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

SANDRA, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I started babysitting children at the age of 13 years old lol wherever you seen me, you would see someone elses child on my hip. I have always had a passion for youth. Therefore I began working in a daycare as a teacher assistant. I worked that for many years just learning and soaking up all the knowledge given to me. I ran from it due to the low pay and went to work other various jobs but continually returning to childcare. I met my husband at 19 years of age that pushed me and supported me to follow my love for children , his mother was a school teacher, and also a home daycare provider. funny I thought this man want me to be like his mother lol. We married , bought our first home in 1999 and that was the beginning of my future a home daycare. As I worked my daycare I went to school for my degree, fast forward a few years I stayed at capacity with a waiting list I literally outgrew my comfort zone. With my husband support , I hired a young girl, mentored and groomed her to run my home daycare so I can go out and run someone elses brick and mortor to prepare myself for my own. I did that for 4 years working someone else buisness from open to close, to come home and take over and close out my home buisness. It was hard work, I suffered many dissapointments, broken promises, but in 2016after almost 18 years it was finally my time so I found a brick and mortar that was currently a daycare. I was planning to let the current provider rent from me as I prepare for the journey ahead but she opted to get out of contract, I went forward but the building was not to my standards I gutted down to the studs and took a year to rebuild I opened in 2017. opened the doors to my very own brick and mortor and I sit here 7 years later still flourishing.

SANDRA, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sandra Harris known as chay to many. I am a wife of almost 25 years, we have 3 beautiful children and 3 grandchildren. I got into this Industry for having a love for our youth. I provide quality childcare in the state of Hammond Indiana for the last 7 years, before that I serviced Illinois for over 15 years. I provide care to a low income community to parents that are un able to pay the extremely high prices today for quality care, therefore my program deals with 100% subsidy at this time, allowing my parents to only have a responsibility of anywhere from a $1 to $160 either weekly or monthly. I feel like what set me apart from other facilities is that I run my facility like a family and not a buisness. yes the money is required to operate the love and passion that I have allows my parents and staff to know that I actually care and appreciate them because without my parents there is no work for my staff, without my staff my buisness can not operate with just me alone it requires us all to come together as a unit. I most proud of my facility being a vessell for my young female staff to have a open door and access to me when in need beyond this buisness. I am extremely boastful and joyed to have a parent contact me to say my high scool children remember you, want to see you, when my little graduates go off to kindergarten and are told that their children have came equipped with knowledge beyond the expectations expected, I CAN SAY THEY WENT TO LITTLE EINSTEIN ACADEMY! what I would like people to know about me is that im very humble, very appreciative of the gift god has granted me and i dont take it for granted this space and place he has allowed me to experience . I am not a owner that is not present i get up and show up everyday, I help mop & sweep floors, change diapers, answer phones, cook, mentor, pray for, and be a blessing in my buisness. when i enter my facility to see all the little faces light up and run to give mrs. harris a hug is priceless no money can buy that and im thankful for it

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

my resilience comes from my childhood. I grew up in a one parent household that was not the best environment and up bringing for a child. My mother did the best she could with my little sister and myself with the resources she had and parental skills she aquired from her mother. However me and my mother never saw eye to eye which caused my journey in life to take a different path that lead to me doing a lot of things that lead me to unruly places i wouldnt want my worst enemy to end up, however knowing that road would not get me anywhere in life but prison or a cemetary meeting my husband was a true GOD SEND and i acccredit him to changing my life, my ways. so back to your question, that life gave me the resilience to better my self and it showed me that there is a better way to live your life and be a productive citizen in your society. I was going down a slippery slope but I fought hard to be a better person and make a small difference to atleast one in my life.

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 had to unlearn that giving everyone every part of me was not a good buisness strategy. I allowed for many years employees and staff to always have access to me and my personal life. it was not until someone made a comment to me that they thought we were friends, and a couple employees felt entitlement to not have to follow rules, and could speak to me openly on the floor, that sometimes led to disrespect. it was then I realized oh no im sharing too much of my past and present life with ths person with the intentions of helping them through their struggles and journeys that they took that as me forming a friendship bond. I am not friends with any staff, I dont allow them access to my social media or my personal number, or my home. I was taken back by that and it was something that I never gave second thought too. my approach now has became limited, still open and accessible but on a different level

Contact Info:

• Website: leateach.com
• Instagram: @LittleEinsteinAcademy

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