MALINDA JOHNSON A TRUE OPEN ROAD GIRL
As a traveling vendor, I have had many opportunities to meet some great people who are honest, run a solid business, and treat their customers with respect and kindness. I was fortunate to meet that type of hard-working person when we were set up at the same event in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a few years ago.
Lucky for us, Malinda, her family, and her business, Open Road Girl, have moved from Minnesota to beautiful Florida! She has done an outstanding job of branding her business, having a large number of followers and constantly growing her unique and fun clothing line! Sit back, relax, and enjoy this fun “Women’s World” interview with Malinda Johnson!
I’m so glad that you finally made the move to Florida! What made you decide to head south? “The winters in Minnesota are long and brutal. I would come to Florida every year for vacation and I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t I live and work where I come to for vacation?’ I didn’t want to wait until the end of my life and move to Florida. My kids are grown up and I have four grandchildren now. It really got to the point of deciding if I wanted to make myself or everyone else happy. I decided to make myself happy.”
Malinda has taken a bit of a step backward trying to decide where she wants to go and what she wants to do with her life and business. “I’m just enjoying being in flip flops every day. We moved to Florida in April, and I’m still getting used to being here and settling in.”
Open Road Girl is Malinda’s business. It’s extremely successful and something that Malinda is very proud of. “I started in 2008. I knew that I always wanted to be in business for myself. But because I was a single mom with two kids, I couldn’t be a risk-taker. I needed to have a stable home and income. I had a job and a paycheck, but it wasn’t fulfilling. After I bought my first motorcycle in 2005, the idea came to me to design t-shirts and sell them to bikers. I always read, ‘Do what makes you happy.’ So, I did!”
Malinda worked tirelessly for a year and a half, holding down a full-time job AND building the brand and attending biker events every weekend. “That year and a half was killing me. I was still connected to the job I was working at for 26 years at an import company. While contemplating what I wanted to do, I did a lot of initial research figuring out how to start a t-shirt business. I had a ton of questions, but unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone to help me. I just pushed through.”
Malinda pushed through and worked at events with her business and started having Meet and Greets in Minnesota. “Women are very supportive and want to learn to become independent. That is really what my whole mission was with Open Road Girl. I’m bringing together another purpose with Open Road Girl – I feel that’s what I need to do.”
With that purpose in mind, Malinda is having her first Meet and Greet in Florida during Daytona Bike Week! On Wednesday, March 11, from 11-2, at the Daytona Diner, (2043 S Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach Shores, Florida 32118) you will have an amazing opportunity to meet and speak with Malinda! She will be sharing with everyone her first Open Road Girl Retreat. “My first retreat will be held August 20-22, at the Harrison Fairgrounds, in Harrison, Arkansas, in the Ozarks. My goal is to empower the attendees for them to become healthy, wealthy, and to get them wise and independent. You don’t have to have a motorcycle to attend the retreat. The women that come may become inspired to do many other things in their lives – including riding a motorcycle – if that’s what they want to do.”
Running a successful business, creating opportunities to help other women, and keeping it real from beginning to end is who Malinda Johnson is. Check out her website and Facebook pages today! She is an amazing businesswoman and successful entrepreneur; someone who is going to do great things in her future!
By Susan Hurst