TIMMINS - After three decades in business, Estela Chow is still going strong.
She's been a fixture in Timmins for years, but 30 years ago, she took her first steps toward becoming a business owner with Affordable Caregiver and Cleaning Services and hoped for the best.
“This is my baby,” she said. “My daughter was born in 1995, too, but this one came out first.”
Originally from the Philippines, Chow moved to Timmins in 1993.
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Since those first days, Chow has expanded her business to deep cleaning and food service. In 2018, she opened Lady Luck Restaurant and Buffet. She’s also an active volunteer, namely as a Schumacher Lions Club member and founding member of the Filipino Association in Timmins.
The secret to the success is a supportive family, she said.
“My family helped me out a lot, and our employees, we always treat them as our family,” she said. “What we are selling is the quality of business that we do. Quality will get you through a long, long road.”
The focus though, from the start has been her clients and their care.
“Our clients, wherever they go, we follow,” she said. "Without our clients, we’re nothing, so the client is the one giving us this. No client, no business.”
Chow celebrated her business milestone this week at Lady Luck, which was full of her friends, family, and fellow business owners.
“We thank everyone who has supported us over the years,” she said.