We had the good fortune of connecting with Benisa Merdzic Woolford and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Benisa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Over the last 5 years I always felt the desire to take a leap of faith and knew I wanted to be able to work with more than one team, organization. I dreamt of making unlimited income, following my passion. I used to literally daydream of being my own boss and starting my own business, but I also had a great career in the Hospitality Industry so the reality of becoming a business owner was slim to none. I was an Award-Winning General Manager, but I’d get this feeling within me that there was a bigger purpose in life for me. I love to cook & bake, I have lots of experience operating a successful hotel. Being a single mom for 10 years limited me to what I could do, and I had no room for taking risk. As an immigrant in the USA I had no support system and no family that I could solicit for help.
Fast forward to 2021 when I made the decision to leave the job that I was promoted to in 2020 and move back to Atlanta, GA with the family. We were in Los Angeles for about 6 months before Covid shut the whole world down.
I began working for a different company back in Atlanta and was also expecting my 4th child. The property I managed was acquired by a new owner several months later and I found myself jobless within 6 weeks of the transition & 4 weeks prior to my due date. Understanding that I would be out of work for a while the idea of becoming a business owner was clearer as ever and my amazing Partner was in full support. He immediately registered my business name with the IRS and motivated me to get going. Understanding the operational challenges many hotels and leaders were facing during and after Covid inspired me to put my focus on business consulting and marketing. I created business packages that targeted Customer Focus, Quality Assurance and Basic Operation Guidelines. My greatest excitement was helping more than one hotel team or company and diversifying my portfolio of businesses, too. I realized that I could take the knowledge I obtained over the years to any business.
A year ago, I expanded my knowledge and joined the Financial Services Industry. It is ironic that we live in the richest country in the world, yet most people have money problems. This is due to the lack of Financial Literacy and Education, and I want to be part of this big movement to educate 30 million people by 2030. I realized that I needed to learn, and I need my kids to understand these important concepts also. So, while I help others, I also help my own family. Entering this business was a no-brainer decision for me.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am most proud of coming to this country as a 20 year old thinking that I’d be married, have children, work a regular 9-5 job, but instead I exceeded my own expectations. I separated from my ex-husband 7 years after we got married and was a single mom of a 2 & 4 year old. I know I’ve made my mama proud with all I’ve accomplished since I’ve been here in the USA. People always tell me I make it all look so easy when they are struggling keeping up with the demands of being a career professional, parent and provider. I never saw that as a burden or felt overwhelmed. I just did what I had to do. Don’t get me wrong, doing life with a partner is a lot more fun, I just wasn’t fortunate to have such an amazing man in my life until I was 37 years old.
What differentiates me & my brand from others is my passion. I truly want to see people win. I see them in their purpose way before they see themselves. I also care deeply about them. A quote i resonate with by Maya Angelou goes as following “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This describes me to the core.
During one of my assignments, I had the entire property refer to me as their manager. One even stated that “I was one of the best managers they’ve ever had” although my assignment was only temporary. Another comment I received from a patron that was hosting a regional meeting there was “I had to come & find the person that everyone is talking about, I have never seen a business where everyone is consistent and looks happy while working. What is your secret?” and he handed me his business card to partner up and speak to the managers of his organization.
I love connecting with people and I like to bring the good out in them. During my corporate tenure I did everything in my power to help someone change and improve their performance and invested my personal time to help them strive. I don’t like seeing people fail. Sometimes they just need someone to believe in them. I didn’t mind providing constructive feedback in order to see them grow. I am currently working on a partnership with a local school and their hospitality program and am hopeful my expertise will be continued to be sought after.
This passion also reflects in my newly found passion as a Financial Educator with a heavy focus on the youth and helping them prepare for the future & become Financially Literate. I have recently started a partnership with the Fulton County Work Base Program as well as the 100 Black Man North Metro Atlanta Chapter. I am eager to continue this growth and share the campaign with anyone interested in learning how to build wealth, release financial stress and protect their financial foundation.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d make sure we hit all the landmarks in the city! Downtown for MLK memorial, Civil Rights Museum to Georgia Aquarium and the Coke Museum. The downtown area around Centennial Park looks really nice in the evening with lots of great restaurants to try. In Midtown we’ve got to go to Piedmont Park as well as the Botanical Garden. Let’s not forget about Varsity for a hotdog and greasy fries. Definitely a landmark of Atlanta. For great seafood we will make a stop at Spondivits in East Point. Oh, and let’s not forget the legendary Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House for breakfast or lunch. We’d visit Lennox Mall (during the day). Definitely taking my friend to Lawrenceville also to experience Bosnian Cuisine and eat at the Euro Gourmet Grill, pick up some snacks from the European store attached to it and Swing by Stone Mountain for a hike. And because I love diversity let’s make sure we have dinner at Desta, an Ethiopian restaurant. I’d take my friend to the polish butchershop “Patak” to get some fresh meats and sausages and stop in by Bernhard’s German Bakery to grab some bread and rolls. Atlanta always has great cultural festivals, so I’d definitely plan around that also. Sounds like a fun filled week?
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest shout-out goes to my life partner, Jermel. From registering my business with the IRS as soon as I stated that I wanted to start a business to recording my short clips for me that I’ve used to advertise my business and partnering with me to provide headshots to other corporations to helping me start a podcast, build my scene in the basement and recording around 10 episodes and editing them as well as countless other things – he deserves the biggest award of being a supportive partner and giving me an opportunity to pursue my dream! In addition, I want to recognize my teenage daughters Mya & Mia for helping me with their smaller siblings and making sure things are taken care of around the house when I am working late.
I also want to shout out Ms. Dali Josipovic for introducing me to the Financial Services Industry and pouring into me to become a strong Financial Educator, which has become a second income stream for me.
Website: www.elitestrategicsolutionsllc.com
Instagram: @elitestrategicsolutionsllc
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benisa-woolford/
Facebook: Elite Strategic Solutions LLC
Youtube: Elite Strategic Solutions LLC; Benisa’s Cafe Podcast
Image Credits
Headshots were taken by @illvisionsllc