Her Story
About Luz
I've been in the security industry for nearly 30 years, starting as a receptionist and working my way up through every level of the business. As a single mother of four, I was grateful for the opportunity someone gave me to learn and grow, and I took that opportunity and ran with it through my own dedication, passion, and hard work. After 27 years with my previous company, I purchased, rebranded, and renamed it 3 years ago, and now I'm the owner and COO of my own security company with 200 employees. I'm homegrown in this industry, which gives me unique perspectives from having been on the front lines myself. I'm very big on promoting from within and developing strong leaders on my team. I'm a firm believer that you're not a leader until you've created another leader, so I invest heavily in training and mentoring my employees. I'm a problem solver by nature and I handle all the sales for the company because I want to make sure we're represented well. My goal is to impact every person I meet so they remember who I am and what I do, and hopefully consider us as an option if they need security services in the future.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Luz
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being a problem solver by nature and never giving up. As a single mother of four, I'm a fighter, and I learned early on to never say 'I can't do that' but instead say 'I will figure out a way to do that.' I was grateful for the opportunity someone gave me 30 years ago to be a receptionist, but I took that opportunity and ran with it through my own passion, dedication, and blood, sweat, and tears. For many years I made the mistake of being so grateful that I didn't give myself enough credit for the work I put in, but eventually I realized that what I made with that opportunity was me. I position myself to learn something new every day because I'm a firm believer that if you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the room. I invest heavily in developing my team and creating leaders because I know I'm successful when I'm able to develop another leader who can then develop another leader. Anything is possible if you just put in the work, because it's not going to be handed to you.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
As a female in this industry, there's a couple of extra steps you have to take because our industry is a tough one. You need to create a name for yourself, not necessarily as someone who's intimidating, but as a strong female and a leader. I consider myself a strong female and a leader, and I invest a lot of my time, energy, and money into training my next leaders. Position yourself to learn something new every day, because if you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room. Don't be afraid to ask questions because it's humbling and implies that you don't know, but it's also rewarding because now you do. I live by the motto that if I don't know the answer, I'll let you know I don't know it, but I'll find it. Never say 'I can't do that,' always say 'I will figure out a way to do that.' You never know where life will take you, so put in the work because anything is possible, but it's not going to be handed to you. Leadership is not a title, it's a mentality. Walk around like you own the place, because it's all about your mentality and courage.
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