The first time I figured out the essence of work

Ever wake up and think to yourself - I want to do something big, something different but meaningful?

My daddy taught me hard work. You can achieve anything in life. I can remember my childhood vividly - all he asked of me was to work hard at all challenges in life. I was capable of anything. I can accomplish anything.

We grew up in a small two bedroom bungalow. We were 6 in a small bungalow but made it work. My parents didn't have much - they fell in love and figured out the details afterwards and we made the best of our situation. My dad bought this house and promised my mom, as well as us, this was a stepping stone. We had two bunk beds in one room for the four kids and my parents in the other. In the interim, my dad was building extra rooms in the basement. Our rooms were ready for our birthdays - I remember I was 10. I asked for my favorite color blue with a black canopy bed. I was the most patient one and kept the room upstairs knowing my dad would put in a sliding door and a deck eventually. My mom had spent most of her time dabbing the paint with a sponge so I could have a different texture. I wanted the princess canopy bed in black (of course). In my mind, I was a princess. It was a long process of saving up for things but when the final project arrived, I was happy and content. Now all I needed was the wardrobe to match and I knew that if I wanted to have nice clothes - I needed to make money. Having my sister's hand me downs was getting tiresome. I had my princess room, finally. My privacy, finally. My freedom, finally.

I started my own side cleaning business at the age of 12. I was making money and I loved it. Most of my classmates were babysitting. I received my certificate to do the very same but knew I needed to stand out from the rest. Don't ask me how I knew this at such a young age - all I knew is I didn't want to follow the others, they were getting hookups from family members and I didn't have that luxury. My parents were hard workers and they worked day in and day out. My oldest sister was in charge of us. Our lives were well organised and structured. Every one of us had a role - which is very common in big families. The services I offered would be a two in one- babysit and clean your house. My role was cleaning and I was really good at it. I had the ideas but I lacked the proper set up. Then I met Laurie on the bus - she was young and always in trouble. She was 6 at the time and always had to sit in the first seat of the bus. We lived on the same street and I was in grade 7 so I was able to sit at the back of the bus. Lucky me. I knew my bus driver well - she had been our bus driver for 8 years. I would ask questions about Laurie and she would simply tell me - she is troubled. I began offering my big sister expertise to find out what the root of the problem was. We came close chatting almost every day - she then asked her mom if I could babysit her.

I was lucky enough to have her living up my street - her mother was a busy mom to a husband who traveled while she was running their two businesses. I would tidy up and ask her questions. Some might even call me Curious George to this day and anyone who knows me, knows I love to ask questions. I believe that's how you learn daily. Nonetheless, she was the first person to see something in me. She engaged in my curiosity which led to a secure position with a consistent schedule. She brought me to the bank and helped me set up my first account with TD because at that time, electronic banking was not as common as it is today. I would get paid as an employee of hers, which was a great feeling. I kept telling myself - how lucky am I to already have these credentials.

Once we both spent time ironing out the glitches of our agreement - I was able to start focusing on the next part of my new found business which would be managing my quality and expanding. My mother thought this was temporary - I mean I was 12 years old - I should be experimenting, trying to be a girly girl because my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. I didn't care, I was dedicated. Make money first and the rest will come was my thought process. To this day, she says - How did you accomplish that at 12 years old with no idea? Easy, I was dedicated. I thought about it, I visualized it, I pursued it, I accomplished it - you push boundaries and you forget the rest.

I was now ready to secure my second client and my days would be well set up. I was too young to work for a company and babysitting was sporadic. I needed consistency. How else was I going to get those pink leather pants that was the crave. Britney Spears had just come out with her song I am a Slave 4 You. All I knew is I needed to have them with a pink top to match. I would clean for her once a week and babysit once a weekend. I was dancing hip hop and ballet jazz - it could not conflict with that.

I knew I could fill my days but needed to recruit. I reached out to my good friend, who was well connected because her parents owned a well known restaurant at the time. She had a big family and brought me along to one of her babysitting jobs. She too, started offering the same services as I did. She saw the benefits and she was my friend so of course I shared my secret. The thing is, I was better at cleaning. Eventually, they used her for her babysitting services while I would clean for them on Saturdays.

This woman was awesome, she had two beautiful daughters, a loving husband and a beautiful home. She was a stay at home mom who lived in the busy part of my town. She would never forget my birthday and would always buy me the latest trends. At that moment, I valued people. They are the bridges in life. People bring people together. It was a no brainer.

Once everything was secure and consistent -I was quite proud. Needless to say, my parents were blown away with it all. My older brother, who is five years older then me, even said to me "You are making almost as much as I am - how is that even possible?" Because I am smart, that's how. This created a bond between us - that will still be in play today.