Stratus Miami Unit Franchisee Making Moves Inspire Local Youth

Steven Pierre
hadn’t considered owning his own business until a few years ago. He says that
entrepreneurship isn’t an opportunity often discussed in his hometown of Opa
Locka, Florida, just outside of Miami.

“If you come from where I come from,” he says, “a lot
of kids grow up thinking their only path to success is either through sports,
entertainment, or in some cases, through illegal means. The idea of making it
is about outshining the next guy.

“But it doesn’t have to be like
that.”

That’s a lesson Pierre hopes to prove to younger
members of his community as a recent addition to the Stratus Building
Solutions franchise system. He purchased a franchise unit with the commercial
cleaning and janitorial brand last year, opening in November with plans to
grow his business portfolio.

And it all started with a
conversation.

Pierre once met an older man cleaning the building at
his former job and learned that whatever preconceived ideas he held about
that man’s job were mistaken.

“Here I am feeling sorry for this guy, but I find out
he’s doing really well,” Pierre says. “He broke it down to me, that he’s
actually a franchisee himself. He’s a business owner. So I thought about what
he told me, started doing more research, and eventually got in touch with
Stratus.”

Following his conversation with that man, Pierre’s
focused his research on identifying not only the kind of business model he
wanted but the kind of people he wanted to work
with. 

“Most places just want to get your investment, train
you, and then you’re on your own,” he says. “After doing my due diligence
with a number of cleaning franchises, I knew after my first meeting that
Stratus Miami was perfect for me. Their ability to break down and simplify
every aspect of the business and eliminate any surprises was great. Plus,
their willingness to focus on my own personal interest instead of solely
their own is what really stood out to me.”

Of course, the financial aspect of buying into a
franchise is a major consideration. But after years of consideration, Pierre
had dedicated his time and energy to make his vision a
reality.

Working in a hospital at the start of 2020, he claimed
as many overtime hours as possible. 16-hour days and 80-hour weeks were
constant. Eventually, Pierre saved enough money to purchase a franchise and
make a major investment in his future.

“It was a hard year for me,” he said. “Where I’m from,
it’s difficult to save that amount of money. You want to buy things that you
need right away. It takes discipline not to think about ‘right now.’
Investing that same amount of money and energy into your future can really
change things.”

And that may be Pierre’s biggest lesson to share —
especially to youth in his community.

“That’s one of my goals — being a mentor or an
inspiration for young black and brown kids,” he says.

Though currently running his Stratus Miami Unit
Franchise operation alone, Pierre says one of his main ambitions is to
not only provide useful employment opportunities for members of his neighborhood
but to show them a blueprint of what’s possible with the kind of work he put
in.

“Everyone sees the glitz and glamour of South Beach
when they think of Miami, but everyday people are out here trying to make
it,” he says. “I love the grind and the hustle of where I’m from, and I hope
my work shows that. You don’t have to grow up with a silver spoon to start
your own business. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel in order to become
successful. I want to be able to show these kids that even the simplest ideas
can change your life for the better.”