Rebecca with Laura Lee Williams

The bustling outdoor market was filled with exotic foods and bright colors. Laura Lee navigated the labyrinth of stalls. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a beautiful piece of fabric. It was black with colorful, intricate beading. She purchased a stack with the idea of creating a pair of kulaks. She headed back home and draped the squares over a chair.

She made the pants and had some fabric left over. The fabric remained on the chair as she went about her daily routine. Then she had an idea. What if she took the fabric and trimmed it to fit a handbag she had? She mocked up a handbag and had a local craftsperson make it into a final piece. The first Laura Lee handbag was born.

Laura Lee loved the bag because it was so unique and colorful. It was a fun bag to carry. She had almost forgotten about its unique style until a group of women stopped her in the airport. "Where did you get that bag?" one woman asked. The seeds of entrepreneurship were planted.

Fast forward two years. Laura Lee sits in Starbucks sipping a latte, she is approached by another customer. "What a beautiful handbag!" the woman exclaims, "It's like a work of art!" And so goes the life of Laura Lee, President and owner of Laura Lee Designs.

With degrees in Political Science and International Business, Laura Lee did not set out to be a handbag designer. Following graduation she headed for the corporate life where she held various marketing positions with companies including Nike, Apple, American Express, and Ralph Lauren.

It was at Apple that the marketing bug kicked in. She worked to develop, improve, and distribute Apple's "Power Book" product. There she honed the skill of brand integrity. She developed an appreciation for strong branding and began to notice it everywhere. In her spare time Laura Lee spent time running and felt particularly inspired by the Nike "Just Do It" philosophy... so much so that she wrote a letter to Phil Knight and Runner's World telling them how the Nike philosophy was inspiring her to become a better athlete.

Laura Lee's moving letter was published by Runner's World and Nike began to employ her as a wear tester. Nike sent her pre-release products, and she would wear the merchandise and report on its quality. Eventually she began working at Nike in global forecasting, a position that meant overseas travel. It was during this time that she caught the "international bug."

She eventually she ended up in Hong Kong employed by PCCW, Asia 's leading communications company. At PCCW she was responsible for developing and implementing international marketing initiatives with companies such as Microsoft, Disney, AOL Time Warner, Hewlett Packard, and Oracle.

Laura Lee grew up in Southern California which influenced her love for athletics. An avid runner and triathlete, Laura Lee remains active and loves to get outdoors for some training. But for all she has done, her biggest influences came from her Mother and Grandmother. Her Mother always encouraged her to make the impossible possible. And her Grandmother had a great quote, "Don't live the 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' life." It means don't be afraid to do something out of the ordinary... don't live the 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' life wondering what you could have done.

(from http://www.lauraleedesigns.com/about.asp)