WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN A PERSONAL ELF?
I wanted to be a trophy wife and my husband told me I did not qualify — kidding! Coming from the corporate world in Miami, I knew I wanted something different. I hate cleaning, and in Miami, since I worked crazy hours, I always had someone to clean the house. I thought, “If I started a cleaning business, it would be the perfect opportunity.” I checked other companies locally and there were none that really went beyond the scope of cleaning and provided other concierge-type services to their clients. My sincere drive was the hate for cleaning and being able to provide this service to others like me and alleviate their workload, allowing them to embrace life fabulously. At the time, my mom was a truck driver, and I asked her to come help me start the business. We started using door hangers, cleaning, (and) hard work, and God blessed us greatly.
WHAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE BUSINESS GROWTH?
Always trusting my intuition, I would say, has been the greatest contribution to the business. I started the business at a time (when) the economy was crashing, and had I listened to everybody and all the propaganda, I surely would have failed. The support of my mom who worked daily side-by-side (me) where some days I thought we might have to call an ambulance for one and or both of us — but I could not have done it without her. The contacts that I made with clients, business leaders through networking, relationships established, and support we received from everyone was and is still a huge contribution. Our team is the foundation of the business that allows us to grow, and like every industry, we go through ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we have a team that truly cares about making our clients happy.
WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
Always trust your instincts, look forward to failures because they’re some of the greatest lessons and don’t forget to celebrate the successes even if they are not what the “goal” was.
HOW HAS MENTORSHIP MADE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE?
Mentorship has helped me learn more about myself so that I am able to be a better leader.
WHAT INFLUENCE DO YOU HOPE A PERSONAL ELF WILL HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY?
We would like to provide jobs for our community and give back in the areas that we are asked to serve in the community. We would like our biggest influence to be on our team so that they can be productive, self-supporting, contributing members of our community.