By Samantha Gonzales, Development and Communications Intern
Sharon Alexander’s motivation behind the founding of Lula’s Place Adult Day Facility in 2012 came from a combination of past work experience, personal standards of care, and memories of her grandmother, Lula Taylor. After being unhappy with the care provided in previous workplaces, Sharon set out to create a facility founded on the “caring model” that she studied from her grandmother as a child. This model focuses on the special treatment that everyone deserves, especially when they cannot care for themselves.
As Sharon first set out to make Lula’s Place a reality, she was overwhelmed with the vast amount of information available to new small business owners and she was uncertain what her first step should be. After finding PeopleFund on the SCORE website, Sharon was able to gain both financial assistance and “a real confidence booster” that she used to move forward with Lula’s Place. According to Sharon, “When I was approved by PeopleFund, I felt that someone believed in me.” Along with the confidence received from PeopleFund, Sharon believes that “Faith and more faith!!!” have contributed to the success and recent grand opening of Lula’s Place. Speaking from experience, Sharon advises that any new entrepreneurs should not give up when things begin to look troublesome because “if it were easy, more people would be business owners.”
In the future, Sharon hopes to open at least one more facility, especially in
Tyler, Texas where her grandmother lived. The fact that Sharon is a Licensed Mastered Social Worker and her experience with the population she serves distinguishes Lula’s Place from other adult care facilities. She has seen firsthand the holes in adult care and has the tools to fix them at Lula’s Place. Sharon uses her role as owner to lead by example and is a strong advocate for customer service, saying “having my own business allows me to ensure that great customer service is given at all times to my clients.”
As owner of Lula’s Place Adult Day Facility, Sharon is grateful and now understands the cliché “if you do what you love, it’s not work.”
Learn more about Lula’s Place, Sharon, and their grand opening on their website.