Kenia Merlos

I think one of the main things to be in business now is because we work one-on-one with the clients. The clients need to be happy. Good jobs make you keep the clients for that long, and I make sure that when we do a job, I call them and say, how are you feeling about the job? If anything, please let me know whatever you don't like in the job. I feel like that helps to have a good connection with the client, and those clients connect us to another client. That's how we keep having a lot of clients through the year. It's also about trusting in yourself that you can do a lot of things, even without knowing anything in the beginning. I had to learn everything - the language, the culture - living in a country that is not your country. I think it's important to keep learning and taking classes to make my business better, more professional, so that the clients I have believe in me. Whatever opportunity is out there for me to learn, I go, because this is gonna be my kids' future.

Don't let anyone else put them down, because sometimes you're gonna share your dreams with your family members or your friends that you really trust, that they pretend to be friends, and they say, no, you're not good at it. My advice for them is to trust in themselves, that they can do as many things they want, and don't let parties put them down and say, oh, you're not gonna do that, you're not gonna proceed your dreams. Just trust with all their heart that they can do it. Try really hard, and not just put that dream in their minds, but write it down - okay, I'm gonna do this, and this is who I'm gonna be in two years. These are my plans, but not just have it in your mind, but also keep it in your heart, and also pray to God for the plan that you have, because I think it's important to put those plans in God's hands. I remember when I started, nobody trusted me. Oh, you're a woman - a lot of people think that we are the weaker sex. Think bigger. Don't let anybody put you down. I think when you help each other, it's good. I don't want to keep what I know for myself, I want to share it with others, and that way, the community can grow up.

Family is definitely the most important thing to me. I think family is a business that we have to grow up every day with love and patience and faith. One of the things that I have been teaching my kids is that God is first in our lives, and we can get as many things we want through life, but we have to work really hard and trust in God first, and love each other before others. I think it's important to have time for everything - we cannot mix the time that we're supposed to have for family just being working and working. It's important to teach them that they have to have time for themselves, to enjoy just as a family, to have dinner together without looking at tablets. I think it's so important to have a good relationship as a family and being able to talk. I try to spend quality time with my kids - now I do more hiking, going to the river, things that they will remember through their lives, collecting memories. I think they will remember what we did for them, like memories and playing, more than buying expensive stuff for them. When I help others, I feel good, because I don't want to keep what I know for myself, I want to share it with others, and that way the community can grow up.