Entrepreneur inspired by family’s perseverance
One thing about a business whether restaurant, retail, what have you — things get dirty. Regardless of the service you provide to customers or clientele, appearance is king. That calls for things being immaculately clean.
Enter MinneApple Cleaning, owned and operated by CEO Amondo Lewis.
“From showrooms to lobbies to storefronts to bathrooms — we do it all,” said the 26-year-old. “Whether preparing for a big event, in the midst of spring cleaning, or everyday upkeep, we take these tedious tasks and make them worry-free.
MinneApple, said Lewis, is available to clean businesses daily, weekly or monthly, or to provide a one-time cleanup. He supervises a current staff of five. “We’re growing rapidly, and I’m always looking for new talent. We are in a great position to make it past our second year of business, smashing numbers from 2018.”
This was not happenstance. “I got the business off of the ground with hard work, dedication, and a lot of research.” He wants ultimately to “serve the community, creating jobs, investing in the neighborhood to make a difference.”
For a young man, Lewis has shown a great deal of serious dedication to his business. “I have a newborn daughter and fiancée, and my focus is to provide the life they deserve. I plan to leave something my daughter can have, something she can be proud of, something for her children and their children. More than a company, this is my foot into the door of real estate or the tech business, or investments.”
Just as he’s there for his little girl, Lewis’ mom, Shawnda Hobson, now administering Meals on Wheels at Community Emergency Service in South Minneapolis, was there for him. Heroically, in fact.
“She worked really hard as a single mother,” Lewis said. “I’ve seen her work through pretty much any problem. And she’s someone who wouldn’t let us know she was having trouble. She sacrificed.
“When we were young and there wasn’t enough to eat,” he continued, “she’d feed us and say she wasn’t hungry. I would tell her I was full and she could finish my plate. We looked out for each other to get further and further in life. That’s something you can’t thank someone enough for.”
Fortunately, she didn’t have to do it entirely by herself. “Uncle Scottie acted as a father throughout my life. These are two people I watched be knocked down by life and never give up time after time.”
Lewis took his family’s perseverance as the inspiration for his life and business. “Their dedication to establishing themselves, building a better life, all while remaining positive, was unreal.”
There was another role model Lewis made sure to mention: “The late Nipsey Hussle taught me through his music and teachings about the importance of health, building generational wealth, and family.”
Lewis explained just what he considers that work ethic to be. “To me, it’s everything. What you’re willing to give, what you’re able to get from yourself is your altitude. Otherwise, what can you expect out of life?”
There was a time one of the few employment opportunities available to African American men and women was subserviently cleaning up after others. However, circumstances and perspectives change as a people persevere.
“Everything is how you look at it. It used to be one of the only jobs we could get. Now, just a few short years ago a Black man was the leader of the whole free world. Even today, some people might think, ‘Well, you mop floors. You clean toilets for a living.’
“I’m my own boss. I’m an entrepreneur.”
For more info about MinneApple Cleaning, visit www.minneapplecleaning.com or call 952- 222-0444.
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