Her Story
About Hannah
My main area of expertise is influencing other people in a way that I don't even have to try - I just talk and people are attracted, drawn to me, and they tend to look up to me. I could be talking about anything - a recipe, work-related topics, professionalism, how to motivate staff, how to engage in creative play with children, selling techniques, how to be a good salesman. I could pick a topic and just talk based on my experience, saying things that are genuine and relevant, and people follow or listen. Right now my key responsibilities include operations, staffing, training, parent concerns, parent meetings, inventory, budgeting, and marketing. I love P&L reports and analytics - I like to break down the numbers and show the trends, look at past results, look at reports and balance sheets. I enjoy figuring out how we can go from point A to point B, like if we are spending X amount of dollars on payroll and need to come down to a certain percent. Those are the things I enjoy - that's my strength.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Hannah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to God. I really do. It's also the drive that's in me, because whatever I put myself to do, I'm very determined and very adamant. I will get it done, I will get it done the right way, too. I would say my drive, my upbringing in a different country where things didn't come to you easily, so you learn at a young age that you've got to work hard to prove yourself. You don't get it, you work for it. And then God. I would put it in those three things.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is always listen before you talk.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them that there is room to grow if you put your mind to it, and this is where you can make a change, an impact on children. You just gotta put you all in. You can't be there for a paycheck, because there is no paycheck. A lot of them coming out of high school are like, okay, let's just get a job. You cannot do that. They're little children, they're lives. If you really, really want to make an impact, you can, and there's room for you to grow, too, but you have to put your heart into it. You have to put your mind into it. You have to put effort in, because it's not easy. You have to have a passion.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges would be that staff don't get paid enough. I feel like the staff are so valuable because they are teaching and engaging with the future generations, and I wish there were more grants for owners, especially for the for-profit, to help teachers be compensated more, with benefits and bonuses or bonus plans for teachers. I think that would motivate them so much more than just having $16. They do so much. In Florida, the ratios are really high. I wish one day I would sit on a board and say, these ratios are unrealistic. You can't have a teacher for 11 children at certain ages. Very, very unrealistic number, and things like that. Those are the challenges.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are important to me, number one is honesty. The other value that's very important to me is loyalty.
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