By Linda & Marc
DezLin's Our Story
Below is the story of DezLin, a Family and Disabled Marine Veteran and Female owned company based in the United States of America (USA) in Lodi, California.
BACKSTORY
In 2001, Linda (Founder/CEO) was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 38, putting her in the 2% category of getting it. She had a 17-year-old teen, a husband, and an entire life yet to live, so she began chemo treatment immediately. The months and months of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries to remove lymph nodes took a significant toll on her body, mind, and soul. The loss of her iconic long flowing curly hair caused her to lose any sense of normality. After finishing chemo, she was set to start radiation, and her doctors stressed she could not miss a session or the treatments may not work.
However, fate ran a red light smashing into her car while she was driving to her second radiation session. Linda's car spiraled out of control with her teenage son and stepson riding passengers. After ensuring everyone was okay, she realized she was about to miss her second radiation session. This realization led to a debilitating panic attack in the middle of the street. Once rescue crews arrived, they had to airlift her to a hospital for care. Luckily she could continue her radiation treatment, but because of the accident, she had to add physical therapy to the long list of treatments she had to endure. Her once peaceful world abruptly turned into an excruciating fight for her life.
THE SPROUTING OF DEZLIN
Linda's courage and determination never faltered throughout her tireless battles, no matter how much life threw at her. Soon her efforts proved victorious, and 15 years later, she was declared "cancer-free." That, however, was far from the end of cancer's lasting effect on her life. She would have to mentally endure the trauma all over again whenever the slightest of lumps was felt in her breast. Then, the discovery of a rare cancer-causing gene (BRCA) forced her to make the devastating decision to undergo a hysterectomy and, eventually, a double mastectomy as well. She had been putting off those surgeries because Linda believed she would feel incomplete, as though she was not a real woman.
During Linda's double mastectomy recovery, her childhood best friend of 40+ years gave her an oyster and pearl containing a pink breast cancer ribbon cage pendant to hold the pink pearl. Her adoration for the gift was immediate, and she soon bought them for all her friends and family members (who also couldn't get enough). Linda, for decades, had tried starting a company, but something always got in the way. She saw these oysters as the perfect product to sell and fulfill her lifelong dream.
GETTING STARTED
Linda set up a makeshift office in a spare room of the house she was renting and dove headfirst into the unknown. Her inventory began to grow steadily along with her business when she was approached by a representative of an oyster-selling group on Facebook inquiring about wholesale quantities and pricing. They needed help with their regular wholesaler, who could not keep up with their high demand. Linda hadn't previously considered selling her products wholesale but jumped at the idea.
Although her supply of dedication was endless, she did not have a money tree in the backyard. A monetary investment was needed to move forward, and the people who believed in her were few and far between. However, her "favorite" sister did have unwavering faith in her and offered Linda the entire investment she would need to start her wholesale business. So with that, she loaded up on oysters and braced for what was to come.
WHOLESALING
Before Linda knew it, orders flooded in, and she worked 17-24 hour days responding to messages and fulfilling orders herself. Most people would take the profits and spend them, but Linda focused on putting every dime of profits she could back into her beloved business. Her biggest ally was word of mouth about her same-day shipping and customer service. It spread like wildfire across
Facebook, causing her to outgrow her tiny office and move the business into her garage.
MARC JOINS FORCES
Thankfully for Linda, support from her son Marc was never in short supply. He had been cheering her on since the start from 300 miles away. At the time, Marc was already a US Marine Veteran with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from Walt Disney's school CalArts and had extensive experience with marketing and branding. He helped whenever and however he could, squeezing in late-night Face-Times and traffic jam phone calls. Even with his heavily packed schedule, he was never too busy for his giver of life.
INCEPTION OF THE NAME "DEZLIN"
Marc told Linda that her fast-growing company needed a name. Until then, people would message her on her personal Facebook. Linda's excitement and creative mind sprouted many names over the next few months, often including the word "pink" in remembrance of her bravery amidst her triumphant battle with breast cancer. The only problem was that every name she thought of, such as "Pink Passion" and "Pink Box," sounded far too much like something out of a pornographic film. Every day, Linda would call Marc ecstatic, and he would strike it down. He pressed that it had to be memorable, catchy, short, 1-2 syllables max.
A few months later, Linda was finally struck with inspiration for THE company name. It was perfect, and the creation of which could only be described as destiny-driven divine intervention. She hurriedly phoned Marc to tell him the jaw-dropping, show-stopping name. When he answered the phone, she exclaimed, "LinDez!" Marc's unimpressed reaction left her deflated. They argued back and forth, each stating their position. As they discussed over the car's Bluetooth, Marc's Fiancé' at the time was listening and eventually interrupted them. She suggested flipping it around, and both Linda and Marc were speechless, which is such a rare sight and sound with these two. They loved it, and thus the name "DezLin" was born.
RESTRUCTURING DEZLIN
On one of Marc's many 5-hour long drives to visit his mother, Linda, he began to worry. When he walked inside the garage, he found what can only be described as "organized chaos." You see, when Linda's operation moved into the garage and business began to grow, so did her inventory and supplies, which were piling up. To Linda, it was organized because she knew where everything was, but the OCD in Marc couldn't keep him from helping her organize it "properly." He took a few weeks off from Sony Tv Development and his volunteer work with Veterans in Media and Entertainment to organize and restructure the business inside and out. A few weeks turned into a few months, then a year, and today many years later. Marc knew Linda always wanted her own business, so it was a no-brainer to put his life on hold to help her as she had done so many times for him during his childhood.
TODAY
With the two of them working together, business skyrocketed. DezLin soon had its first website, and a few months after Marc reorganized the garage, they moved into a 700-square-foot facility. Five months later, they moved into a 1,600-square-foot facility, and then another few months, they moved into a 3000-square-foot facility. A year or so later, in July of 2021, they moved into a 5,000-square-foot facility that DezLin currently calls home. DezLin continues to thrive, and Linda never forgets the journey that brought her here.
DEZLIN'S VALUES
Today, DezLin upholds the same values of customer service and same-day order fulfillment upon which it was built. DezLin's rigorous attention to detail and exceptional concern for its customers' satisfaction sets them apart from other brands. DezLin works long and hard to ensure its customers and you are taken care of, whether you're a long-time customer or just starting. Here at DezLin, we thrive on you feeling like a valued customer and as if you are a part of the family. Wholesale and retail customers alike can feel at home with DezLin.
Article credit : Marc Hopper