Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Mandel.
Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was raised in West Palm Beach and have never really ventured far. In middle and high school, I found a refuge in music. Out of college, I did a few years in the banking industry and quickly transitioned to a mom-and-pop building material company where I spent most of my career as a credit/financial services manager. During the early years, I started to get the entrepreneur bug. Utilizing the large network I had developed working in the construction industry and encouraged by my boss and mentor, Phil Meng, my side hustles were born, and I started to offer Notice to Owner Services and Custom Gift Baskets with my day job being my first customer for both. After about seventeen years, we were acquired by a global company, and I did my stint in the corporate world-traveling several days a week and doing homework over the phone and fax from my hotel room with my nephew and my passions were sidelined for a minute. Like many mid-life reinvention stories, I decided to leave the corporate world once our nephew, who had come to live with us when he was thirteen, graduated from high school. For years, he had gone to The School of Rock; and it had reignited my passion for music. So, when my friend and the owner of School of Rock of the Palm Beaches, Rick Rothschild, decided to open a second school, we talked at length and decided that my business experience and love for music and children made me a perfect fit as General Manager. It was a great five-plus years; I gained so many tools regarding a music-based business including equipment, sales, tours, bookings, as well as the financial aspect, and lastly it certainly had me polish my customer service skills. When you are dealing with families who are letting you handle their most prized possession, their children, you need to possess top-notch skills with empathy at the top of the list. Since my motto always was “be the person you needed someone to be at that stage in your life” it came easy and I left with another vast network of contacts and friends, many of whom I consider family.
Five years ago, I had some health issues. I decided to get healthy, and to do so, I needed more time and flexibility in my life. As a result, I took a risk that many in my circle cringed at. I quit my job. I’m a big dreamer and have always encouraged those around me that there is always a way to follow their dreams—you just need the roadmap. I truly believe there is a place where my life can be a Hallmark Christmas movie and I set out to make that happen with the support of my husband, Darren, and Harmony Management Group, Inc. began to blossom. It was a diverse and unique platform and has been growing every year since.
Being my own boss also allowed me to chase other interests. I opened my own networking group called Frazzled2Fabulous, became more involved in philanthropic activities, tried to do my part in expanding the local music scene and I returned to college in 2019 to earn a degree in accounting which enabled me to further expand my knowledge and our company’s service platform.
As for the improvement of my health, yes, I am in the best shape of my adult life in all areas. There are still a few things that need tweaking, but I am getting there. I am proud to say that I just returned in mid-November from the Komen 3-Day 60-mile walk in Dallas Texas. The Frazzled2Fabulous team raised money for a cause I believe in. Along the way, I met some amazing people and logged in an exponential number of steps. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
I am an advocate and support for those in the community who want to take the scary leap to pave the way to a new life while sprinkling it with glitter!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think any change comes without obstacles or challenges, but the design of my company allowed for many revenue streams, so my road was easier I think than many. My main obstacles were financial, the growth that goes along with transitioning to Boss Babe after being an employee for many years, and creating a business platform that did not exist.
When I left my job, like many who choose this path, I lost the security of a salary and medical benefits, and I had a boatload of financial responsibilities. Amazingly enough, I started the company on a $200 Target gift card given to me as a going-away present. I will be forever grateful to those families for believing in and supporting me. When I see a family, friend, or client in need, that day is always in my mind and reminds me to pay it forward with whatever help I can give.
When you suddenly start a business, you have not only your family obligations but every obligation of the business is on YOU. No one to pass the buck to…it all ends on your shoulders. I was lucky not to have many issues and more so just juggling a menagerie of tasks.
Because I’m a dreamer, I designed a business that didn’t exist by combining my list of all my strengths and passions. I knew it was a risk. Initially, I became an office manager/bookkeeper for many companies that didn’t need full-time employees. My friends always joke with me that my first client/task was opening a mountain of storage boxes full of several years of mail and sorting and filing the contents. And because I love cooking, I used that gift card from Target to take on the cooking for a friend who owned a snack bar while he searched for a cook. In addition, I decorated people’s homes for the holidays, catered parties, scheduled and handled the office for local musician Ben Childs, and the Killbillies, and anything else I could do to put the zen into other’s lives until other opportunities and potential clients arrived.
This year, as I began to face a few scaling challenges, I hired a life coach, Jen Madden Coaching. Jen was able to come in, knowing me from my corporate life, and help me tweak all facets of my life, clearing room for both business and personal growth. It’s only up from here, baby!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Harmony Management Group, Inc.?
Harmony Management Group, Inc. offers a diverse and unique range of services. While to the naked eye, it looks like a strange mix, I have put all the amazing puzzle parts of me together to form my dream job. Since I started the company, my tagline has been – Let Us Help Bring the Zen Back Into Your Life and it still rings true because in all honesty, that’s what I was searching for. While some of the services have changed with the times, our brand remains steadfast by offering the following diverse range of services: Bookkeeping/Accounting, Notice to Owners (a construction-related tool that facilitates collections by utilizing the Florida Lien Law), Notary Public State of Florida, Marketing, Fundraising & Event Planning, and of course, MY PASSION and creative element, Custom Gift Baskets which are made to your theme and price range. I am proud that I have relationships with all my clients and several I have helped from the ground up. I have a diverse both profit and non-profit client base. I am also a sounding board of many other boss babes in the area and Harmony Management Group, Inc. is involved with many local charities in one capacity or another. While helping others, I also put the zen back into my own life one hot cocoa, holiday movie, and gift basket at a time!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://harmonymanagementgroup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonymanagementgroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarmonyMgmtGroup
Image Credits
Kandy Smith
Junk’n Jypsys, Co.
Darren Mandel Photography
