Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurel Ordonez.
Hi Laurel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Almost two years ago, after promising God that I would open the doors to my new home, which was a miracle in itself, to ministry, I was packing and, in my spirit, heard the question, “if I call you, will you come?” This scared the “you know what” out of me. This question made me face what I already knew. I was being called out of my self-defined success to the bigger dreams placed on my heart.
This is where the entrepreneurial journey started.
In the summer of 2021, I went on a mission trip to Puerto Rico with A God-size dream hiding in my heart. While on this trip, I had a moment of boldness and asked a question that needed an authentic and transparent answer. At that moment, my God-sized dream was spoken into by Carlos Rodriguez of Happy Givers in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, who was living out his own god-size dream.
My background is in hospitality, business development, and digital marketing, and I have a Masters’s Degree in Public Relations.I’ve seen how hard it is for small businesses and entrepreneurs to market themselves. They either don’t know how to do it well themselves or can’t afford to pay someone to do it well. I wanted to create a way for small businesses to learn to thrive on their own and also know when they were being sold vanity metrics that wouldn’t make an impact. I love my community, and I wanted to create a way for these businesses to be empowered and equipped to thrive.
I became pregnant when I was 17 and never went back to finish school after I dropped out in January of my senior year. There were many times growing up when I needed guidance, and there was no one I could go to.I felt alone a lot. It took a lot of hard work, perseverance, and grace to get where I am today. For years it’s been in my heart to start a mentorship program that would help teens and their parents healthily navigate those years.
The trip was the time away I needed to get it together, but in the next few months of coming back, I made every excuse not to leave my leadership role at a company that I loved, but it was inevitable.
In August 2021, I left the comfort of my leadership role to show up powerfully for my family, clients, and community and start Queenly Consulting, a business consulting firm for impact-focused companies, and The Lotus Project: Central Florida, a youth mentorship program.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Betting on yourself is one of the hardest things you will ever do. Most of the obstacles I’ve faced have been self-imposed. There have been so many times that I have found myself lost, feeling like an imposter. I think to myself that I am not good enough. I don’t know enough.
I know my weaknesses, shortcomings, and consciousness plays on those rather than focusing on my strengths. I’ve had to work hard at getting out of my own head.
My business was started with and continues to operate with very little debt. I had little to no working capital when I left my job last August. I’ve had to trust that everything would work out. I wouldn’t change that. I needed to know where I was going before asking anyone else to invest in what I wanted to build.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Through Queenly Consulting, I help business owners on every level seeking to grow but face the challenges of wearing multiple hats, personally and professionally.
My journey as a high-level professional in start-up environments has given me a comprehensive understanding of what business owners and leaders need to engage, retain, and serve customers, internally and externally, while showing up powerfully for their families and communities.
My goal is to empower businesses with the tools and strategies to build a brand across digital platforms and assist in creating strategies and campaigns that build relationships with the audiences that mean the most to them, online and in their communities.
I have seen so much success in these past eight months. So much so that I’m in the process of hiring my first team member. The love and support from my community at the Central Florida Christian Chamber and the many people who have followed my growth have been the reason for this success. Knowing that I had so many people believing in me made the transition easier.
I don’t have the capacity right now to manage a lot of social accounts at once, but what I can do is empower and equip small businesses to take advantage of the free tools that social media platforms have to help them grow. My signature service is social media strategy coaching. These programs are designed to make the business owner really know who they are, why they do what they do, and who they are serving. I love teaching companies to define what consistency is for them and position themselves authentically, weaving in the personal journey with the professional. Positioning and purpose are so important in the entrepreneurial journey. You get that down, and it organically opens doors to greater success.
During this process, there is usually more that comes up. How is your website performing? What are you automating? Are you collaborating and building partnerships with the right organizations? What are your streams of revenue? I help with that, too.
Digital Strategy and community-driven business development, it takes both to be successful today.
My transition from a teen mom to a college student to a young professional to an executive showed me the importance of mentorship and accountability in life’s transitions. My passion for encouraging and supporting the next generation of professionals in the workplace takes the forefront of all I do in my business and community.
In February 2022, I launched my youth mentorship program to build the next generation of mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially thriving adults who are encouraged, empowered and equipped by their local community. My program is designed to be a mentorship program partnered with community organizations and businesses that enhance what is being taught in our students’ schools and homes.
Our goal is to prepare them for adulthood while assisting in the decision-making process for post-secondary school options, including entrepreneurship, vocational programs, two-year degree programs, and four-year degree programs.
In a perfect world, when a teenager transitions out of high school and into adulthood, they would be excited and feel prepared to take on what the world has for them knowing the part they have to play. However, in most transitions into adulthood, this is not the case.
We kicked off our program on Galantine’s Day with a private yoga class that encouraged our young women to take up space, love themselves, and celebrate their uniqueness. Thirteen middle and high school girls were in attendance, along with amazing women in our community. Gladys Garcia of Birth Hour Photography donated her services to make sure we captured the moment, we had Crumble Cookies sponsored by Dawn Sipley of Sipley the Best, and Carlos from Happy Givers made sure our gift bag arrived in time all the way from Puerto Rico.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a community to build a business! I couldn’t do all that I do without the people surrounding me with their time and talents.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I am not willing to give up. Quitting isn’t an option. This idea applies to my business, relationships, and community. My purpose is more significant than a fleeting moment, and I find a way to push through in even the most challenging times.
Contact Info:
- Email: laurel@queenlyconsulting.co
- Website: https://www.queenlyconsulting.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenlyconsulting.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenlyconsulting.co
Image Credits
Gladys Garcia
Shadell Clark
