Women in Business - Brittany Bettini of Bettini Enterprises
Oct 24, 2023 10:56AM ● By Randee BrownAccomplishing what she set out to do is non-negotiable for local serial-entrepreneur Brittany Bettini.
Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, Bettini said she noticed life revolving around the business and remembers thinking she didn’t want to do that. After college, she left a domestic violence situation and realized she couldn’t afford to feed her children on a single income. She recognized that she needed to do something extra in order to provide for her kids the way she wanted to.
“I worked for my family’s company and realized the freedom and flexibility of time that was offered,” Bettini said. “I realized they were the ones calling the shots. I worked in every position of that company from cleaning toilets to eventually becoming CEO, taking back my power and retiring my parents. It feels really good to know they are taken care of.”
Bettini promised her parents to take care of Clean Streak, Inc. and its reputation, and she also saw other opportunities to create other businesses in recent years. She notices a problem, solves the problem, and wants to help others solve similar problems for themselves.
Bettini said she spent a lot of time in her life being told she couldn’t do certain things. Hearing she wasn’t good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough, she said at some point something inside of her snapped and she wanted to prove everyone wrong.
Investing in herself and her growth, Bettini found others doing whatever it was she wanted to do. She paid mentors, went to therapy, and “bet the whole farm” on herself. She said she is a dedicated and loyal employee, wanting to be that for herself just as much as anyone else.
“People keep thinking I’m crazy until I’m successful in a new venture,” Bettini said. “I’m doing it even though I’m broke or don’t have any clients and it doesn’t make sense to others, but I have a laser focus and once I set my mind to something, I don’t question it.”
When starting her entrepreneurial journey in the male-dominated industry of janitorial work and post-construction cleanup, she visited Las Vegas, NV to attend a trade show. Not wanting to be in Vegas by herself, she brought her boyfriend along.
“No one spoke to me,” Bettini said. “They all spoke to him. I had to prove to be the toughest person in the room. It was so frustrating being a young blonde woman in a room full of 60- year-old white men, and I really had to stand my ground.”
Knowing she will occasionally get treated differently as a woman, Bettini said she has learned to just embrace it. She owns and appreciates her femininity while also knowing how to speak in a way that makes it clear that she is the person to talk to.
“I’ve learned the balance of being a soft woman and being a powerful woman,” Bettini said.
Bettini has the mindset of “simply getting things done,” and she uses this mindset when she mentors and coaches clients. That motivation comes from completing small tasks and getting them out of the way, and her best tool is showing people how to execute tasks opposed to sitting on them and overthinking.
Unlike other mentors, Bettini focuses on transparency instead of lifestyle marketing. She said so many coaches look rich and perfect online to bring in clients, and instead she believes it’s more important to be real and show what entrepreneurship actually looks like.
“Entrepreneurship is not perfect for anyone; it’s a mess,” Bettini said. “If someone gets into their business and it’s not perfect, they can believe they are not cut out for it because their situation looks different than they thought. This mindset allows connection on a different level, showing I am truly invested in their lives. My mentees and I celebrate and support each other, and it turns into being more like a friendship or even family.”
As a mom, Bettini said her children are her biggest motivator. She has been able to show them they can do whatever they put their minds to, having exposed them to messy and challenging moments in business that have ultimately broken belief barriers. Now, she said as they grow up, they won’t ever think something isn’t possible.
“They were with me through some of the worst times, and they loved me when there was no money and I couldn’t buy them presents on their birthdays,” Bettini said. “It is truly unconditional love. When I started this journey, I asked them to stick with me, telling them I was going to have to work a lot for a while but it was going to be worth it. Now I can take the time I need and do anything I want for them. I’ve been able to give them a different life than the one we used to have.”