In 2012, Matt Del Valle was handling B2B sales for Staples when he approached one of his customers, Jeffrey Miller, about jumping to the promo products industry. Back then, Miller was the owner and president of Stan Miller & Associates powered by Proforma (asi/300094).

“I saw that there were no territory restrictions, no sales limitations and an expansive product line to offer to a diverse set of customers – everything that I felt I was being held back by,” Del Valle says. “I told him ‘I want to work here. I will work on commission and catapult this company to multimillions.’”

Miller appreciated his moxie and offered him a position. Hungry for opportunity and eager to prove himself, Del Valle dove headfirst into the promo space, learning as much as possible about products, branding strategies and who the major industry players were. Through cold-calling and hitting the pavement, he quickly built up his portfolio. By 2016, he reached over $490,000 in sales.

Two years later, he transitioned to operations manager while still handling key accounts. His rapid ascension up the company ladder culminated in April of 2018, when Del Valle became the official owner and president of the company. “Success can breed complacency, especially at a young age,” he says. “Our team talks about ‘getting uncomfortable to be comfortable.’ We never settle for average.”