When I was only 13 years old, I succeeded in attaining a job at Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts, working the night shift from 7-10 p.m.! I loved my job of serving ice cream. And I loved the feeling that I was contributing to my family.
At the time my mother was recently divorced. We lived in Texas and I often saw her struggling to make ends meet. I was the oldest of her five children. The job at Baskin Robbins was entirely my idea and my doing. I loved working, and having earnings to share with my mother and siblings gave me great joy.
My first entrepreneurial venture, at 24, was a bakery, La Bella Cupcakes in Ft Worth. This was after a corporate job at AT&T and after becoming a single mother.
By 25, La Bella had grown to three bakeries and a food truck. I loved baking, and I loved being an entrepreneur even more. But several years into this endeavor, I realized that my cupcakes were not a path to making millions, so I began to question it
as a business.
We hit it off big time! He was also an entrepreneur, and we shared a love of working hard to get what we desired, and we never tired of talking about business. We were peas in a pod!
We dated for two years and then Charles propositioned me: “Close up your bakeries, move to Dallas, we’ll go into business together, and get married.”
He was proposing more than marriage and it was a lot to consider!
Giving up the bakeries was the easy part of the decision. I was ready to let cupcake making be a hobby.
Moving to Dallas sounded fun.
Getting married felt both tremendously exciting but also came with trepidation.
And as for going into business with the man who would become my husband… It was scary as $#@!
Despite everyone telling me it was all too much change at once, deep down I wanted to live an extraordinary life and I was willing to do whatever was required. So I took a leap of faith into a bold new chapter, and said yes to all of Charles’ proposals.
And because I can’t resist a really good challenge, I also took up competitive bodybuilding. (Yes, I got ripped!)
We put our heads down, slept on floors,
and persevered through tremendous heartaches – because we
had dreams.
Even more importantly, we lived a commitment we made at the altar; to hold one another accountable to excellence and personal growth, through hell and high water, even if it meant breaking who you were. Trust me; I broke many times!
It was all worth it.
Over those four years, each breakdown led to my expansion and more inner peace.
Our business experienced a 4,000% increase! We went from just me and my husband to almost 100 employees. We took our business from practically nothing in the bank to nearly 20 million in sales a year. Our clients became world-class companies such as AECOM, Turner, Balfour Beatty. And we won a billion-dollar bid backed by Berkshire Hathaway.
It was really, really fun and really, really hard, and definitely worth it.
For all the rewards that I created by taking the leap of faith that I did, there was a personal discovery I made along the way that I view as my greatest gain of all…
…the opportunities to me to be a mentor and a guide to others increased. Each time I was able to help someone, I felt my greatest joy- the joy of giving. Surprisingly it was the same joy I’d known as a 13 year-old girl scooping ice cream to help my family. But as a grown woman, I could now see it was my deepest purpose. It seems I’ve come full cirle.
Today, I’m a woman serving from my head and heart, working to make a difference, working to save someone heartache, and working to help someone take a leap of faith into the next bold chapter of their life.
I’m grateful to my thirteen-year-old self for being bold enough to begin my life’s journey by serving 31 flavors of ice cream.
Elisha Covey is the co-founder of an eight-figure business portfolio including a company she scaled 4000% in less than 5 years. She is also an advocate for entrepreneurship.
One of her construction firms has worked with the most recognizable companies in the space, including AECOM, Turner, and Balfour Beatty, and recently won the bid for work on a billion-dollar mixed-use development backed by Berkshire Hathaway.
At 20 years old, she was earning a six-figure income by being in the top 5% nationwide for AT&T Advertising and Publishing. She honed her ability to connect and build trust with her clients so that she could help guide them to achieve their business goals.
After helping so many others realize their dreams, she was able to identify her true calling: to become an entrepreneur. By the age of 25, she went into business for herself, founding and owning a multi-unit bakery brand, which is where she developed and mastered system process and procedure creation and implementation.
She brings keen insight and an ability to create and institute systems and procedures. Her talents have been featured in respected media outlets and are sought after by even the most experienced entrepreneurs.
As a trusted advisor and consultant, she can help any aspiring or scaling entrepreneur break free of limiting beliefs to accelerate their business, create financial freedom, and attain their dreams.
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