By KAILEY CARPINO

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Kathy West, manager of Sew Biz custom embroidery shop, believes it’s important to start at the bottom and work your way up in any business.

West said she would advise young women looking to start a career in business to “learn from the ground up.”

“It doesn’t matter how fast you learn or how slow you learn as long as you learn it well. I think knowing all of the aspects from the ground up will help you be a better manager, a better person and, overall, a better friend,” she said.

West said she has learned some valuable lessons during her career and that building relationships with customers is a top priority.

“Know your customers. We’ve had customers from 20, 30 years ago and they’re still coming back. We’re knowing them, their children, their grandchildren now, so you just need to learn and know your customers so that you can treat them as well as you would your own sibling,” she said.

West said more women in the Ohio Valley are joining the business sector.

“I’m not quite sure about in this type of field, but I think more women are being held to a higher managerial position or a higher position — it doesn’t have to be managerial. It seems like they have more of a voice now, and their employees are listening to them more,” she said.

West said she is grateful for the other women who have supported her during her career. She said the original owner and founder of Sew Biz, Linda Shepherd, promoted her to manager. From Shepherd’s basement to an industrial setting on a lot at Fox Commerce Park, located west of St. Clairsville near the Belmont County Fairgrounds, Sew Biz has grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple of decades.

“Our original owner was getting bombarded out in the office with everything, so she kind of put me into the role of manager and managing the back room and some of the customers, and then it progressed from there,” West explained.

West said the Ohio Valley is a good place for small businesses.

“I would say start slow, start small, and then you’ll grow, and then you’ll learn from every mistake you make and they’ll improve with time. Believe me, we’ve made plenty of mistakes, but we always correct them and move forward,” she said.

West said her motto is “Just stay true to yourself. Try to be a good person, and live day by day.”