Michelle Welch is an entrepreneur and coach in the cleaning industry who fiercely changed the narrative of her life and stepped into her own power, leading a life that brings freedom for herself, her children as well as inspiration to the people around her.
Born in Trenton, NJ, Michelle is one of 3 siblings, with the oldest being 31 and the youngest, 5. Seeking a better life, her family moved to Florida 24 years ago when she was only 5 years old. After moving, they opened a childcare facility as well as a cleaning company and began to introduce Michelle to a life of entrepreneurship.
Michelle’s parents brought a synergistic approach to running their businesses and both played a large role into who she is today. Her mom poured into her, showing her there are no limits to who she can be and that she is more than capable of being a strong, independent woman who can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. Her dad instilled a work ethic that does’t quit and showed her the importance of taking action and getting things done.
Working for the family business from a young age, Michelle was given responsibility early on in her youth. She was there to help open the daycare at 5am, she collected payments from parents and she was there to witness the hustle it took, day in and day out, to run a business.
At 18, she stepped away to experience jobs outside of the family but quickly learned that none of them matched up to the depth of what she had been taught growing up. She dipped her toes in college, but after realizing it wasn’t for her, jumped ship and started working as a Corporate Trainer at an architecture firm that was involved in the design and build-out of businesses. It was there that she was presented an opportunity to become the Project Manager for a yogurt store that was opening at the Altamonte Mall. From handling vendors, contractors, vetting people and pulling permits, Michelle’s upbringing shined and helped her realize that not only was she good at executing at a high level, but that she was meant to excel in business.
Over the next year Michelle chased her dreams in business and with a change of mind, made plans to join the AirForce. These plans changed when she became pregnant and gave birth to her first son, Landon, at the age of 20. While Landon gave purpose and passion to Michelle’s life, it was also a time she found herself spinning and trying to figure things out.
In 2015, while working at a job, she began making plans to start her own cleaning business called Queen Cleaning Concepts. In a whirlwind of circumstances, Michelle lost her job, gave birth to her second son (Trey) and found herself a single mother of 2 with no car, no job, no house, nothing…she hit bottom.
With a fierce attitude, Michelle went after her dreams. Like her parents, she operates her business with appropriate transparency to her children modeling an attitude and work ethic that anything is possible.
Wanting more out of life for herself and her children, Michelle does whatever is necessary to give her kids experiences that shape their mind and attitude towards the future, giving them a blueprint to navigate their path.
By leveraging social media to share her journey of who she is and what she’s doing, Michelle’s story began to inspire groups of single, African-American mothers that connected with her journey and inspired them to want their own pathway to freedom through the cleaning industry. This inspired Michelle to become a coach in the industry by helping them launch, scale and maintain their own cleaning businesses.
Working as a coach, Michelle finds that some of the most common hurdles people need to overcome are confidence and knowing that they’re a priority. Her heart in wanting to see women, just like her, reaching their highest level is seen in this message:
While Michelle has always embraced challenges and the opportunity for change, a tower moment arrived and it forced Michelle to reevaluate everything, to dig deep and find her inner-self. This transformation is taking place right now and she’s excited to share what’s coming up.
Listening to Michelle’s powerful story of personal development and growth, both as a mother and as a business woman, I asked her in one sentence to define “Who is Michelle Welch?” Here’s what she had to say: