1 On 1 Call with Carthy Bernard

The rest of My Story

My First Business Involved Selling Aluminium.

How? You may wonder. Well, it was due to a major disaster that occurred in my life: our family home burned down because of a candle. We had a power outage that night. It is not uncommon to use candles or lamps as a substitute.  Unfortunately for us that night, a candle was left unattended in a close room and poof… fire. All of us quickly ran outside barefoot when we finally understood the gravity of the situation. It was around 9:00 pm.

I watched the whole house go up in flames;  the place where I’d lived all my childhood. From my neighbor’s balcony, the flames seemed far away, and yet the ashes they left behind were inescapable. The firefighters showed up to help, but they brought no water. I was homeless, a fact that I didn’t fully grasp until I was an adult. 

As if watching all our memories burn up wasn’t enough, we also lost our main source of income when that house burned down. My parents had run an auto parts shop on the main floor of the house, and because at the time there was no such thing as homeowners’ insurance in Haiti, we were without options.

All I could do was shovel through the rubble and hope to come upon enough aluminum  (from melted car parts) to pay for a meal for myself and my family. This was a dark time, and its lessons have stuck to me.

I lived in Haiti until I was sixteen, then we moved to another island in the Caribbean called Turks and Caicos. Where I spent the last of my teenage years. As beautiful as the beaches in Haiti and Turks and Caicos were (and are!), I was searching for something else, some solid foundation to build my life on, opportunities that seemed out of reach as long as I stayed in the Caribbean.

I opened my 2nd business in Turks and Caicos, and I bet you wouldn’t guess what it was! A barbershop! After many hours of practice cutting my younger brother’s hair, I knew I was ready to advertise and attract clients. I practiced on doing different haircuts. 

I will never forget the look on those men’s faces when they realize I was their barber… (maybe they thought I was too young or maybe because I was a girl). Yet, many of them were repeated customers. 

In 2010, I moved to Canada. I went to school, studied business and finance. After graduation, I became a junior accountant. My boss – who also used to be my teacher at the time – promoted me as property manager.

After two and a half years on this job, solving problems and overcoming hurdles, I was more confident in my entrepreneurial dreams than ever. I quit my job in 2012, handing in my letter of resignation. That day, I committed to making it on my own and started my own journey.

For the last six years, I have honed my skills as a businesswoman, but in 2018 I reinvented myself drastically, seeking out all the business knowledge and skills that I could find, purchasing online courses from the top global marketing pros, soaking up hundreds of hours of video training, and reading 3 books a month.

Becoming a mom made me realize the heavy responsibility I have toward my child. Deep down, I knew it was time to stop being complacent and to take charge of my life. 

My passion is to guide entrepreneurs and small business owners in their journey to financial freedom. I have seen firsthand what a difference a business with the right systems can make in someone’s life. I can speak by experience with my own cleaning company. 

I want to help others to adopt this passion for themselves. To that end, I have launched “Systemize Your Business”, serving cleaning company owners to grow their businesses by teaching how to employ predictable systems to get clients consistently.

Starting a business – especially when you lack the cash flow that you need to thrive – can get discouraging, but if you persist and follow the advice those who’ve succeeded have to offer you, you can position yourself to succeed. Greatness is possible if only you are willing to work hard and be willing to learn.

After everything I have overcome, I know – you can do this! I want to guide you from point A to point B and show you just how tremendous your potentials are. Finally, you can achieve those initial goals you had set when you started your business. Be relentless!