I started in the cleaning industry because of my mother. She cleans for a living, and I knew that if I can find jobs for her, she would be ready to pick them up. It made it a lot easier because it gave us time to learn the hiring process as well as marketing.
If you think that my success is due to her, then maybe you're right. But in my mind, I know that was never the case. I knew no matter where I started; I would end up hitting every goal I set out for myself.
Believing in yourself is always the first step in your journey. The moment you stop believing is the moment you will end up quitting. I've been tested hundreds of times along my journey and not once did I stop believing in myself.
Go with opportunity
Having my mother as a cleaner was an opportunity. I didn't know it back then, but I was smart enough to realize that it was there. As a teen, I didn't find cleaning to be cool, but I didn't care. I knew the goal wasn't to love it; the goal at the time was to make money.
For the first two years, I didn't enjoy being in the cleaning business, but it didn't matter because the company was growing rapidly. By 21, we opened up in multiple cities, and we finished building the first version of our software.
At that moment, I found my passion. I started to enjoy working on software, and the work started to become fun. During that time, I didn't know it yet, but that software was turning into another opportunity.
Fast forward to when I was around 23-24, I partnered with the lead developer who built the original software for King of Maids, and we re-designed it to form BookingKoala.
BookingKoala didn't feel like a business; it felt more like a hobby, one that I never get sick of. Each day the software improves, I become more intrigued by it, and so do the people using it.
Point of the story?
Look for opportunities and realize when to capitalize on them. Here is an excellent quote to always remember:
"One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest upon themselves. You don't choose your passions. Your passions choose you." - Jeff Bezos
By the time I heard this quote, I knew what it had meant. I no longer own just a cleaning business; I own a software company, am an investor in several different brands, and now I get to educate others through this blog, and my YouTube channel.
I love being part of all those things now, and I can't wait to see where I end up 20 years from now.