Family Matters | Scott & Kim Hamlin

Our Family Matters blog spotlights family connections within American Solutions for Business. We are proud to spotlight familial bonds within the ASB family. This month, we spotlight husband and wife sales team, Scott & Kim Hamlin. The recent decision to become business partners was a no brainer after years of natural collaboration and teamwork!

How did you meet?

Kim – We met at Bethel University our senior year on a study aboard trip to Europe. Our first date was in Paris! 

Scott – I set the bar pretty high!  I always joke that it was downhill from there.

When did you start working at American?

Kim – I have been with ASB for 7 years now! Prior to joining ASB, I was an event planner for 10 years & many of those clients became friends & are now clients of mine at ASB. That is the best part of the job!

Scott – It has been 1 year for me. My background is in accounting, finance & business strategy. A lot of this history was for an entrepreneurial, family office.

What motivated you to start working together as a family?

Kim – Naturally, Scott and I would talk about my business & he always had the best advice when it came to operations & growth strategy. He would often review the weekly financial reports. Through these conversations, we both saw the opportunity for how Scott could add a lot of value joining me as a business partner to better serve our clients. With young kids (5 & 2 yrs old), having the flexibility that American offers is so wonderful!

Scott – Ditto to everything Kim said! The flexibility to manage both a household & business & do it well, is a huge perk.

Can you share a memorable success story that you achieved together?

Kim – A big part of our business is curating unboxing experiences which includes fulfillment & shipping. A recent incentive program had us drop-shipping 630 hype boxes all over the world. And as we all know, international shipping & customs can be a nightmare. We spent weeks dutifully watching over every box. When they all delivered, we literally cheered out loud!

Scott – This is where we make a great team. Kim is instrumental in selecting & designing products. Once those hit the production line, it is my turn to make sure all goes smoothly to ensure a seamless experience for our clients.

What do you love about working together?

Kim – With us both having flexibility, I love that we are able to spend more time together as a family & enjoy these young kid years. I love that by adding Scott to the team, we are offering better customer service & more services to our clients.

Scott – Kim is a high achiever and extremely motivated to make our business a success. I’ve enjoyed being a small piece over the start of her ASB career, but it’s now even more fun to be a more active part of the business and taking things off her plate so she doesn’t have to stress so much and work late into the night!

What’s a challenge you face when working together?

Kim – We share a small office & our desks are right next to each other. Staggering our phone calls can be a struggle at times!

Scott – Mostly just small disagreements or getting on each other’s nerves 😊. People always joke that they could “never work with their spouse” but I find it very enjoyable. We luckily have opposite strengths and it makes it easy to coexist in a healthy working environment.

What advice would you give to other family pairs considering working together professionally?

Kim – Scott & I had a ton of dialog before we made this decision including reading articles about how spouses can be successful in working together, communicating differences & navigating the hard days. Really think it through & write a business plan to see where everyone will fit in.

Scott – In our situation, we were set-up for success because we each own a different part of the business process. You will be successful if both people are committed to communicating & working towards the same goal.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Kim – Thank you ASB for all of the support in making the American Dream come true for this family of 4 in Mendota Heights!

To learn more about American Solutions for Business, visit http://www.americanbus.com.