[00:02:17] Alice Tang: When you look back, times fly so fast. But when you’re in the moment sometimes, especially when we’re dealing with the daily challenges, you and I deal with them all the time with them. That minute is really long. Anyway, congratulations. After six years anniversary. 

Since this is a woman million dollar conversation, our guest that we invite Lauren today, has either Saved a million, made a million in the business or earned a million. So let’s talk a little bit, without going into too much details about that million in what year of the last six year that you crossed a million dollar mark?

[00:02:53] Lauren Francis: I believe it was in our second year of business. 

[00:02:59] Alice Tang: [00:03:00] Congratulations. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Many entrepreneur were trying to stay break even hoping to pay themselves a salary. After you pay everybody and all the expenses, but you are awesome, Lauren. 

[00:03:15] Lauren Francis: Thank you so much. Yeah, I, I don’t actually pay much attention to the number. I tend to focus mostly on the work, and I’ve always been an advocate of, or a believer that we do great work, we create a great service. We take care of our employees. We take care of our community partners, take care of our network and our candidate and client partners as well. And through that heart of service comes. The money that we’re talking about. 

[00:03:50] Alice Tang: That’s beautiful. Beautifully said. So what Lauren has just told us is, do what you like to do. Be very committed to give the best [00:04:00] she and her company can to the people who’s using her service. Pay it forward, she implied.

And the money would come. That’s so true for a very successful business owner like Lauren. 

Great. 

As you’re building your business to that million, I asked you to fresh back a little bit. I’m sure there is a lot of hurdles and you have to jump through and one of the hurdles is the bias. So what is the biggest bias you have experienced?

[00:04:29] Lauren Francis: The biggest bias was actually self-inflicted. I did not attend or graduate from college, and so I was always had some shame around that. And in conversations with people, I would always, steer the conversation away from where did you go to college?

And but, I no longer feel that way. And I think through, working and a lot of personal growth and all of the things that we do every day to be the best person that we can be I no longer find [00:05:00] that to be a, a burden. And what’s interesting now is that actually not going to college is in vogue. So,

[00:05:07] Alice Tang: So you’re so in right now.

Very good. Overcoming the psychological hurdle, what people expect of you. I think it also come with, life experience too, cuz there are times when I know when I was younger, in my twenties and thirties especially, I feel like I wanted to look good. In all facet, I want to be perfect. Sure. So if there is something wrong, I try to like you said, deal with the conversation not to go there. 

This is a woman million dollar conversation and the audience are looking to Lauren and said, if there is one thing you can give me, what would that be? They want to be a Lauren? 

[00:05:49] Lauren Francis: Honestly, it’s betting on yourself and preparation for sure. 

When I started my first business, which is a housekeeping business and I named it, Maid in America.[00:06:00] I had $800 in the bank. I was 28 years old I could pay my rent. I could buy food and put gas in the car. And I ended up, purchasing a vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies. And I was in business. And so one of the key ingredients to that was that I wanted to create a business where I did not need capital in order to start a business.

So it was very simple. It was just me and my cleaning supplies really. And then that grew to hiring more people and then the creation of my second business. And that evolved again and ran that company for 18 years, Town and Country Resources in the San Francisco Bay area. And again, it started with $800 and a vacuum cleaner.

So I, I think that’s a really important point because what I did not wanna have is the pressure of a financial burden in order to start the business. 

[00:06:53] Alice Tang: And In other words, putting a hundred thousand dollars into buying something, When you do not know where a business is going. [00:07:00] 

[00:07:00] Lauren Francis: Oh, indeed. Yeah. And there’s a lot of learnings that come from all of that, but I think that it, the, it’s really truly a bet on yourself situation.

And what’s interesting is I had a lot of financial insecurity growing up. My father started business when we were very young. My mother at the time was a homemaker, and I carried the stress of that decision. For a long time because their stress. I absorbed. And so there was a lot of financial insecurity with that decision.

And what’s interesting about my story is that people with financial insecurity typically don’t take risks, right? A risk would be to leave your job and to go do something on your own. And I did just that, which I don’t think I was really thinking about it, I think I just just, made it happen.

Who knows? 

[00:07:51] Alice Tang: There must be something in you at the time that is bigger than the insecurity. 

[00:07:56] Lauren Francis: Right? I, I’m trying to think back to that time and what was driving me [00:08:00] towards that decision. I think I just wanted to be in, in control. And I think at a young age with my father going into business and all the churn and turmoil that, that caused, he was end up ultimately being very successful, but I think it took a toll on the family.

Yes. 

But at the end of the day, I think I wanted, I didn’t wanna be in chaos. I wanted control. And so having control, I was able to control it through having my own company and creating my own company. So it’s so interesting how all this works out.

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