Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy Garcia.
Lucy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It was in the summer of 2012 that I was working as a housekeeper in a luxurious beauty salon in the city. Everything was going just fine until one day the owners decided to close it down. I was left unemployed but always believed that behind every obstacle, is a great opportunity to succeed. At that time, I had many thoughts ranging from doubt and feeling insecure of myself but my desire of helping my family made me stronger. One day I got my phone and called my aunt, whom works as a Nanny, to ask if she knew of a family who needed housekeeping services. Luckily her ex-boss had recently called to ask her if she could clean her house and care for her children for a few hours and if not, if she could recommend someone. That is how she then recommended me and I started with my first client which ‘til this day is my client.
How was my first day as a housekeeper? In my opinion, I would say 7-10. I confess that there were details I still needed to learn and my client at the time made me aware professionally. She was very sweet, kind and patient with me. They say you learn from your mistakes and I sure did learn everything that has to do with cleaning and caring for a home.
With God’s help and my client who referred me to her friends, I was able to establish myself and get back on my feet. I would see that my clients were satisfied with my work, and I myself loved what I did. It was not until the fall of 2017 that the idea of Sofy’s Cleaning Services was birthed due to a high demand. This would also call for expansion in personal and had other people join the team and accompany me in this journey.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I will mention that one of the challenges I faced was with the English language. I am originally from Guatemala and had very little time here in the United States. I had a hard time understanding and speaking English. I remember the only thing I knew how to say was “Yes and ok”. I felt helpless when they would ask me something or tried to converse with me. The majority of the time I would communicate through hand gestures. That is when I decided to learn English and enroll in an English course offered by a Catholic church near my home. My daily schedule was the following. I worked from 8:00am – 5:00pm and studied from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Many times, I wanted to quit because I was exhausted by the end of the day but thanks to the unconditional support of my husband, I continued. Originally, 20 students started the class and at the end, only eight finished the course. Why do I mention this? Because the key to achieve success is to have discipline.
One day I read a phase in social media where it said, “you either learn to like the thorn or you don’t accept the roses”. I identified myself with this phrase because there have been days where I am in a hurry and at the same time, I am answering phone calls, text messaged or email of people who are interested in our services. Moreover, without leaving unnoticed handling the social media platforms that also consumes my time. I believe these are challenges that I have learned to live with meanwhile I keep learning.
Sofy’s Cleaning Services – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
People live busy lives. They can be working, going to school or taking care of their children. In addition to all of that, they have homes, office or business that they have to maintain and clean. Unfortunate, time flies by and the last thing in your mind is “cleaning”. This is when Sofy’s Cleaning Services can be helpful; we can do a one-time service or maintain a weekly routine schedule to keep their home clean.
About 75% of people who communicate with me call me by my name “Lucy” in reference by a family member, friend or co-worker. Our social media reviews always mention “Lucy and her team” and I believe this is the title I have been able to construct throughout time.
There are many reasons why I feel proud and believe that they all sum up to a phrase, which is “TO HELP”. I firmly believe this is my purpose in life. First, to help my family progress. Secondly, to help a home that needs housekeeping services. In addition, create jobs and opportunities for my employees to bring daily bread to their families.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I strongly consider that true success is finding out one’s true purpose in life. My purpose motives me to work in excellence every single day, which allows me to reach my short and long term goals. I see the success in my business when I see one of our valued customers leave a review on our social media platforms or Google because that indicates we are not only reaching our customer’s expectations but exceeding them.
I strongly value the hard work every single one of my team members have to offer. In order to be successful, all of my team is committed to not only reaching team goals but also attain individual goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sofyscleaningservices.com
- Phone: 832-877-6989
- Email: sofyscleaningservices@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sofyscleaningservice
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sofyscleaningservice
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/J69pnhW/
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