Becoming the Supplier I Needed: My Journey From 18-Year-Old Shop Owner to Industry Builder
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Krystle Phillips
Founder of YES Your Equipment Suppliers (YES) & Roll Ice Cream LLC (RIC)
My story didn’t begin with equipment or manufacturing. It started at 18, when I ran a stationery and tech retail store in Trinidad. That store wasn’t a little side job. It was real work, managing inventory, serving customers, dealing with suppliers, and figuring things out as I went. Looking back, that was the foundation of everything I’m doing now.
Running that store taught me quickly that procurement decides everything. If you can’t source the right items, trust the supplier, or keep the flow steady, nothing else works. I learned how to negotiate, how to handle problems, and how to stay steady when things didn’t go as planned. At that age I didn’t realize it, but I was quietly building the skill set that would follow me through every business I created.
Later, I expanded into sourcing electronics and specialty items. By then, procurement had become second nature, finding reliable products, smoothing out delays, helping customers get exactly what they needed. I didn’t see it as a career path at the time. It was just what I was good at.
When Frustration Became Fuel
My shift into equipment happened simply because I couldn’t find a supplier who did things properly. And I needed one, not for me, but for the people who trusted me to source equipment for their businesses.
Instead, I kept running into the same things:
hidden costs
unreliable sellers
bad equipment
poor communication
no support after the sale
It wasn’t just inconvenient. It was unfair to the entrepreneurs who were taking risks and building from scratch.
One day after yet another supplier let me down, I made a decision that shaped everything:
If I can’t find a reliable supplier… I’ll become one.
That decision birthed YES and, eventually, RIC.
A Business Built on Support
YES and RIC were built around one simple belief: small businesses deserve transparency and human support.
We don’t just sell machines.
We walk clients through setup, workflow, costing, margins, and operations.
We help them avoid the mistakes I had to learn through frustration and trial and error. We treat their business with respect because we know what it feels like to build from the ground up.
A customer once told me,
“You made me believe I could actually do this.”
That meant more than any revenue milestone.
Turning Setbacks Into Structure
Every major improvement in my companies came from something not going the way it should. A shipment delay, a supplier issue, or a customer who needed more clarity. Every challenge pushed me to tighten systems, raise standards, and build better solutions.
YES grew because people needed a supplier who cared about their outcome.
RIC grew because owners needed honest training, not hype.
And I grew because setbacks forced me to stretch, adjust, and evolve.
My Tip for Women Who Want to Win Their Way
Don’t chase winning. Chase clarity.
Once you know who you serve and why, setbacks stop feeling personal. They simply become the next instruction. Clarity turns overwhelm into direction and direction turns women into leaders.
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