Kelisha Mills: Making her mark in the sand

“Growing up, I was always involved in my church’s choir and groups at my school,” she shares of this talent she realised from a young age. She says her love for God was expressed through song.

At the age of 19, she started her first job at National Flour Mills Ltd and since then has educated herself and climbed the corporate ladder. In fact, her work and academic quali_ cations are in the field of Procurement.

Apart from a workingwoman, Kelisha is also a mother – a role she takes personally and seriously. “Since [becoming a mother] my priorities have changed,” she shares of the ways her children have changed her life’s outlook. When her first period of maternity leave ended, she did not feel right to go back to work. “I wanted to be there for my son,” says the dedicated mother.

She says motherhood has defined her in a different way. Before her son came along, everything she did was for herself – she notes she spent a lot of money on material and unimportant items. “The day I had him, I knew I had to start to think differently. It was no longer about me, but about this gift that was given to me.” Becoming a mother gave her a new sense of purpose: “When you wake up in the morning you know you have to _ nd a way to feed, clothe, and teach your child to be the best they can be.” She admits that mothers don’t “do everything right all the time”, but says there is an unnamed force that pushes mothers in the right direction. She describes this unidentifiable strength as unexplainable; the strength of womanhood.

She adds that she wanted to find a way to take care of her son without having to sacri_ ce 12 hours a day while growing someone else’s business. “I wanted a change.” A part of the change in her life was the passing of her mother in 2007 after a battle with Type II Diabetes and kidney failure. She shares that this experience was devastating and a strong desire came over her once more to act upon her feelings of change and starting a new life and earning an independent living for herself.

“I moved to Tobago [the month after my mother died] not knowing what I was going to do, but knew I had it in me to do something great,” says the con_ dent woman.

By the end of that year, she had bought a franchise specialising in high-end office furniture with her nowhusband.

“Things took off; sales were (phenomenal),” she admits of this venture, describing the business’ success as coming like a “mighty rushing wind”. However, the downside was that Kelisha was not ready for such monumental success so soon.

“We were able to move to a new rental house, bought a company vehicle, traveled abroad for conferences, put my son in private school, and lived comfortably,” she says of the spoils of her business’ initial success.

However, the economic downturn of 2009 affected the company’s acceleration; the orders and sales decreased and with a high mortgage to repay and numerous monthly _ nancial commitments, she and her husband made the decision to move their business to their home.

In the next two years, she gave birth to her second and third children and describes the time as a struggle and the pressure of financial commitments proved too much. “In 2013, we made the difficult decision to close the business. I was totally crushed,” says Kelisha of the hardships she endured. They not only closed their business but she and her husband moved their family to a smaller rental home with three young children and no steady income. She felt depressed and like a failure to her family.

Her life was flipped upside down and by 2014 she had to give up her rental house and lost the company vehicle and remaining assets. That was the same year she gave birth to her fourth child. “I remember being in the hospital the day after my delivery taking calls from upset suppliers and bank managers asking for their money; I was under so much pressure, I felt like I was at rock bottom, even lower than the bottom.” She says the ensuing depression affected her marriage and relationships with her children. “For my birthday that year, I could not even buy an ice cream for myself but at the end of that day, I came to a decision: that my next birthday would not find me in the same position. I decided to pick myself up and pull myself back up to the position I once was in.” She discovered that her true calling was to help other women in similar situations who feel like they can’t make money to take care of their families or live the lives they desire. “I was directed to start learning about online business and creating a profitable one. For 18 months, I researched, studied, and learned from the best on this topic. I connected with other moms who were once in my position and who are now making money by designing their dream business online,” she says of the new passion her hardships gave birth to.

She says her change of mindset led to her fundraising and being able to start over in 2016, with the ultimate goal of serving women and mothers. “I now teach and motivate mom entrepreneurs and show them how they can make money doing what they love,” she says of her new professional lease on life.

She has her own website (www.centurymom.com), has written two e-books, created an online course to train other women entrepreneurs, and started university majoring in Business and minoring in Entrepreneurship.

Her first online course, taking place on February 15, is called “Boss Mom” and is a six-month training program for mothers who want to use their profession and natural talents for profit in an online setting.

“We go through key components of creating a profitable online business and work together towards the ultimate goal: an income generating website,” she expands on the course’s objective. “We also dive deep into your life as a mum and help increase your effectiveness in your daily tasks,” she continues, highlighting that topics covered in the online course include mindset strengthening, list building, heart centered copy writing, website design, and marketing.

She will also host two smaller in-person workshops on the February 4 and 11 focusing on list building and copywriting exclusively.

“I believe personal challenges can shape a person for the better,” says Kelisha of her past experiences. She says these challenges may cause persons to look to something greater than them. “When everything you tried has failed, you realise that you can’t do anything on your own. Challenges cause your faith to rise and also cause you to look deep within your soul for answers.” She says her work now is to encourage our nation’s girls and women so they know they can live the quality of life they are after. “With faith, determination, and the right direction, you can realise any dream you have in your heart. But it requires the first step,” she advises. “Think good thoughts about yourself always and ask for help when you need it. That’s what caused me to be where I am today. If I can do it, you can do it as well!”