How Raising a Family and Building a Business Go Hand in Hand
At the end of 2022, two of our District Sales Leaders and their families welcomed book babies into the world. Ryan and Amy Groom and their oldest son, Neil, welcomed Holly as the newest addition to their family in fall 2022. Aisha and Danny Gamboa and their oldest son, Veiko, also welcomed Vale in December of 2022. With both sets of parents running their businesses in Southwestern Advantage, balancing entrepreneurship and family is not an easy feat.
Amy’s Journey
Amy’s journey with Southwestern Advantage began when her close friend, Katie Collins, came back from her first summer with having created a profitable business and a newfound sense of confidence. After multiple approaches, Collins was able to recruit Amy to her team.
Amy has become very successful within the program because of her unwavering commitment. She was able to maintain strong relationships with her friends, and lead the young people of the Eagle/Blitz organization. Yet, Amy credits her family as her proudest accomplishment.
When asked how the program helped her to prepare for being a mom, Amy said, “Foundational concepts such as “control what you can control” and “your schedule is your lifeline” are utilized daily as a working mom. Southwestern is a phenomenal program that lays the training ground for young adults to learn skills that will impact them in their future both personally and professionally.” Being a mom and a professional coexist; therefore, on a daily basis, Amy strives to be the best for her family, her organization, and everyone in Southwestern Advantage.
Aisha’s Journey
Aisha started her business as a sophomore in college and has been building her business for 11 years. She has found success because of her commitment to the mission of Southwestern and the competitive work environment. She loves being able to grow personally, as well as impact young people and help them grow too. Although Aisha has won numerous awards within Southwestern Advantage, her proudest accomplishment is marrying her best friend and starting her family.
Aisha believes that the demanding environment of the program was helpful in developing her capacity for managing her time and navigating hurdles and difficulties in motherhood. She said, “I think building my own teams, training them, and leading them has helped me practice being accountable and taking ownership and care of other people’s success. But, even more so, I think being an Organizational Leader on the field and leading a group of 15-25 students has been even better preparation – you become their go-to person for everything.”
When asked how she balances mom-life and work-life, Aisha used a classic line that anyone within Southwestern would recognize – Schedule is your lifeline. She expanded on that thought by explaining that she plans out her schedule and activities so that she can maximize the time spent on both her business and with her family. Aisha stated that parenting is not easy, but “it is the best thing in the world having her boys.”
