Today, success in business comes not just from results, but from being genuine. The leaders who inspire lasting change are often shaped by resilience, creativity, and determination. In 2025, innovation is everywhere in entrepreneurship. But the leaders people remember are the ones who take their toughest challenges and use them as fuel. Some of the best business lessons don’t come from textbooks—they come from the mix of personal stories and hard-earned career wins.
Among successful women entrepreneurs, one is especially known for pairing strong results with a focus on empowering people. Her journey hasn’t been a straight line of predictable wins—it’s been a winding path of self-discovery, bold risks, and a deep commitment to serving others. She proves that in true leadership, results and integrity go together, and that some of the best outcomes grow out of the toughest challenges.
At the helm of her own enterprise, Smooth Sale, International Best-Selling & Evergreen Author Elinor Stutz has built more than a business—she has cultivated a philosophy. Her company’s name sums up its purpose—helping individuals and organizations form strong relationships that lead to repeat and referral business. What began as her own mission to break through obstacles has become a global legacy of speaking, writing, and guiding others.
Let’s learn how Elinor transformed adversity into opportunity, building an influential career that inspires leaders worldwide!
Early Lessons in Resilience
Long before Elinor stepped onto stages as a sought-after keynote speaker or published books that would inspire global readers, her earliest experiences shaped a foundation of strength. Growing up, she faced skepticism at every turn. “My childhood taught me much and carved out the path to entrepreneurship as no one believed a word I said and out loud told me that my creative ideas were stupid.” These early dismissals could have silenced her ideas, but instead, they became fuel for a lifelong commitment to proving what was possible.
Without realizing it, Elinor began what she calls her “self-inflicted sales training” at a very young age. Her solution to constant criticism was unconventional yet profoundly effective: “My solution was to make friends with my image in the mirror to weigh the pros and cons of all the hateful statements thrown at me.” In those daily conversations with her reflection, she not only built emotional resilience but also practiced observing her own body language and facial expressions—skills that would later become essential in her sales career.
By sixth grade, the absence of friends didn’t deter her; it redirected her focus. Elinor became an avid goal-setter, nurturing long-term visions in her mind and learning to keep her ambitions close to her chest.
Breaking Into Business Before It Was Trendy
Over a decade later, the professional world still offered women very few choices. For a female college graduate in her time, opportunities were largely limited to secretarial or teaching roles—neither of which appealed to her entrepreneurial spirit. Determined to carve her own way, she partnered with a friend from college to launch a party planning service called Details Details.
Their first client was no small win: KFWB, the premier Rock ’n Roll radio station in Los Angeles. The event, held at Universal Studios, was a bold undertaking for two business novices. With courage as their primary currency, they delivered a celebration that caught the attention of Mademoiselle Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Though the business proved ahead of its time, its early success was cut short by the U.S. stock market crash, forcing both founders to seek employment elsewhere.
A Chance Connection in Finance
Among the jobs she took during that transitional period, one stood out as truly valuable—serving as a secretary for a financial firm. The role came with an unexpected benefit: a friendship with one of the firm’s clients, a financial advisor who offered her “outstanding financial advice which I follow to this day.” That mentorship planted seeds of strategic thinking that would serve her across multiple career pivots.
The Sales Arena—And Its Barriers
Years later, faced with the need to help fund her children’s college education, she stepped into the corporate sales arena. It was, as she describes, both “the worst and best experience” of her professional life. The environment was steeped in discrimination and bigotry, with her capabilities dismissed under the label of a ‘stupid female’ with no right to even have applied for the job.” Refused formal sales training, Elinor was left to figure out the process entirely on her own.
Yet, this lack of training became an unexpected advantage: “‘Our worst experiences can be our gifts in disguise when we are willing to learn from them.’” By doing things her own way, she forged a relationship-first sales approach that would define her career. She befriended everyone she encountered—from smokers outside corporate offices to basement staff, receptionists, and even armed guards—recognizing that each person had influence in unexpected ways. These connections became her doorways into executive suites.
Her guiding principles came from home: “Don’t allow anyone to dissuade you from what you want to accomplish,” and “Be nice to everyone you meet.” The only exception? “If someone is rude, walk away.” By combining genuine curiosity with storytelling, she learned her prospects’ career journeys and gathered their advice, building a foundation of trust. They enjoyed the conversations so much that they invited her back repeatedly—unknowingly training her in effective sales techniques.
By the fourth month on the job, she had become the top sales producer, despite knowing nothing about the unknown copier brand she was assigned to sell. But corporate politics soured the victories. Each year, her hard-earned accounts were reassigned to male colleagues, and her quotas tripled. This cycle forced her to change employers annually, teaching her another critical skill: how to sell herself in interviews.
