From Banker to Multi-Million-Dollar Construction Business Owner with Gloria Marie Fuentes

it doesn't really matter.How close you are to the installation or the doing of construction?Construction is not easy.

It's not,and these days I do a lot of doing.I think one of the things that people underestimate,Mostly about females in the trades is again,because we look a certain type of way.And you just nailed it about your guy with the ponytail.I've got these bright red nails and I wear pearls sometimes.Yeah.And I always have my hair like in this perfect ponytail or what have you,that I just can't possibly know how to pick up a tool and use it.And the reality is,is I have an entire drywall crew and I'm the one who trains them.I used to be a part of a drywall crew.I know how to do drywall.Yep.But people wouldn't think that she knows how to tape and,float an entire wall.Cuz she's the owner of the company.Like,why would she know how to do that?But the reality is that.In the construction industry particularly,or just blue collar in general.People tend to make so many assumptions.Oh God.And I have learned through just the way that people treat me and the way that people make assumptions about me not to make assumptions about anybody.

That's right.Make no assumptions,baby check.Every single one of them.Assumptions you got Ms.Gloria,Marie.Fuentes is dead on with that thing.I hope you caught her energy the way I did,because the time we spent talking together,we went on and on and on and could have kept on going.And what I appreciated most about her energy is the depth of caring.For honoring and serving the men and women that do the work.You're going to hear it.There's some things that might seem a little.A little over the top,but I know back in the day when I was in the field and I know for sure now,because my knees creak and my back aches.That having a boss or supportive influence,like her in my life would have made a big impact.And not only is she like super caring And full of that type of energy that makes you want to be better.She's also got a nice streak of courage within her.She talks about a big career shift that she made not too long ago.And it was a type of career shift.That people in her life were like,what are you doing,girl?Like you wasting your potential.What?You crazy?Everything.Okay.Uh,I'm glad that you made the career shift,but you're going to have to listen to the conversation to to get them details.And I want to give a shout out to,this is not the first time I've shouted him out.He's a strong LnM Family supporter and very active in sharing his thoughts,which is,I,again,appreciate deeply.Uh,he participated in one of the monthly challenges that we have would be emotional bungee jumpers.And the challenge was to ask people around you.What makes them feel appreciated,which is a pretty heavy question.This was his takeaway.He says,honestly,I was not thinking,asking this question would be uncomfortable at first,in fact,I kept avoiding asking it until the last day of the challenge.I wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable for sure.None of the trade foremen were expecting anything like this from me.Umut I appreciate you participating in the challenges.And sharing your takeaways.And it excites me to see.You and the rest of us expanding our self-awareness through some really easy techniques and hanging out once a month and folks listeners out there.You are welcome to join.There's a link in the show notes.Of course.So hit that bad boy up.Do a little bit of research.If you want to have a call with me to get some details,there's a button there somewhere to schedule a call.And here we go to the rest of the conversation with Ms.GloJoy Gloria

What is going on?LnM.Family got a special guest that was referred to us by Ms.Plumer page.And so we're hanging out with Ms.Gloria Marita.How you doing,miss Gloria?

Hi.How's it going everybody?I'm doing pretty fantastic.How about you?

Oh,just having fun.Falling behind on things,starting things I don't need to be starting and trying to keep my head up above water.a habit I have.So Gloria,we connected through Ms.Plumber page.Page Knowles.And on Instagram,I think your handle's glow Joy.

Yeah,that's the name of my brand.I do have a personal page,which is the Gloria Marie,but I mostly these days hang out on my Glow Joy handle,which is the brand that I have created for my business.

Ah,Very cool.I love the direct connection to your business.How long ago did you realize that oh,this social media stuff is gonna be,or can be important to my business?

This was not my first business I had tried,I think,like many entrepreneurs who are visionaries,many other businesses prior and had one or two that were remotely successful many that were not.One of which did rely very heavily on social media one being a fitness brand and the other being know,I was a real estate agent,so I,I did rely very heavily on my social media marketing with listings,networking and things of that nature.I'm a millennial,I'm an elder millennial.I grew up without the internet and with the internet.And I know the power of the internet and had been using technology in my business long before it was even cool to do so.And everybody thought,oh,these crazy millennials,you know,and they're stupid apps.and here we are,the crazy millennials with our stupid apps,competing with people who've had businesses for20,30,40years.But when the pandemic hit,I realized that was all we had was so social media.So I quickly decided to re.Engage myself online.I don't think I'd ever really disappeared,but I did close all my original pages.Glow Joy was not a brand that I had owned or affiliated with.I was actually known as G Marie and Co.And I just used my personal page to just kind of brand myself.I was hesitant,like most old folks,cuz I'm part of the old folks now.I put on the oldies station,it's the nineties,you know,so I,I was resistant,but here I am on social media hanging out with20year olds that are into plumbing and all the things.So yeah it's a whole different world.What can I say?

