Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Debra Gaines. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Debra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My brother was killed in 2017 by a drunk driver. Every year since I get really emotional around his birthday and death anniversary, I would take off from work for a few days. The insurance company that I was working for had a massive layoff. Because of covid a lot of people weren’t driving and were looking to downgrade their plan or cancel it. I happened to be one of the ones that got laid off. I teased because when I got the call that I was fired it was a Friday and I was off work. If you know the movie Friday. I didn’t get fired for stealing tho. I had already been stressing myself because I didn’t want to work for anyone anymore. I started this Fullstack Developer Bootcamp through the Workforce. It was a butt kicker! While struggling in the Bootcamp a guy friend suggested that I become a Notary. He explained he had a lady who came over and charged him a big price just to sign a few documents. He said he’d even pay for it if I wanted to do it. I didn’t allow him to pay for it but I did look into it and I started my notary journal as Easy Notaries.

While in that boot camp, I became friendly with a lady who lived in another state. She and I worked together a few times on homework. She was running a T-shirt business. We were in a conversation and I was telling her how I am always told that I am OCD. I used to rearrange my furniture often, especially in my bedroom. I told her how instead of constantly rearranging my furniture and putting so much wear and tear on things, I just change the colors in my room every 2 months but it’s not always easy to find the color and scent I wanted in a candle. She suggested that I start making them myself. I looked at a few YouTube videos and that is how D’Creative Candles came about.

When my brother was still walking this earth he and I talked about real estate and purchasing homes. We also talked about starting a cleaning service to help fund the expenses. I didn’t know he went and filed the paperwork to get the cleaning service started. I had already gotten a job offer at AT&T and was planning to move to Austin. We figured we could still continue it but we would have a chapter where he resided and one where I resided. We just never got to complete that task. One day a friend of mine and I were talking business.
I was telling her about a cleaning job that an associate we both have and I were to do. I was slightly frustrated with him. She was slightly frustrated in her business as well. By the end of the conversation, we had notes on what we wanted to do for the cleaning business. We came up with the name Enso Cleaning Services. Unfortunately, the partnership did not last. She was not able to continue on. After going from a partnership to a single-member LLC Enso Enterprise became the name.

One day I was visiting my mom and sister who lives in a different city. My sister and I were at Walmart when my mom called. She was upset and drained from dialysis. She asked if I could come pick her up. I was slightly confused because I knew the bus usually picked her up and took her home. She stated she had been waiting over an hour and thirty minutes for her ride. While on our way to pick up Mom she called me saying they were there. I advised that I was 9 minutes away at the time and that I could still pick her up or she could take the bus. It was up to her. She was ready to go so she took the bus, but a conversation with her later on made me understand there may be a need in that area. She said she sometimes has to wait a long period of time for her rides. I wonder how many other seniors were frustrated with the same issue. I started looking into it and that is how Gaines Royal Transport (GRT) came about.

While volunteering with the organization Black Women In Business (BWIB) food program over the Christmas Holidays. one of the sisters was bothered by one of the seniors living conditions She said one of the ladies handed the senior his food and she gave the senior his gift. He said we didn’t have to give him a gift a hug would have been just fine. She said she hugged him and he went back into the house. After walking away she turned back around and knocked on his door to give him a more meaningful hug. She had most of us tearing up as she was telling us her story At that moment I thought well, I already have a cleaning company. Why not dedicate a lane to catering to our senior population to make sure we are taking care of them? I started thinking about an elderly lady that I did a notary signing for. She had a few cats and she was 80% blind, Her place really needed some help. She said I made her feel comfortable. She told me she wanted me to come and help her get her house together. While providing rides to take seniors to their appointments. One of the women and I were talking while taking her home so of course, I told her I have a cleaning service. She said she wanted to get with me to get her house cleaned. While listening to the BWIB sisters’ story, I started thinking that this may be a service that is needed for our seniors. Which is why I am working Gaines Royal Transport (GRT) and Enso Enterprise together to take better care of our senior population.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think the fact that I am likable, friendly, and caring is what’s building a reputation for me. I’m also consistent with it. It’s said that you’re always selling yourself when it comes to business. People buy or order services from people they like and feel like they can trust. I have worked in customer service for over 20 years so I have that skill down packed. I’ll even ask people for Google reviews and tell them I would like their honest opinion. I want the good, bad, pretty, and the ugly, and I’ll playfully ask them to tell me the bad and ugly first so I can fix it to get a good review from them. Most people laugh, but that usually lets them know that I do care. Also, I work with an organization called Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI) which provides a lot of support to small business owners. On top of that, in building my reputation, I go to a few network events to try to put myself out there and to connect with other business owners. I’m more of an in-person person but I’m working on building my social media presence.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I care a lot for people, especially seniors. Working with a few nonprofit organizations allowed me to volunteer a lot of my time. It’s enjoyable to help others especially those who appreciate it. Most of my volunteer time went to an organization that operates a food program with no government funding and mostly catered to our seniors. I believed in the organization so much that I neglected my own business to help support it. I was a part of something bigger than me. I promoted this organization more than I promoted my own business. As much as I enjoyed the organization, and love to help people, I had to take a step back to focus more on my own businesses. This allows me to help our seniors in a different area. The lesson I had to learn was to stop neglecting my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://gainesroyaltransportgrt.mydurable.com
• Instagram: D’Creative Candles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dcreativecandles and https://www.facebook.com/EnsoEnterprise/
• Linkedin: Business Logic LLC and Enso Enterprise
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/easy-notaries-round-rock?osq=Easy+Notaries&override_cta=Get+pricing+%26+availability
• Other: Notaries https://sites.google.com/d/192iZyhlxFg-G7uj9qADKia55vLZXIhqH/p/1GHXZexooR33tN_VnmNk8R2tvujnLKYXp/edit Cleaning https://sites.google.com/view/ensocleaningservices/home?authuser=0

Image Credits
Eric Colman Photography The first picture is an entrepreneurial business journal I wrote. It’s on Amazon, Etsy, and TikTok. The second picture is me volunteering with Black Women In Business over the Christmas Holidays. The third picture is a professional picture by Eric Colman. The fourth picture was at a Black Women In Business Extravaganza. For the fifth picture, I was doing a walk-through when one of the people working under me took a picture. The sixth and seventh pictures were of me cleaning a building. The picture attached to this email was of my first vendor event.