Meet Leila Oliveira of Nice N’ Clean in Roswell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leila Oliveira.

Leila, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to America in December of 2000 from Brazil. Once I learned English (self-taught) I started my cleaning business in early 2001. I fell in love with America with hopes of living the American dream. My dream was to build a successful cleaning business and transition from being a green-card holder to becoming an American citizen.

I worked 6 to 7 days a week often for small cleaning fees just to have work. I traveled all over the city struggling with Atlanta traffic daily and long hours yet never giving up on my dreams. In 2002 my son was born and then my American dream included becoming a homeowner so my son would have a yard to play in. My business started to grow as my satisfied customers recommended me to their friends, families and neighbors. With this growth, I started to hire help and learned all the challenges of managing people.

As my little business grew, I saved carefully for a house and in 2010 that dream came true. I bought a foreclosure house that needed a lot of work, nevertheless, I LOVED IT! My son had a yard to play in and we are in a great school district. Another plus, the house was accessible to our church where my son and I honor God and show thanks to the customers who open their homes to me.

My American dream hit a high note when I became an American citizen in 2015. The letters of support to the immigration board from my customers were amazingly beautiful. The experience becoming an American brought tears of joy and great personal pride. I do love this country. The birth of my son, buying a home, my business success, and becoming an American citizen are the things I am most proud of. Thank you for letting me share my story.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every success story has struggles my story is no different. I have read (not sure if this is true) that the number one cause of poverty in America are unwed mothers. As a single mom working long hours to provide for my son I can relate to this challenge. For a long time, money was tight, rice and beans were a regular meal. I have never taken any government handouts, never! I just keep working longer days, every day. The time away from my son caused me great guilt. Thankfully I was always able to find great help from friends and caretakers. It seemed every time I got ahead the car broke down or an unexpected bill came up. My determination to achieve the American dream kept me going.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Nice N’ Clean – what should we know?
My business is a residential and commercial clean business. We are best known for our quality of work and for being trustworthy. If you are going to let someone in your home you must be able to trust them. I am proud to say that my customers know their homes and pets are always well looked after. I have become attached to some of the pets so much I have even done pet sitting.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I want to give credit to several people. My fiancé’ has educated me about how to better run my business including people management, accounting, and business writing skills. My pastor, Saulo Santos, has always been a supportive person. He has a business degree from Brazil and has been a wonderful sounding board and coach.