We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sonali Patil a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sonali thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Anyone can be successful just believe in yourself!

I navigate my life’s journey with a few basic set of values:
-Set goals, small ones to start with.
-Avoid thinking of failure when starting out, set yourself up to succeed.
-Work with honesty, ethics and a set of core values.
-Do not be hard on yourself, enjoy the small victories and take time to celebrate.
-Give it time. In a job, give it at least one year. If a business give it five years.
-Build a network, stay connected with mentors and colleagues. It is a small world, you never know when you may encounter them again.
-If doing business with a partner, find someone who has the same ideals and values.
Yes it takes hard work and dedication, but when it is something one enjoys doing, then the journey is easier and even fun!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With a Masters Degree under my belt, I moved to Houston from my native country, India in the early 90s. I had a desire to further my education and started graduate school at The University of Houston. In 2000, I graduated with a PhD in Developmental and Molecular Biology. I took a short breather to spend time with my young children and husband, and chose to work as adjunct faculty part time at Community college, teaching evening courses. After two years I found my calling in cancer research, where I spent the next 12 years studying an experimental medicine for brain tumors. Somewhere along the way, I began practicing yoga with a teacher. I really loved the experience and became a certified yoga instructor. I have conducted group classes in various settings for the past 16 years. I am grateful to be a part of something that brings peace and well being to those who practice with me. The pandemic introduced us to a Zoom video practice and honestly, it has worked quite well for us. The yoga group has flourished and everyone prefers to save time rather than driving to a studio or clubhouse. We will continue to practice on zoom as this seems to be working for all. The yoga sessions were a blessing during the days when almost everyone worked from home. It was convenient and a much needed outlet for stress release, stretching and maintaining a healthy balance of life. Through the past two years, my classes online have been free to all who wished to participate. This was my way of giving back to the community. There were times when I heard about how the yoga class was what kept someone going, it was something to look forward to in times that seemed very bleak. Being able to make that difference is a huge reward.
The other business that I co-founded in 2016 is, The Foundations Montessori, an early learning pre-school located in Aliana, Richmond Tx. I feel passionately about helping nurture and build the foundations of a future generation. Our teachings embrace the philosophy of Dr Maria Montessori. A hands on approach to guiding a child’s development with a holistic approach is what sets us apart. I have been able to incorporate yoga into the curriculum and it is sheer joy watching little ones participate wholeheartedly. Teaching children yoga was different from practicing with adults. Something new to learn and train doing. It has brought me tremendous joy, to watch children take to it and enjoy practicing. The Montessori school completed 5 years in 2021 and it has been a wonderful journey! Working with a team of dedicated and enthusiastic teachers who feel equally excited to be a part of a young child’s life is what makes it worth the effort.
A step by step approach has kept me motivated and challenged enough to find opportunities that allow me to give something back to the world around me. I am grateful for these, but they were not job offers that just fell into my lap. I chose each one with thought and approached it with the intention that it would be successful, never doubting in my own ability to make that happen. Failure was not an option.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In March 2020,the unthinkable happened when all businesses shut down due to the pandemic. For my yoga teaching, it was an easy transition switching to Zoom classes. For the Montessori school however, like most, we were caught in a dilemma of having to close down and furlough staff. It was the most difficult decision we had to make as owners. We remained closed for about a month and a half. Towards May 2020 a few parents who were frontline workers needed childcare. We decided to re-open with limited staff, it was a tough time, with many unknowns. As an owner I chose to be there in person on-site, so that the staff members did not feel like they faced the risk alone. Those were the times when we realized true loyalty and dedication to work. Slowly rebuilding a business that went from a full enrollment to zero, has been the biggest challenge we have faced. We have survived, using common sense, following strict safety measures, staying informed and keeping an open line of communication with our clients.
The key was team work, navigating a completely unknown territory and time. A business partner who helped navigate the financial aspects, a school Director who put in a lot of hard work and time, and a team who put their trust in us. My background in science and research helped us make informed decisions on Covid-19 protocols and how to handle queries from worried parents. Gaining their trust was important to us as they placed their most precious child or children in our care. This is where honesty, transparency and sticking to protocols has been critical to the survival of our school. Loss of staff has been a concern we did not face before, but lately has been a huge factor. We have had to get creative in hiring and retaining staff. This seems to be the case in almost all industries with each competing to gain employees. We are blessed to have many who have remained loyal and have been our support system.
We hope to remain resilient and continue moving forward, never looking back. As we say at our school, The Foundations Montessori, we are TFM strong!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

For the Montessori school, we have learned with time, that word of mouth has been the most effective strategy for growing our clientele. Parents discuss childcare options with their family, neighbors or friends. In our first year we offered referral incentives to clients who referred others to us. Open houses were another way we marketed. During the pandemic, our safety protocols and strict policies are what made our clients, the parents, most comfortable enrolling their children. A friendly staff, open to communication and willing to go the extra mile is important in childcare.
Marketing on social media platforms also helps, especially with keeping reviews fresh. Many clients do rely on reviews before making a decision. Social media content that is relevant, engaging and educational is important. Blogs that show a strong commitment and understanding of the business show knowledge about the industry and standards.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thefoundationsmontessori.com
• Instagram: thefoundationsmont
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foundationsmontessori
• Linkedin: Sonali Patil PhD