Ruth Mathurin

I attribute my success to staying customer-focused and making sure my work speaks for itself. Honesty is really important to me, and I'm very big on giving the client what they're asking for. The person is paying for a service, so the service has to be done the right way. I'm very big on my employees going above and beyond to make sure everything is the way it's supposed to be. I also think having the right mentorship has been crucial - my mentor here in Dallas has taught me not to take rejections personally and to just keep moving forward. Just because one door closes doesn't mean all doors will be closed, so I make sure I keep my head held up and just keep it pushing. Taking time to reset my mind is important too - I go for walks and spend time with my family, those little things help distract me at times so I can get back to work refreshed.

The best career advice I've received came from my mentor here in Dallas, who used to own one of the biggest cleaning companies in the area. He told me to not take rejections personally and to just keep moving forward. Just because one door closes doesn't mean all doors will be closed. He's kind of just told me to make sure I keep my head held up and just keep it pushing. That advice has really helped me as I've been restarting my business here in a new city where everyone has their established territories.

I would say just keep going, just keep going. You're not racing with everybody else, so don't feel like you have to compete with everyone else in your category. Just do what you have to do, and just don't give up on yourself. It's really about persistence and tenacity - that goes a long way in this business.

Right now, being new in a new area, the biggest challenge is that you kind of have to just put yourself out there and hope for the best. Everybody kind of has their territory here, so coming in as a newbie, you're just trying to get cleaning jobs. Finding new people to hire has been tough too - I'm so used to having my colleagues back in Boston, so now I'm going through that whole process of finding new people to hire. But the opportunity is always the chance to meet new people and make new connections. Even though it's challenging to break into established territories, the networking and relationship-building opportunities make it worthwhile.

Honesty is really important to me, both in my work and personal life. Having my work speak for itself is crucial - I'm very big on giving the client what they're asking for. The person is paying for a service, so the service has to be done the right way. That's number one to me. I'm very big on my employees going above and beyond to make sure everything is the way it's supposed to be. I'm very customer-centric focused, making sure we deliver quality and meet expectations. In my personal life, I value taking time to reset and spend time with my family - those little things help me distract myself at times so I can recharge and get back to work.