producer, and brand architect for super-successful celebrities and products. Money Making Conversations Master Class interviews a diverse group of celebrities, entrepreneurs, and influencers in the financial and business community with their advice and tips so you can be successful, too. It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start building your own. People always talk about their purpose or gifts. If you have a gift, Lead with your Gift, and don't let your friends, family, or co-workers stop you from planning or living your dream. Keep Winning!
https://www.moneymakingconversations.com
https://www.youtube.com/MoneyMakingConversations
https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations/
https://twitter.com/moneymakingconv
https://www.instagram.com/moneymakingconversations/

Money Making Conversations Master Class

Building Your Brand: Her book Dark, Dirty, Dangerous chronicles her journey in manufacturing and winning!

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3fcb5d51-5a24-4edd-ab73-b24a016c13ec/transcript

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