Today, we’d like to introduce you to Mariel Alper. Mariel was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Ana Powell.
Mariel, can you walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Mia: My first home improvement project was installing floors at my parents’ house when I was 12 or 13. My parents (especially my mom) played an integral role in allowing my siblings and I to try things out. When I was 19, my father tasked me with putting in a kitchen backsplash for my mom as he did not want to pay a contractor to do it and he knew that my brother were too busy and my sister was too young. After I did that project, I realized how much I enjoyed doing home improvement projects. When I first became a teacher, I quickly ran out of money paying my contractor to complete small upgrades to my parents’ rental property where I was living, so I started doing some of the work on my own and my contractor told me I should start my own business and get licensed. I apprenticed with him, and that’s exactly what I did. In 2016, I started my first business and rebranded to M&M properties in 2021. Mariel: In 2022, a friend had just bought a house and his basement flooded a few weeks later. Mia suggested that we fix it all ourselves and I jumped at the opportunity to be able to learn from her. I knew how lucky I was to have her to teach me, and I suggested that she start teaching home improvement classes for women who also want to learn to do things themselves. After a little bit of convincing, we decided to try it out!
Please tell us more about your brand, MM Properties Group
Mia: We provide home improvement services and try to make it accessible for everyone. We heard lots of horror stories, and try to do what we can to respect everyone’s budget and give them the best quality work. In addition to traditional contracting services, we offer the unique services of in-house training (DIY doctor) and group classes. With our DIY doctor service, we go to the client’s house and bring all the tools needed for a small-scale project and walk them through the process so that they can learn on the job. In our group classes, our primary goal is to empower women to be more confident whether they are doing projects themselves or hiring someone. We offer a range of classes from using power tools to completing drywall or tiling projects.
The Hyattsville Business Center has been a great friend to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about The Hyattsville Business Center and your experience with them.
Mariel: Finding a place to hold our classes was integral in our ability to continue to hold classes. We love that Ana’s space can be used for such a wide range of events. She invites us to make noise and mess during our classes, then we clean up and she’s ready to host a formal party that evening! Until we found this space, we were not certain it would be feasible to hold classes on a regular basis. She’s been so supportive of our small business, and the flexibility of the space makes it the perfect location for our classes.
Website: https://www.mmpropertiesgrp.com/
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