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Lee Layun: Winning in Times of Crisis
For AcheiUSA - March 23, 2012
Success is Not a Coincidence of Chance and Does Not Happen Overnight
By Heliana Deweese
Ulysses Leonardo Layun - If there is an immigrant who can patent a recipe for success here in the US, it is Brazilian Ulysses Leonardo Layun. When he when arrived in the US at age 13, he simplified his name to "Lee" to facilitate the pronunciation of his name. Having lived near Belo Horizonte, Lee is a good-natured businessman with absolute success.
An experienced administrator, the Brazilian has a steady hand in business and is softhearted to house hundreds of employees who are to him the assets of USA Maintenance Inc, a commercial cleaning company in the segment which was created nearly 20 years ago. National scale and today present in most states and the enterprise employs many Brazilians. He has a select portfolio of over 300 customers that started in Florida.
The miner plans do not stop there. USA Maintenance Inc should also arrive in Brazil later this year as the businessman has already started negotiations in São Paulo. In love with the country where he was born and where he has real estate investments, he spends at least two months in the homeland re-energizing his origins.
Another passion is football and to measure the size, he has already had the luxury of taking the plane here in Miami just to see Atletico Mineiro, the team's heart, playing in the Mineirao.
Owner of a tight schedule to travel from one state to another to meet professional commitments, the immigrant does not forget where he came from, nor where and how it started. A philanthropist, he finds time to help everyone knocking on his door. In Lee's case, the help comes not only through dollar signs, but also from their hands. When you need it helps to carry the burden. Wash glasses and sweeps the floor. In solidarity, the entrepreneur values ​​the human side of people and believes that "you cannot go through this life without helping others."
Recipe for Success
Ask Lee a recipe for success and he does not hesitate to answer. "Nobody does anything alone. Without my staff I would not be who I am. Success does not fall from the sky. It is built on a day-to-day and will to win," prescribes the entrepreneur.
It was to study that he came to the United States. He graduated in Business Administration (Management) from BCC - Broward Community College and 70s at the hands of the father, the Argentine Moises Layun.
The Brazilian started writing his business history when he first arrived. At the time, his father owned the restaurant Country Music Cabaret at Sunrise and it was exactly there that the boy then Lee literally rolled up his sleeves and opened as a dishwasher. Only after going through all the learning of the restaurant as a cook's helper, busboy and waiter among other positions is when his father gave him the opportunity to manage the business, which he said "is just as well run by the owner who learned putting hands-on."
Before taking any position of command, you need to go through all the steps and services involving the business, including the humblest tasks. "The reasoning is simple; those who can not do a job, are not entitled to collect it."
The Jump
From experience in the family restaurant, he was born a businessman who would draw a trajectory of success years later when it appeared as the invitation of a second job in the commercial cleaning industry. The challenge of opportunity aroused the interest of young Lee whose commitment and dedication were being closely watched by the owner of the company that made the call.
And there was the Brazilian managing a new line of business which he not only learned but also specialized in the subject. After learning the tricks of the area, he felt ready to face the market. The dashing Lee created his own commercial cleaning company in 1990 and decided to rewrite its history of business life. The beginning was not easy and to get where it is today turned into working nights without holidays or weekends.
Since then, the jump has been great and the Brazilian has seen the customer base grow and solidify. With pride, he attributes much of his success to his honesty, which is keen to show from his very first contacts with clients.
"Companies treat contracts directly with me and my company has a very well-trained staff. We do not farm out services, because we are responsible for the quality that promise," he confides. Zealous image of integrity and the trust earned by the clientele, Lee is also careful with advice. The overall management of USA Maintenance is handled by two young men. His son Christopher, 26, and Williams Oliveira, 34, who he considers a child adopted by heart. Both were trained by him.
Frights
The deal gave jumps, but also had frights. Eleven years ago, his family and health circumstances paused business temporarily. His mother's illness and the death of a brother at a young age led him to a season in Brazil.
From there, the entrepreneur tried to manage the business. Adding stress and sadness of family losses, the heart of the Brazilian complained. On the verge of a heart attack, he was hospitalized for treatment and his businesses were in the hands of third parties and subject to errors of management disability, the excesses of inexperience and even intentional fraud. The catastrophe prowled around, threatening the credibility of USA Maintenance Inc and years of hard work.
It is at the point of the owner as the business grows. As accurate as the saying was the immediate return of the entrepreneur to the US, to personally take care of what is yours.
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