The Business of Writing - Lundquist College of Business - University ...

P rofI les I n sUCCess
aUto BIograPhy:
a drIvE to SUccEEd
Barbara Nelson ’64 took a risk and opened a car dealership catering to women. Now, she
is helping to encourage others to pursue their dreams of owning their own business.
at the age of 40, with two children at home, Barbara Nelson found herself single and
in need of a job. So when her father offered her an accounting gig at the family Honda car
dealership in suburban Seattle, she took the job out of necessity.
But something about the business awakened a long-simmering dream. At Mills College in
Oakland, California, and later at the University of Oregon, she learned that she could do
anything she wanted, including running a business. But marriage and children put the
dream on hold.
At the dealership, Nelson worked her way from the accounting job to general manager.
Then she got a letter from Honda looking for dealers for their new line of Acura
automobiles. Where others, including her family, saw risk, Nelson saw an opportunity
to pursue a dream of owning and operating her own business.
Taking risks has defined Nelson’s life.
“I decided it would be fun to have a store of my own,” she said. In 1986, she opened
Bellevue Acura. Nelson started from scratch and built a loyal customer following based
on customer-friendly sales and service—especially to women.
“The first thing I did was tell all my sales guys to treat every woman as they did the men,”
she remembered. “People were just figuring out that women bought cars. I caught on to that
a bit more quickly. I organized my dealership around that philosophy.”
Her son, Rob Sesnon, who now runs the dealership and is gradually acquiring ownership from
Nelson, said his mom’s ideas were ten years ahead of their time. He has continued her policies,
including treating his employees well, resulting in increased employee loyalty and longevity.
Nelson expanded the company, opening a second Acura store in Spokane, Washington,
and a separate BMW/Subaru/Volkswagen dealership near her flagship location. In 1994,
she won the Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year Award, which recognizes
Puget Sound–area women entrepreneurs for outstanding contributions to the status of
women business owners through business and community leadership.
“I never thought of myself as a woman in business,” said Nelson, who was named
Washington State Dealer of the Year in 2000.
Now in active retirement, she created the Barbara Nelson Scholarships at the Lundquist
Center for Entrepreneurship to provide $5,000 each year to two incoming M.B.A. students
demonstrating interest in innovation and entrepreneurship.
“You don’t get anything without taking a risk,” Nelson said. “We need more people,
especially more women, who are not afraid to take the risk of starting a business.”
With Barbara Nelson’s help, more students will learn to steer their dreams to reality.