Schlisa Gaines

I attribute my success to prayer and fasting, dedication, motivation, and staying focused. This was definitely a spiritual journey for me, because I was a single mom at a young age and I did it with two kids. My kids give me motivation - they're the reason I keep going. But definitely prayer and fasting are at the top of my list, because it really, really, really helps. I truly believe in putting God first and being a blessing to others, because when you're a blessing to someone, God will bless you in return.

The best career advice I've ever received was to put God first, stay focused, and don't forget where you came from. I never want to forget that I worked for someone before I became an owner. I don't ever want to forget my thoughts and how I felt when someone was my boss, the ideas and things that I had. That's why I always tell my staff to tell me if I'm wrong, tell me if I'm out of place, because we work together. I cannot run this preschool without my staff, and they can't work without me. I can't run it without my parents either. So I try to be transparent, open to suggestions and ideas, understanding of people's feelings, especially single parents because I was one. I just try to be open and understanding and transparent, and I always put God first.

Be patient, have a passion for kids, and you gotta be in it for the kids. You definitely can't be in it for the money. You gotta have patience, you gotta pray, you gotta fast, and you just gotta stay focused. Prayer and fasting, I would say, is on the top of all of my lists, because it really, really, really helps.

My biggest challenge is finding staff that have the same passion as I do. Because this is my passion, it makes everything easier when I can find people who share that same dedication to the kids. The other challenge is just staying focused, because I do work here as well. I'm trying to juggle everything - being the owner, being the director, being a pre-K teacher - I have my hands in everything. So the challenge is kind of just staying rooted in what I believe in while managing all these different roles.

Treating people with respect and loyalty are extremely important to me. I truly, truly believe in being a blessing - that's why the name of my nonprofit is Be a Blessing - because I truly believe if you're a blessing to someone, God will bless you. It doesn't necessarily have to be the person that you blessed, but I definitely believe that you have to be loyal, you have to be respectful, and you have to definitely have spiritual habits, some kind of connection with God. That's really what it's all based on for me.