The world in which we live has long been undergoing incessant changes in all areas–economic, social, political, entertainment and many more. What was once considered activities destined to be performed exclusively by men can now also be carried out by women, since they have the skills and qualities necessary to perform equally or better.
Priscilla Holguin, also known as Priscilla La Ruffera, is dedicated to the world of construction. She owns and runs PLR Construction, a general contractor company run and operated by women.
From a very young age, Priscilla was used to accompanying her father who was a contractor while he worked. She soon learned the trade and skills necessary to tear off or install a new roof. She became a “roofer,” or in Spanish, a “ruffera.”
“A woman roofer. Something most people are unable to understand. It wasn’t always what I thought I would do in life, but after graduating high school my father took me to work for him. He has his own company and taught me everything I needed to know about roofing, from tear-off to installation.” Priscilla shares, and adds, “This didn’t come easy because I was always criticized by the other workers because I was a woman. But it didn’t stop me from showing them that not only can I do their job, but I can do it better. I began to learn how to run a business at which point I started door knocking for a different company which was harder for me than labor. I did this for some time then decided it was the perfect moment to start my own company which is when PLR Construction was formed. PLR is meant to empower women since it is women owned and operated so that we can show the world, both men and women, that you can do anything you want in this life if you put your mind to it and stay consistent and dedicated.”
Indeed, after learning everything related to the profession and experiencing discrimination due to being a woman in the industry, she decided to create PLR to empower other women.
Today, PLR Construction is a company that operates as a general contractor, which means they can do anything related to the construction industry on both residential and commercial properties.
“We can erect a building from scratch or do simple restoration projects such as replacing a roof, windows, exterior and interior painting, or semi large projects such as patio covers or full basement finishing/remodeling.” Priscilla explains.
At PLR, contractors are committed to numerous different services, and they do not cut corners to save on the back end but rather focus on providing the highest quality of labor and materials.
For Priscilla, her motivation was always her parents–who pushed her to strive to be better every day and create her own path. She says:
“I was motivated since I was a little girl watching my parents come to the United States without speaking English and leave everything behind, to each building their own successful businesses that are still running to this day. Also, the freedom of being your own boss and not having an income limit were very important factors in starting my own business.”
One of Priscilla’s characteristics is her mindset–she has had an entrepreneurial mindset since she was very young. She had already planned to build a business for herself. This helped her overcome any challenge.
“You have to have the right mindset when things are not going your way and stay positive and move forward.” Priscilla comments, and adds, “One of the biggest is your own personal character. It takes someone who is dedicated and self driven to be able to overcome the obstacles involved in the beginning stages. It’s also important to have a mindset in which you know that failure is okay because no matter how good you think you’re doing, there will always be failures along the way. This isn’t just in business but also in life because it’s from these failures that we build character and become stronger versions of ourselves.”
At the start, Priscilla also faced other obstacles such as being afraid to go and call people’s houses to promote her business and services. But she pushed herself to do it and now PLR shows its own results with every business opportunity.
In the future, Priscilla wants to expand into real estate and start flipping houses, continue to grow her company PLR Construction, and become an influencer on social media.
Learn more about Priscilla and PLR here.