Meet Trina K. Henderson-Torres | Entrepreneur & Educator
We had the good fortune of connecting with Trina K. Henderson-Torres and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Trina K., we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Since 4 years old, I knew I would have my own business. I started in my toy room putting price tags on all of my stuffed animals, hoarding my allowance in my secret cubby and selling my toys to my family. Of course I wanted them all returned! My career path started at that point, but my education in finance, teaching and marketing lead me to my current business. I hold my BBA in Finance, A life-time teacher certification in bilingual education, and an MBA in Marketing. I started as a bilingual teacher and then moved into work in publishing, sales, and consulting for a Spanish publisher, educational sales. After reaching my maximum position, national level, with the highest sales, I was then recruited away to several other similar positions; jumped a few companies gaining knowledge and earning more money. I published a few things for others and then one day I realized, I am running a business for everyone else but myself. I am giving my skills, time and talent to every company I work with, but not to myself nor to my own family. So that is when I said… “let’s do this!” With a very large commission, earned at my then current position, I opened my own version of the previous 25 years of experiences, got published a couple more times, and today we have a 9-year-old successful, profitable Educational Sales/Publishing/Retail/Wholesale business that specialized in educational materials in English and Spanish for the USA school system. I get to be teacher for a very large classroom! My past experiences, teaching, sales, management guided me here. I have created within our company a team-system. Every department is a team and with these teams, we work in sync, helping one another with the successful model we have now. My business is my hobby and passion, there is not better way to go to work every day!
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our company is Torres-Henderson Education Resources, LLC (T-H-E Resources for short); We are an educational supplier, publisher and retailer of English and Spanish educational games, books, school supplies and materials for the U.S.A school system. We primarily focus on language acquisition products. We teach Spanish and English and now some various other languages with the sale of our materials. We are all involved in some professional way with education. Most of our sales consultants are former certified educators or have more than 20 years in the industry of education and book sales. Myself, I am a former classroom instructor in bilingual education, English education and a former business professor as well as a former sales rep and manager. What sets us apart? We are educators, and we love children, teaching, and languages. We put our passion into our brand. This company is a family-owned minority business, yes, but we don’t define ourselves by our size or our station. We define ourselves by our passion for learning. Our teams, marketing/logistics/finance/sales are all involved in product development. Our brand is a mix of distributed materials and T-H-E products (which we are growing rapidly). Is this easy, no, because it takes consistency, perseverance, repeat clientele (really awesome relationships) and money to keep it all going. We can only do that by relying on our own self-motivated talents, crucially important client relationships, government contracts, smart smart smart finance helpers and drive. Some of the challenges we face and have had to overcome–still facing a few include: money, brand awareness, market share, quality sales help, new products, international contracts, credit lines, location, space, logistics planning and social media market share. How have we faced those challenges? I am very proud that we have our own brand, that we built our own image, that we have teams within every department that contribute to resolving those challenges, and that our learning and growing pains have allowed a 75% growth in the past 2 years! I am proud that we are an inclusive, safe and friendly work-environment. I am proud of our diversity, our talent and what I want the world to know is that even if individually we are all smart, together we are all geniuses! I want the world to know that our brand, Torres Henderson Education Resources, (T-H-E) is honored to represent education and educational products to help support the learning of those who wish to learn.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Favorite spots in the city? We love Fort Worth’s downtown vibe. Very relaxed, but yet metropolitan enough that you enjoy the downtown type atmosphere. 7th street zone in FTW is fun. Downtown FTW at night is fun, great places to hear music, have dinner or drinks and even to just feel like you are a little bit country for a while! Dallas is amazing with its museums, theater and Deep Ellum area for art and music. I personally love to go to Grapevine and hang in the little downtown area especially at the holidays, (small town feel), and I also love to wander the various outlet malls around the metroplex. Arlington, where we are located, is amazing with the Globelife Field, AT&T stadium and Texas Live! Those are less than 2 blocks from our business. Great restaurants, bars and sports to entertain. Shopping–The Highlands in Arlington, or North Park Center or Highland Park Village in Dallas; I think if I had to put it all into one weekend with my best friend. I would just start at the top of the metroplex map-from DFW airport, move east around the metro circle until I ended all the way back around FTW and to Grapevine then Arlington. Eat and shop our way around the DFW metroplex and then end up back home. Could we do it all in a weekend? Probably not–but the fun would be in trying.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe part of my success to my parents’ ambition. My father, (may he rest in peace) Deryl Henderson, was a farmer/rancher/educator and ended his career path in sales. He was extremely intelligent and put a lot of emphasis on education. He made sure I understood that no matter my gender, my position, my family… no matter what, it was up to me to be educated and have the power to create my own path in life. He wanted that I would own my own mistakes, correct and not repeat. My mother, (may she rest in peace) Frances Dalleen Todd, was an entrepreneur and a dreamer. She started so many businesses in my lifetime that I don’t really remember her not wanting her own brand, store or little mom & pop shop. She didn’t really have much success, but she never ever quit trying to make a deal. But by far, my biggest influences in my current success have been from my immediate family which includes my children Alexis, Alyssa, Zac and Charlotte, my husband Mauricio, my extended family Micho and Marcelo, my sister Kathy and most of all to my T-H-E team. The teamwork of my colleagues which include my husband, my son, my sister Kathy, my daughters, my nieces, our employees and professional consultants *shout out to our top sales consultant Brigette* are all so important to the everyday success of our company. These people keep me sane, keep me busy, keep me motivated and love me and each other so that we can make this brand a successful one every day. Thank you to them, and thank you to the teachers, students and colleagues along this path that have been so crucial in keeping our company alive!
Website: www.theducationresources.com
Instagram: torreshendersonedu_theresourc/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resources/
Twitter: @THEResourcesLLC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.H.EdResources
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/torres-henderson-education-resources-arlington
Youtube: @torreshendersonedu
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
