Memphis entrepreneur and domestic violence survivor is featured in national commercial

The hardest part of starting a business is not knowing if it will succeed. For Consuelo Rosales, this was a risk she was willing to take for herself and her family.

Now two years later, she's starring in a national commercial for GoDaddy and was in a mini-documentary on YouTube that has over 250,000 views. 

GoDaddy recently approached Rosales to shoot a “Where it all Started” commercial, something she was ecstatic to participate in. She hopes it will drive more traffic to her website and the wide range of offerings at Consuelo’s Cleaning Services. 

The commercial also features four other small businesses from around the country.

Before Rosales launched Consuelo’s Cleaning Services in 2018, she cleaned for another company for more than 13 years. Every day, she awoke at 5 a.m. to clean commercial spaces before business hours.

Launching her own business gave her more flexibility and control over her schedule, but it also gave Rosales the financial security needed to leave a dangerous marriage and gain independence and self-confidence.

Rosales is a survivor of domestic abuse and said she started her business and left her ex-husband because she didn't want a life of violence for her two children. They are her driving force to build a better life.

She isn’t doing much house keeping these days. Now the behind-the-scenes work—marketing, planning, recruiting and hiring, and setting schedules—is her full time job. Hiring more people to do the hard work of cleaning has also allowed her time to build out the website and social media presence to recruit more clients.

Consuelo’s Cleaning Services offers a number of services including routine and deep cleaning for commercial and residential spaces. They'll even clean your dingy garage or basement.

Prior to the pandemic, Rosales' new business and renewed strength were showcased in an episode of the GoDaddy "Made in America" series on YouTube, which celebrates the power of entrepreneurs. The video has over 250,000 views. 

“We were deeply moved by Consuelo Rosales and her path to entrepreneurship and how she’s been able to build her business during such a difficult period of time,” said Stacy Cline, senior director of corporate social responsibility and sustainability at GoDaddy.

“She’s an inspiration to us at GoDaddy, and we think others will find her just as inspiring.”

Consuelo Rosales poses outside her home with her two children. Rosales launched Consuelo's Cleaning Service in 2018, in part to give herself the financial independence to leave an abusive marriage. She said her children are her biggest motivation. (Submitted)

GROWING THROUGH CRISIS

The beginning of the pandemic was a scary time for everyone at Consuelo’s Cleaning Services.

“All of my clients cancelled in March and April. I had no business at all,” Rosales said.

That’s when she moved her family in with her father to save money. She decided to use the time to develop bigger-picture strategies to grow the business. Her first step was to hire someone who knew English and was good with computers to help her in the office.

Rosales is an immigrant and isn't fulling confident in her own English or computer skills, though she has the basics of both and is dedicated to continued learning.

“Consuelo’s Cleaning Services is doing better now than before the pandemic,” Rosales said. “Though, I did have a few stressful months when I wasn’t sure if the company would survive.’

Extra time in the pandemic also allowed time to work with GoDaddy to update her website and with Memphis-based Communities Unlimited, which helped her obtain a PPP loan.

Communities Unlimited is a nonprofit that provides business management consulting services and small business loans to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Running a small business in 2020 has tested Rosales resolve, but watching her episodes on the GoDaddy "Made in America" series has helped her regain confidence in herself. They capture the earliest days of her journey to owning a successful business and controlling her own life in every aspect.

“It helped to show me how far I’ve come and the reason I started my business in the first place,” said Rosales.

For more information on her business, visit consueloscleaningservices.com.