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COMMERCE — Female entrepreneur Sinni Singh has been a businesswoman since she was 16 years old.

A native of Sonipat, India, Singh is the current owner and chairwoman of Flint Rock Products in Commerce. She traveled to the United States in 1984 and has acquired a variety of college degrees in art, spiritual psychology and even has a certification as a Reiki Master.

“I have traveled all over the world and I read to gain knowledge,” Singh said. “I’m also a healer, and I’ve traveled the world to learn different healing techniques. Native Indians, we’re very connected to the earth.”

Ron Richardson, the founder of Flint Rock, started the company 20 years ago. Singh and Richardson were married for 9 years and actually met at a party.

“I ended up going to Richardson’s house for a party,” Singh said. “I was invited by another friend and when he saw me, he said ‘I will marry you.’ I kept saying no, and a few months later, I realized how much I loved being with him and then we got married. We both learned so much from each other and had an amazing journey.”

While Richardson was in good health, they worked together as owners of the company. Singh said she was always very involved in running the business with her husband. He ended up passing away from an illness in 2012.

“We always did everything together,” Singh said. “When my husband got sick in 2010 he kind of stepped back and I took on the ownership role full-time. Most of my time was utilized for taking care of him when he got sick.

“I always liked working with my husband,” she added. “We were a sounding board for each other when we were discussing ideas or decisions. We would talk and the answers would just flow. With him gone, it’s more challenging and that helped me strengthen my connection with God. I have learned to be my own sounding board.”

Singh has been the owner of Flint Rock Products since 2004 and works diligently to provide for her family and employees. Along with Flint Rock, she owns 11 other limited liability companies (LLC) throughout the country.

“I own a lot of different companies and businesses,” Singh said. “Flint Rock is one of them. I was running all of my companies out of an office in Las Vegas.”

While living in Vegas, Singh worked with homeless youth, who she continues to visit every week. Singh said she moved to Oklahoma from Las Vegas to establish a better foundation with her company and the community.

One of her goals is to help bring the community together by rebuilding the Douthat Baptist Church that was burned down in September.

“My husband and I always knew that God put the Douthat Church on our property for a reason,” Singh said. “We are supposed to open it for everyone.”

Another reason for moving to Oklahoma is to expand the Flint Rock company. She hopes to acquire new employees, land and chat in the area.

“I’ve also been looking into expanding my business, but to expand I have to be here hands-on,” Singh said. “I knew that when I was running the business. I could do it from Las Vegas, but now that I’m wishing to expand, I have to be here.”

Singh said her faith in God has helped her get to where she is today. Her confidence and faith in the Lord helps her pursue challenges and learn from them.

“The biggest thing in my life has been faith in God,” Singh said. “My relationship with God has been very close. I talk to him all of the time. Excellence is something when you’re pleasing God. You could be doing the dishes or running a company. It doesn’t matter if it’s worth a penny or worth millions. Perfection is more of a physical, outer property and they go hand-in-hand with one another. Everything I do, I want excellence to flow in my perfection.”

In the morning, Singh prays and seeks guidance from God in order to start her day with clarity. She said it’s like playing a game of chess, which helps her strategize.

“I start my day and I know what issues are coming and I have a plan,” Singh said. “I also have a pen and pad next to my bed at all times. Any kind of idea, I write it down.”

One of her role models throughout history was Cleopatra, who inspired her because of her beauty, power and love.

“Cleopatra was full of love – love for her people and love for Marcus Antonius,” Singh said. “One thing I learned from her is to beat them in their own game. I don’t play games, but if someone wants to play games, I will beat them in their own game and that is what chess represents to me. I know their strategy before they come.”

Singh said the key virtues in running any successful business are love, honesty and integrity. As an employer, she tells her colleagues to be themselves and to be comfortable with who they are.

“It’s very important for me to have the people who work for me in my company to be happy,” Singh said. “Ninety percent of people hate their job, and my colleagues are very happy to work with me. To me, success is not just money. Success is when they come and love being here. When I hire people, I find what they’re good at so they can do what they love. As a leader, it’s my responsibility to make sure that I’m bringing the best opportunities to my team members.”

Jackie Chandler, Singh’s assistant and office manager, said she is a very honest and giving boss.

“Sinni is very fair and has the community in mind when looking to expand the company,” Chandler said. “She has treated her employees very well and given them all raises. She has their best interests at heart. We’re all excited how this business will grow.”

For women who wish to succeed in the workplace, Singh said to be who you want to be in life and to never give up.

“Work with excellence and bring excellence and perfection together,” she said. “Once you follow your heart, you will know where your journey is and make it a magical experience. If challenges come, it’s just part of the journey and look at it as what is this going to teach me.”

Visit flintrockproducts.com for more information on the company.