A Maid’s Tale: Capitalism 101

Years ago I heard this story and it has stuck with me ever since. I can’t verify the validity of the following but it was relayed to me by a credible source with intimate knowledge of the situation. It is a testament to the power of Capitalism and the willingness to work toward your goals. It is inspiring and poignant and should encourage everyone to build on what they know and can do rather than to focus on what they don’t have right now.
A wealthy couple bought an expensive home to start their family but they both worked and needed help with cleaning and laundry. They placed an ad in the local newspaper for a housekeeper to come in once a week and clean and do the laundry. A young woman answered the ad and the couple liked her and decided to give her the job. She turned out to be reliable and worked so well she was asked to come twice a week after the first child had been born. As time went on, the family grew and the young housekeeper kept working for the family. She was loyally there twice a week and whenever the family needed her.
After fifteen years, the family decided to move to a new home so they put their home on the market. The list price was $375,000.00 and within a few days they received a cash offer. They did not get the name of the person making the offer, just the realtor representing the buyer. They accepted the offer and were set to close a month later.
The young housekeeper continued to work for the family during the moving process. She helped them pack and clean as they prepared to relocate to the new home. The young housekeeper even helped to prepare the new home for the move. She also agreed to continue as their housekeeper in their new house.
The day of the closing came and the couple sat at the desk waiting on the arrival of the buyer. They were extremely surprised to see their young housekeeper walk in with her realtor to finalize the purchase of the house. They wondered how she could afford to buy the house for cash until she told them what she had been doing the last fifteen years.
You see, this couple was only one house she was cleaning. After she was hired by the couple, she went around the neighborhood to ask if anyone else wanted her services. She used the offer the couple gave her to set the price which was accepted by several residents. After a few years, she was able to incorporate into her own maid service. During the following years she added new clients and new employees to service those accounts. She also continued to live in her small, low cost apartment as she built her business. She used the negotiated price with the couple to set her prices. Because she had a competitive price and a reputation for great work, her business exploded as she never imagined.
The housekeeper worked with accountants and lawyers to set up her company, so she would be compliant with tax laws and regulations. As her business grew, so did her income from the profits, most of which she reinvested in the company to expand. Before long, she was one of the largest cleaning services in the region with both commercial and residential clients. She was still living in her small apartment when she overheard the couple talking about building a house and she decided she wanted the home she had so lovingly cleaned for more than twelve years. She began to put all her extra income into a savings account to purchase the house. She had already saved a great amount but had been spending money on other improvements such as better car and clothes, but she knew she wanted this house.
Although she had the credit score and income to get a mortgage, she wanted to be able to make a cash offer, knowing it would be more secure to get the offer accepted. Once the house was on the market, she contacted a realtor and made the offer for the entire asking price. She was excited when the offer was accepted and had a very hard time containing the excitement from the family as she helped them pack and move. When she finally came into the closing, she told them she fell in love with the house the first day she cleaned for them and dreamed of making it her own someday. She even thought about building a house like it until she found out they were going to sell it.
Now, before the Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) chime in about how the housekeeper was able to build a business and buy the home because she is white or already rich, the housekeeper came to the United States from Central America during the revolution there after her family was slaughtered and she escaped with help from friends. She spent a few days on a journey to her country’s Capitol to find the US embassy. Once there, she filed for asylum and was surprised to be granted asylum when, at seventeen, she wasn’t of age and had no guardian. She had to stay at the embassy for four months until her eighteenth birthday before she could leave for the US.
Once in the US, she had only about $1,000.00 to get an apartment so she took the lowest rent apartment she could find at about $200.00 a month. She soon found employment with a meat packing plant and worked there for about a year. During that year, she discovered two things. She hated the meat packing industry due to cold temperatures and the bad smell. She also discovered that she was able to learn English better. Although she knew some English, she was taking free classes to get better and was excelling. A friend suggested that she try hotel housekeeping and she applied and accepted the position. She soon learned she was not only good at it, she loved it and enjoyed her job. When she was twenty-one, she saw the ad for a housekeeper and decided it was time to take her passion to the next level.
She grew from one person working as many homes as she could to incorporating a company and hiring new people that she trained and soon had a thriving business. Within the fifteen years, she grew the business to the point she could have stopped cleaning and just focus on the business operations. She instead chose to continue working with some of her first customers which included the couple whose house she would buy. She went from a net worth of around a few hundred dollars to almost a million in fifteen years with a company that was worth a few million and growing. When asked if she ever thought of returning to her home country, she simply stated that while she had love for her people, she is an American and she would have never had the opportunity to become a business owner there. The lesson here is that you can become successful if you work at something you know people need and supply that need with quality and trust.
I am reminded of a saying, if you are unwilling to do a job that is beneath you, you are unqualified to do a job that is above you.