Louisa Mendoza, Founder and Owner
Keep it Clean
            “Prepare yourself and do not be afraid to ask for an opportunity,” advises one outstanding entrepreneur. There was a time when Louisa Mendoza did not speak any English, and as a single mother, she had to support her six-year-old son all by herself. Today, Mendoza is the Founder and Owner of Keep it Clean.
            “I started my business with $16.17 after my divorce. I used that money to buy cleaning supplies and knocked on doors looking for business.” Soon after, Mendoza got her first contract for $500 and later had the opportunity to meet Kenyatta Lewis from MGM Mirage. “The only cleaning job at MGM Mirage was for cleaning chandeliers at the Bellagio. I told Kenyatta that I had never cleaned chandeliers before, but if she gave me a chance, I promised I would get the job done.” Mendoza advises that people be honest with themselves and with the corporation in which they become affiliated.
            “There are plenty of opportunities in Las Vegas ,” Mendoza said. “There are a lot of different organizations but it is about how you manage yourself.”
            Not only does Mendoza work with MGM Mirage, she does construction cleanup at various sites in Las Vegas . She does commercial cleaning in different buildings and still has some residential customers.
            Mendoza ’s success can be attributed to the motivation that her son, Alex, gives her, and the fact that she sought opportunity and did not wait for it to happen. Mendoza ’s personal struggles have only made her stronger and she has turned those struggles into something positive. “Never be afraid to ask for opportunities.”

Janice Bryant Howroyd, Chairman and CEO
Act-1 Group
            “Sometimes you have to stand out if you seek to be outstanding.” Janice Bryant Howroyd, Chairman and CEO of Act-1 Group, took her mother’s advice growing up in a household of 11 children. “My mother wanted to make sure that we became independent thinkers as well as significant parts of a team.” The lessons Howroyd gleaned from her childhood assisted her in creating a top-of-the-line human resources company.
            Since 1978, Act-1 has successfully provided staffing, human resources and management solutions to Fortune 500 companies in industries from entertainment and fashion to technology and biotech. It is currently the largest certified woman minority-owned staffing service in the United States . “Our greatest strength is that we have great, talented people,” said Howroyd. “We have management thinking people, who regardless of where they are in the organization can make management level decisions.”
            Act-1 also designs its own technologies from the inside out. According to Howroyd, most of the technologies available today have been designed by technology companies who study the industry and then design a product. At Act-1, from the beginning, their technologies were designed as services first for themselves, then for others. They had to create some efficiencies that went beyond normal business processes. “We designed some management systems that allowed us to do that, and I decided that I would only hire management thinking people.”              
            Bryant Howroyd’s ABCs for success for entrepreneurs include: A-Ask the right questions, then listen for the answers; B-Be where you say you are going to be when you say you are going to be there; C-Communicate full circle. Communication is cooperative; you are not doing all the talking and you are not doing all the listening. Howroyd also stresses the importance of faith in one’s business and personal life. “No matter whom you call God, call God everyday, and after you call, shut up and listen, listen, listen.”

Julia Rhodes, CEO
KleenSlate Concepts
            “No doesn’t mean ‘no’ – it just means ‘not right now,’” said Julia M. Rhodes, CEO of KleenSlate Concepts. “Persistence has been one of my keys to success. It is about showing up, participating, following through, and giving back.”
            When Rhodes was a teacher, she saw the need for a product that solved a problem and decided to do something about it. “I invented and patented an eraser for the dry erase marker,” she explained. That simple idea led Rhodes to product development, which in turn led her to innovation and finally to the market. “In the past five years I have built a thriving company with a growing line of award-winning dry-erase products,” added Rhodes .
            Today, KleenSlate Concepts is a successful international product development company that invents, patents, markets and distributes fun, interactive education and communication tools all over the world. KleenSlate Concepts provides products to corporations such as Office Depot, as well as to schools, hospitals and independent stationers. Rhodes ’ customers exist “wherever people or companies use dry erase boards to communicate information.”
            According to Rhodes , however, her company is about more than award winning products. “It is not so much about selling the plastic eraser or delivering the hand-held whiteboard on time, it is about the people in the relationships.” Rhodes views her customers as partners and is passionate about meeting their needs.
            Rhodes ’ advice to new or aspiring entrepreneurs is to, “Do business with companies that share your values. Respect diversity, be passionate about your business and your customers and take good care of yourself along the journey.”

Mary Parker, President and CEO
All(n)1 Security
            Parker advises that business owners not sell what they cannot deliver. “If you cannot deliver [a product] now, then wait until later. Continue to build a relationship [with your customers] until you can deliver it because all it takes in this industry is to make one mistake. News travels fast since it all travels in the same circle. Make sure that the news on you is good. All(n)1 Security has a good name and we have to protect it.”
            All(n)1 Security provides full security solutions to its clients. Some examples include providing background checks, security personnel and electronic security technology. “We connect people and technology,” said Mary Parker, President and CEO. The business started in 2001 in Atlanta , GA , and was focused on providing security for special events such as conventions, concerts, trade shows, etc. The company landed a project with the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport doing phase one for the 5th runway, and at that point, the company elevated.
            Parker has worked in the security industry for years. “I am one of the first women who has gone from being a security officer to owning a security company. It was all part of God’s plan.”  Parker started with a staff of one, working out of her kitchen. She now has a staff of 7 full-time employees, and about 75 employees in the field, including technicians, security officers and off-duty police officers. A goal of hers was to have the first national certified woman-owned security firm providing a full range of security services.  Because of her faith and her willingness to give back, Parker is always looking for opportunities to men.

Guadalupe Marmolejo, Founder
Pozo Digital Inc.
           “The track you take is almost put in front of you. It is a matter of actually seeing it. The ideas are out there, but it is just a matter of taking them on.” Guadalupe Marmolejo is the founder of Pozo Digital Inc., a Stock Photo Agency meant to reflect the U.S. Hispanic market and its multi-faceted culture.
            Marmolejo created this company upon the realization that there was a large gap in the way that Hispanics were being represented in advertisements, despite the growing Hispanic population. “In advertising, you have to include what the color of the United States looks like and stock image agencies were not addressing the gap,” explained Marmolejo.
            Starting in 2006, the web-based business attracts the stock photo buyer who has projects that require an authentic portrait of the U.S. Hispanic market. The company also accepts photographs from contributors all over the country and from Mexico . Whether it is a person, place, or thing, Pozo Digital Inc. has the images one is looking for.            
            “I have to make sure that I am addressing the needs of my customers. I have done, and I will continue to do, the market research that will enable me to have the right products to fulfill their needs.”