Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Cardoza.
Melissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Melissa. I am 27, a wife, a mommy to two amazing boys and a puppy, and a business owner. I started in banking when I was 19 years old at a small boutique bank in Coconut Grove. I was able to work alongside some of the brightest and most business-savvy people I know and was able to learn so much during the years that I worked there.
In 2017, I transitioned over to work for a virtual assistance company owned by a husband-and-wife duo and was able to continue learning everything I could about business, work ethic, and so much more. By 2020, I had become the COO of their company, and pregnant with my second son. In September of 2020, I was 8 months pregnant, purchasing my first home, and was told that the owners were going to close the company I was working for in order to pursue a career path elsewhere and asked me if I’d like to open my own company and transfer the clients over to me. So many emotions, good and bad, went through my mind at that point: I was due to give birth in the first week of November and take a maternity leave, I was only 24, I don’t know anything about owning a business… I spoke to my husband and decided of course that I would take my shot at owning a business, and if I failed, I would just have to go back to banking.
On October 1 of 2020, I opened my company, The Luxe Assistant Co., and a letter was sent to the current clients to let them know of the change. As expected, as some of the clients had a 10+ year-long relationship with the previous owner, a few clients left over the next 2 months.
I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy on November 2nd, with my laptop in my hospital bed with me, and my one employee working as hard as she could to keep everything rolling.
With the clients that left, the salary of my amazing employee that I did not want to let go, payments for systems we use, and more, I was left with almost nothing at the end of the month and wondered if I had made the right decision, but right then and there, I decided to call up the few clients that I did have remaining, talk to them about what they liked and disliked, and what I could do to make sure they were happy with our services. From there, me and my COO Gaby, along with my 2-month-old who was home with me at the time, did everything that we could to ensure that all of our current clients were receiving service above and beyond what they could have ever expected, and by February of 2021, with only referrals sent over by current clients, we had gained enough new clients to be able to sustain our current company and hire a new employee.
Owning The Luxe Assistant Co. has been a journey, but it is an opportunity that I am absolutely so grateful for, and a journey that has given me an abundance in knowledge over the last two years. We are now one of the largest Miami-based virtual assistance company with team members located in Miami and LA and over 40 clients all over the United States and Central America.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This journey has been anything but smooth. Learning how to run an operate a business, managing employees in a healthy, impactful, and positive way, learning the ins and outs of finances, operations, organization. There were so many things that I had to learn, or REALLY sharpen my skills on to ensure that my company could grow and flourish.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Luxe Assistant Co. is a Miami-based virtual assistance company providing remote personal assistance and business administration services.
We manage the lives and businesses of individuals, families, and companies across every industry from artists, art galleries, and art brokers, to professional baseball players, lawyers, doctors, real estate investors, construction companies, vehicle customization companies, dog walking companies, life, business, and fitness coaches, chefs and restaurants, real estate agents, real estate brokerages, property management companies, florists, retail stores and more.
Anything that can be handled remotely and that is operational (with the exception of digital marketing/content creation), we can handle. We pay your bills, create budgets, make sure all renewals (vehicle registrations, boat registration, fishing permits, licenses, and more) are all up to date, do bookkeeping and taxes, manage dropshipping and inventory for retail stores, provide customer service for companies such as answering their emails, assist with rental properties and so much more. No task is too big or too small, and if it is something we truly cannot complete for you, we will find the best person to do so and manage the entire process.
I am most proud of the difference we make in the lives of the individuals and business that we work with. I have an absolutely amazing team who are organized, almost unbelievable efficient, and go-getters, and we strive to give the BEST service to every single client we work with.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most is providing peace and fulfillment to those who work with me and for me. It’s a given that we strive to do everything we can to relieve stress and take care of our clients day in and day out, but I strive to do the same for my employees so that those that I am surrounded with, whether it be friends, clients, or employees, can live a healthy, happy, and abundant life and know they are also making a difference in the lives of others.
Pricing:
- Average Business Admin Client Pays Between $1275-$1700 Monthly
- Average Personal Assistance Client Pays Between $2000-$2500 Monthly
Contact Info:
- Website: www.luxeassistant.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/luxeassistant.co
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-luxe-assistant-miami
