Donzella Burton

I relocated from Pennsylvania to Maryland 15 years ago and started my business in assisted living, even though I knew nothing about healthcare or assisted living at the time. Someone told me about residential assisted living and that it was in demand, so I visited one and thought I'd try it. Through trial and error, making mistakes, and overcoming obstacles and challenges, I was able to grow my business and help other people grow their businesses too. I started the ALC Academy, an assisted living coach academy, so that people could build successful assisted livings. I'm also a vendor for the state of Maryland where I certify individuals to start assisted livings. I started off as a provider owning my own assisted livings, then moved into teaching, mentoring, and consulting, and now I certify individuals. On a typical day, I might be moving a new resident into one of my facilities or working at my training center from 9 or 10 a.m. until about 4 p.m., doing admin work, helping clients conduct assessments and surveys, and completing paperwork for their assisted livings. I'm hands-on with not just my community, but other communities as well. I love what I do - it's so rewarding.