Life-Altering Accidents and a Turning Point
Her career trajectory was abruptly interrupted the day she took a single day off work. While stopped at a red light, another driver slammed into her car. Elinor felt her brain sway inside her skull, but her description of the pain was met with disbelief. For the next ten years, relief could only be found by positioning the back of her head in a low-hanging noose near the floor to ease the pressure.
A decade later, another accident struck—this time as a passenger on a rainy night when the car she was in slid into a lamppost. “Please call an ambulance,” she said timidly, and for the first time, her pain was taken seriously. A metal brace was placed around her neck, and she was transported to the hospital.
That night brought a near-death experience that would forever change her life. Two visions appeared. The first revealed that she was to become a speaker, to which she agreed. The second was a report card labeled “Community Service,” where the left column was filled with high life marks, but the right column was blank. She pledged to begin giving back—on one condition: that she could walk out of the hospital on her own.
“A blink of golden lights flashed after each promise, letting me know I would recover,” she recalls. The surgeon confirmed what seemed impossible: within four days, she would walk out unaided. The medical staff dubbed her “the walking miracle,” and she left with an unshakable commitment to community service.
Founding a Mission-Driven Enterprise
While recovering in the ICU, she began mentally building her third entrepreneurial venture—Smooth Sale. Returning to corporate life was no longer an option. Instead, she designed a business dedicated to “earning a returning and referring clientele.” She trained Silicon Valley sales teams and entrepreneurs on building genuine client relationships, and she extended that knowledge to job seekers, teaching them how to sell themselves in interviews.
Her methods often surprised attendees. One man in particular doubted her advice, but stayed after the session to discuss it further. Two weeks later, he returned—not only to apologize, but to share that he had secured the job he wanted thanks to her guidance.
From Stage to Bestseller Lists
Keeping her promise to serve, she began delivering inspirational keynotes, earning standing ovations and “unexpected thunderous applause.” However, upon moving to a new city, she was met with jeers rather than open arms. A kind observer advised, “You need to write a book to establish credibility.” That challenge sparked an idea. Drawing from her corporate experiences, she wrote “a corporate tell-all with names changed to protect the guilty,” aiming to help others assert themselves and stand up for what’s right.
The result was Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, published by Sourcebooks. The book was featured in TIME Magazine, landed her an appearance on ABC-TV news with Spencer Christian, and was translated into multiple languages. It became an International Bestseller, and during COVID, it achieved Evergreen status, joining the ranks of classic sales literature.
Recognizing a new need, she authored a second book: HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, published by Career Press. This work focused on teaching job seekers the “unspoken strategies” necessary to land their desired roles.
A Digital Pivot With Global Reach
Another cross-country move brought fresh challenges. In-person networking was hampered by ageist assumptions, with businesspeople literally turning their backs on her. Rather than retreat, she embraced blogging as her next community service project, aiming to help readers advance their careers and businesses. The Smooth Sale blog soon became a collaborative platform, featuring leaders from diverse industries and reaching a global audience.
Her mottos for this stage of her journey are clear: “Don’t give up – find a better way!” and “We only have one life to live, and we must live life our way – without regret.” Her near-death experience distilled a further guiding principle: “Believe, Become, Empower:”
- Believe that you can succeed.
- Become that person.
- Empower others to do similar.
Collaboration as a Growth Strategy
Looking back, she admits that much of her career required secrecy about her goals and strategies, coupled with a fiercely competitive drive. But the rise of social media introduced a new possibility. A marketing guru encouraged her to try collaboration, insisting that she could “achieve so much more” by sharing ideas.
At first, the idea was terrifying. Yet once she embraced it, opportunities began to multiply. Sharing insights led to project invitations and connections with people who needed her expertise. Social media became her “saving grace,” enabling her to meet like-minded peers who supported and shared each other’s work. Over time, her following grew steadily, extending her influence worldwide.
A Worldly Perspective
Her commitment to building global connections is deeply rooted in her love of travel. She began international journeys at age 16 and has since visited more than 70 countries. For her, travel is more than leisure—it’s a way to “open hearts and minds to new ideas and people from varying countries,” enriching her perspectives and expanding her reach.
In reflecting on her path, she notes that “my worst experiences did become my ‘gifts in disguise’ as much learning is attached, and I have achieved far more in my lifetime than my creative mind could ever imagine doing.” To her, the lesson is simple yet profound: “It’s wise to embrace the worst, examine it from all angles, to find one’s new path and shining light brightening the path forward.”
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