Sophia Strother, a 43-year-old African American woman from Austin, Texas, transformed a $10,000 investment into a multi-million dollar delivery business, L2E Industries. Sophia currently owns 38 trucks and earns more than $3 million per year thanks to a partnership with Amazon.
Sophia, a single mother and sex trafficking survivor, has always been driven to succeed. After having a mother at 15, she continued her schooling, getting bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. She began her entrepreneurial path with Trustworthy Consulting at the age of 20 and already had two residences.
Sophia came across an article in 2018 that criticized Amazon for failing to collaborate with small businesses on deliveries. Intrigued, she realized that for $10,000, anyone could partner with Amazon and potentially earn $74,000 to $3 million each year.
“As I read the Amazon article, I was sitting down thinking, wait a minute. Why not me? I applied for the partnership and within a year, I was running a million-dollar business. After 18 months, my delivery company grew to become a multimillion-dollar business,” she told Business Insider.
Despite her initial reservations, she chose to apply as an Amazon Delivery Service Partner. Sophia’s application required a year-long process that included an online form, a resume, and financial papers. Despite her lack of transportation experience, she stressed her community involvement and enthusiasm for assisting others.
Moving forward to September 2020, she founded L2E Industries, which stands for Learning 2 Exhale Industries. With a fleet of 38 blue vans emblazoned with “Prime,” her crew has delivered over 4 million parcels, covering 20,000 routes across Central Texas with roughly 80 employees. In less than three years, the company has generated more than $3 million in revenue.
Sophia’s business approach focuses on client pleasure, safety, and quality, with financial incentives for favorable feedback. Despite obstacles, such as a difficult quarter in 2021 owing to a Texas winter storm, her upbeat attitude and strategic improvements resulted in a strong recovery.
Sophia now envisions a future in which she can positively impact people’s lives, focusing on a friendly company culture.
“I now try to mirror what I wish I had during my years in corporate jobs. I’m passionate and determined to succeed because of the families that are connected with my company,” she said.