Totally different world.My favorite part about it is it's boundless,right?It's so easy.To connect with people.And what I mean by that,regardless of people's stature maybe,or like place within their organization,it's almost as if.They turned that off on social media.Does that

make sense?Absolutely.I remember a world where,if you weren't a celebrity or you didn't go to a particular,where,listening to a construction podcast,so let's make it relevant,if you didn't go belong to a certain union,or go work for a particular company or,electricians versus plumbers like,what's,what's the better trade?The answer is they're both equally as important and they both make just as much money.Right.And

that,that's all,So elder millennial,which I love that term.You were in real

estate?Yeah,I was in real estate.That was one of the businesses I was not good at.So yeah,that was one of the businesses where,it had a component of construction.So if it ever did have a component of construction,I was always very good at those deals.But overall,I didn't really enjoy it once it was already built or already renovated.I actually didn't really care about the deal at that point,which is where we transitioned to construction.

Got it.Got it.Okay.And then also fitness.You start had a fitness business so that's an important part.Of your identity,I'm assuming part of your life still?Or did you just stop the fitness stuff?

No fitness and health has been a huge part of my life,my entire life.My grandmother passed away at a very young age.I am Afro Latina from the Caribbean.So I grew up on rice and beans and some sort of meat dish or fried something.And that was like our diet,and while my grandfather who lived,much longer,he lived until his eighties Wow.And recently passed away.He was very healthy.Super vegetarian was a taxi driver in New York,so I saw two kind of extremes,I saw a super healthy grandfather who sometimes only had potatoes and carrots and fish and he made sure that he walked every single morning and would always be talking about being on his fasts.I just saw different worlds and I saw different levels of health of people around me.And I chose one path,whereas other people chose another.I battled with my health,I think like most,Women and teens in the nineties.The eighties and nineties,those were like the Jane Fonda days and the little tiny waist with the spandex and like all the things.Every woman around me was obsessed with having a tiny waist and so of course I was obsessed with having a tiny waist,which led to eating disorders and all sorts of things that.We're just not healthy.And I think teens in general,in every generation battle with whatever body dysmorphia that was just my life in the nineties.And I took it upon myself.I think once I was a little bit older in my twenties,living in New York on my own,and just seeing a lot of successful people around me,waking up early,exercising,and all of these things.I had a couple corporate jobs here and there,and I would just always see all these people and just different habits that again,I was not used to,so I just started to pick up on some of these habits.Some were good,some weren't.Um,you know,really,and,uh,you know,The good habits have stuck.The bad habits luckily have pretty much all disappeared.And,uh,I do,I do believe in being ultra healthy,drinking a lot of water,exercising,and just getting good sleep.I think sleep is so underrated.

Gloria,a couple things.I laughed when you mentioned Jane Fondo because back then I had this workout tape and it was like a VHS tape by Jane Austin,and it was like at abs workout for your core.And man I would run through that thing like twice every night I was in,man,I was probably seventh,eighth grade,eighth or ninth grade.

Was it like your mom's tape or something?Yeah,it was my mom's.

It was my mom's.I sneak it like,I gotta work out,where's my tape?Like,oh,I'm sorry.You know,I had to like sneak it,And I'm gonna tell you I had me a six pack back then,but I believe it,right?Like it was,it was,it was,I was young first of all I think.And,and the time that I had,however,and this leads to the second point,right?Of the sleep.Up until maybe this year,I've always had routines and I was always prepared to sacrifice anything to do the other things,whatever those goals were,whatever those goals were.Mm-hmm.And the first thing I sacrificed is sleep.

Of course.

