My grandmother was a single mother who raised ten children by doing domestic work. When my parents separated, I went to live with her, and I grew up watching her strength every day.

My mother came to the United States looking for a better future for my sister and me. She supported us by cleaning homes. When I arrived in this country, cleaning was the profession she taught me.

Years later, when I married and started my own family, I wanted to support my husband and be present for my children’s education. Cleaning homes was the only work that let me drop them off at school, pick them up, and be there for their activities. For many years, I cleaned homes on my own.

Before the pandemic, a friend encouraged me to start a business. I wasn’t sure. She invited me to a business event, and I realized I did want my own business, just not in cleaning. Then the pandemic came, and my clients, understandably, could no longer have anyone come into their homes. I lost my work. During that time, I started listening to a business program on the radio, and that’s when I understood that cleaning was the business I wanted to build.

That same friend invited me to a class at the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. There, I found the tools I needed to start Raices Group. Since then, I have completed programs with the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Dallas College and Balfour Beatty, JPMorgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

My grandmother and my mother left me more than a profession. They passed down a heritage of hard work and a legacy of cleaning that I am proud to carry forward. What started in homes has grown into a company that cleans offices, churches, retail stores, and construction sites, with the same personal care. Every space we clean honors what they taught me: dignity and care for the people we serve.