Yeah,I'm just gonna get up at three tomorrow to get that thing knocked out,or I'm just gonna stay up until I finish this thing,whatever time that is.And.I'm currently training for a triathlon for a little small one.And my body's letting me know that I ain't the Jane Austin age anymore,so I don't recover like I used to.So when I'm putting a heavier load on me,I need to sleep more.So I finally,and I'm probably three weeks into it,I have a sleep routine that I designed to facilitate good,deep,meaningful sleep.And even as I'm saying it,it feels this is the first time I ever told anybody,another world's gonna know.It feels kinda weird,but,think about morning routine.You post something on the socials about a morning routine and it blows up,right?Everybody wants to know what's your learning routine.And what's your workout routine?But there's not a lot out there around sleep.And like you said,it was,it's so underrated,but so huge.So huge.

Kudos to you,number one,because I think one of the greatest ways to.Learn all these things is to train for something like a triathlon.I myself did like some tough utters.Nice.And also did some natural body building and other competitive sports where I learned a lot about my body nutrition and this sleep,which it wasn't until I did the natural body building that I learned about.Sleep and how important sleep and recovery was to my muscle building.I would lift lift,and then not see any results.And then find out that all I needed was a nap and course and the next day I could,go and do it again.Or maybe my body needed a massage or Yeah.I needed to go sit in a sauna.So I tell the trades in the field now,and where wear your knee pads.I know it's not cool and when you start feeling your back and your neck and your shoulders when,they're carrying your kids,or,a bag over your shoulder or something to that effect.You will remember this lady with the pineapple on her head,talking about knee pads and how you should have worn your knee pads for the four hours of tiling that you just did.

Yeah,there's a lot you've seen it,you've been around it.The work is not designed for the human body,like it deteriorates the men and women that are out there doing that really quickly,like just the work itself.Forget about the under-appreciation for mental wellness and sleep and diet and there's it's almost.And I love it.

Diet especially,

right?The broach coach comes by and there ain't nothing but like super delicious,greasy burritos,burgers,fried everything.But it's like this compounding environment that'll tear you apart.Mentally,physically and so yeah,folks out there LnM,Family you don't be too proud.Take care of yourself.Wear the damn knee pads,wear the back brace,actually get some help,get a cushion.We were doing some improvement work.Me and a buddy of mine,Sean Morran here in San Antonio,and it was simple thing.Watch an electrician we're studying his work and it sucked,right?He was bent over and twisted and doing all whatever he had to do.And so we found this cushion.It's like insulation.It's like a shoot of insulation.It was about a half inch thick,kinda like armaflex but a blanket of it.And so we fashioned that on a little board that he had that he was using to step up and climb.He used it for all kind of things.Climb over and lean on.Just put the cushion on it.Hey man,Ruben,try this out.And he's you bunch of sissies.And I'm like no,just try it.Just try it.And he turned and he was like,Hey,this is pretty good.And again,it's just the simple little thing.But I think in the trades we get in this rather,I'll say it this way,when I was in the trades,I would make fun of people for doing stuff like that.And then when I did it,it was the first thing I was most worried about.Was being made fun of.What are the guys gonna say?What are they gonna,and so there's this social element that reinforces torturing oneself.It's a little interesting.But we don't have to be that way.Let's take care of ourselves,let's take care of each other,that's what we're here for.

When you're a teenager,not to knock on any teenagers listening to this podcast today,because I was one of these dumb teenagers once upon a time.And you don't wanna wear your knee pads and your,elbow shin or your helmet to go skateboarding or rollerblading or biking or whatever.And I used to be pretty hardcore as a kid,I grew up on an island.We had three or four TV channels.It was just better to be outside.And so I didn't wanna wear my helmet.It wasn't cool to wear your helmet,it wasn't cool to have elbow pads and shin pads and whatever.Even though we were living in Aruba and dealing with like straight up rock,if you fell like you fell on straight up rock.It's the same thing.It's just not cool.And because the older guys in the trades,and not to knock on anybody,that's one of the older guys in the trades listening to this podcast,but in general,the kids,they look up to you.So if you're not doing it,they're not gonna do it either.

So Aruba,you came to the States and I think you're East Coast,is

that correct?Yeah,I live in the East Coast.However,I'm a Texas girl.I graduated from the Woodlands High School.I went to Baylor University.My dad was in oil and gas,which is why I grew up overseas.We were like expats for companies in Houston,Texas.Back in the Caribbean,we call this the mainland.So we moved to the mainland in2001.It was the year of nine11.I did go to the Woodlands High School,a suburb north of Houston,Texas.I've been in between Texas and New York actually most of my life.I was living in Texas when I started this construction business,so,you know,I just happened to be in New York now again.

Amazing and so now you're in New York,you have.Your brand Glow Joy,which is connected to your construction business.Tell us about your construction business please.

My construction business started really as a part-time hobby.I was living in Texas at the time to have a surgery actually in2017.I was familiar with the Texas Medical Center and my recovery was gonna be nine months to a year.So the cost of.Living as well as just the Texas Medical Center.It's just one of the top tier,people travel from all over the world.So I did my research and the recovery team that I was gonna get to work with was also one of the top tier,working with some of the top athletes from the ncaa right there in Texas,UT basketball players.Yeah.University Houston Rice,like all the stuff.And I was like if they're good enough for them,they're good enough for me.I'm just some like old lady.That's like having hip surgery here.So older

millennial.

So anyway,I go have this surgery and as somebody who.Cannot sit still.I was on leave from work but still working remotely.And the company I was working for at the time was a bank out of London,but in New York,they had an office in Houston.So they let me work outta the office remotely.And I was still bored.I was very far away from my team.So having had been homeschooled as a high schooler I knew that like my parents did I needed something else to fill that void.I started to study,I got my real estate license in Texas because I already had it in New York,and I started to work with investors.Then I started to,invest and start fixing and flipping.And one thing led to another.I learned that most of the contractors there,once they realized that the investors weren't even in Texas,thought they could just get away with stuff.And so I also quickly realized that there was like a need for,a protection almost for these investors and this investor money.And so that's where the owner rep business kind of started,where I became a liaison between.My investor,clients and contractors,local contractors or local tradesmen or tradespeople.And,just started this consulting service where I just made sure that the projects got done and communication was not lost in translation and just distance,right?,again,it started not like a hobby,but like a side hustle,if you will.Then I very quickly realized that I could make a lot of money.Just doing this and I started to focus more attention on this then took a risk and quit my fancy six figure banking job and told them that I was not coming back from my leave.So I stayed in Texas and Some deals worked out.A handful of them did not.I learned a lot from those deals,just working with different contractors and different trades.I'd always been in and around construction sites my parents and grandparents worked on the supply side of the business.So we're always in and out of construction sites doing estimates and around other trades and having to wait for other trades or.Materials or equipment or whatever.And then,my uncle was a builder.He was a custom home builder.And we'd been around houses that he built.And this is for people who have kids and they're in the trades.The kids pay attention to everything.And I learned a lot by just being a fly on the wall and holding a.Box of screws.

Yeah,I do know.Cause there's a proper way to hold things.Like my dad would let me know.He would remind me.

So yeah,I know that I took like a long route to construction,but I grew up around this just blue collar world.My dad had this old blue pickup truck.He worked at the oil refinery.He had this like jumpsuit.So did my grandpa,my uncles,and then they all did the installs for the blinds and the window business,on the side on weekends at night.My grandma went out and did estimates.She had a little store.Like you grow up around this and you also just grow up listening to them,talk about all the sacrifices they make,send you to private school and to put a steak on your table and to go to Blockbuster every Friday.Yes.

Okay,so I love this and you've nailed it a little while ago.The only reason the podcast exists or maybe the purpose is to enhance the image of careers in the trades,right?Part of that is helping people understand how diverse and gigantic people's lives are outside of the job that they do.Totally.And you are a perfect demonstration of that.My buddy Fernando Cortina,he's a sheet metal mechanic.He was the model for the podcast.And I don't mean top shirtless model,like model in terms of persona because he's an amazing dude.When I look at him,I see slick back hair and a ponytail beard.The locs,right?The low rider glasses big burly guy.And so it's very easy to think,oh,dumb construction worker.But you get to know him and you find out that he's adopted his.Child's kids and another family member's kids because of situations they were in.So he sacrificed to go ahead and help raise another generation of people.He's part of an organization that does fan drives and toy drives for an underserved population here in San Antonio.And he does it with a huge heart.It started,I remember I was at like some of the early ones,it's like50bikes now.They have hundreds of bikes every Christmas to give out to kids,assembling them and the whole thing.But nobody would know that.Like it's very easy to dismiss'em.At first glance,of course,like your description of your path is again beautiful.And so what I think what people are gonna say,wait a minute.You were in finance six figure job and you came to construction because it doesn't really matter.How close you are to the installation or the doing of construction?Construction is not easy.

It's not,and these days I do a lot of doing.I think one of the things that people underestimate,Mostly about females in the trades is again,because we look a certain type of way.And you just nailed it about your guy with the ponytail.I've got these bright red nails and I wear pearls sometimes.Yeah.And I always have my hair like in this perfect ponytail or what have you,that I just can't possibly know how to pick up a tool and use it.And the reality is if people listen to other podcasts that I've been on,I've been on a drywall only podcast.I have an entire drywall crew and I'm the one who trains them.I used to be a part of a drywall crew.I know how to do drywall.Yep.But people wouldn't think that she knows how to tape and,float an entire wall.Cuz she's the owner of the company.Like,why would she know how to do that?But the reality is that.In the construction industry particularly,or just blue collar in general.People tend to make so many assumptions.Oh God.And I have learned through just the way that people treat me and the way that people make assumptions about me not to make assumptions about anybody.So I don't know who's walking in the door when,or whose door I'm walking through when I'm going on a job site,and I just treat everybody the exact same way.Because the guy who's in some dingy cowboy boots and overalls could own the entire estate that we're standing on.That's96acres large,right?Yes.And we can't just make an assumption that because he just came from the field from milking his cows and jumped off his tractor,that he's not,The owner of the estate.Totally.And this happens a lot in Texas,right?And so I use that as an example because people also assume,here's this big city girl,what does she know about a ranch?Life and a tractor and cowboy boots.And I'll tell you,I still got my Stetson and I still got my aats.And AAT is actually my construction boot of choice.Yes.Because AAT makes such good cowboy boots.And this is,I'm not sponsored by Aria,but y'all,if you wanna sponsor me,like I,you know,no shame.Like I'll take the sponsorship,take it,I'm here for you guys.Texas girl at heart right here.But no,seriously,I wear the aria boots because I know they make good cowboy boots.So when I couldn't find good construction boots for women because that is a struggle for women.Yes.And I found out that they made.Composite toe and work boots.I was like,bring on the Arya boots

and the designs that they have,they got some really good looking and you touched on the choices in terms of construction attire designed for women.And I've noticed recently on LinkedIn,cuz that's where I spend most of my time in terms of social media.There seems to be more and more maybe not fast enough,but more and more folks investing in the women's apparel for construction.A friend of mine has iron Elk.Specialize in safety gear,and they have a line of options for female work attire,female p p e,which duh.Like it's safety and yeah.I'm a little embarrassed to say,but it's what it is.Like it never occurred to me that a safety vest is not designed to fit a woman's body the total blindness.I was having a conversation with someone and she's It's like a T-shirt.Jess,you ever both put on a woman's shirt before?I was like,yeah,I have.I'll tell that story on the fans only page.And it fits difference.That's the thing.Like for us it's confining and it's tingling or it has to be super big or the size sizes just aren't available.And so I say all that to one props to construction and the folks out there for making those transitions.But at the same time,don't go pat yourself on the back cuz we got so much room to cover in order to provide like a welcoming experience for women into construction.And this is the space you're in now.What were your earliest career aspirations?

Oh,I got to leave you hanging.I cannot help it come back for the next one in a week.You're going to get to hear her response to the question and learn a lot more about Ms.Gloria.And while you're waiting,or maybe after you share this episode with someone.Check out the blog at.At depth,builder.com.I and the blog thing is like at the top,there's a button.Uh,anyhow,what I'm doing is I'm serving up some extra gravy.For each.Of the stories in my first second book.Uh,and what that means is.You got to get a little bit of behind the scenes,some thought provoking.Ideas and some teasers about each of those stories.And I plan to continue doing that.There's20stories.So that means I've got20weeks.Of work or rather18weeks of work ahead of me.Uh,to,to keep putting that stuff out there.The book comes out June23rd.The audio book is done.The editing I'm fixing to edit.Uh,uploaded into the,you know,into the Omni verse so that we can schedule that out and people can get access to it.Grateful to y'all.Thank you for listening.Be cool.And we'll talk at you next time.Peace Oh my goodness.You're either driving down the road or just so enthralled with,uh,with this whole podcast that you went all the way down to the very,very,very,very end of it.And we appreciate you and just,we're going to take this as an indication of your dedication so we got a little special request of you,a call to action,because everybody tells us that like,you need to have a call to action.So here's the call to action.Be kind to yourself,go out there and share a smile with someone