My Journey from Corporate to CEO
"I have traveled through madness to find me..." - D. Alexander
I had always wanted to thrive in the corporate world. Everything I had accomplished in the last 15 years had shown that. I did all the things I was supposed to do. Go to College. Get a degree. Get a job. Make money.
I was there. I wanted to stay there. I wanted to "climb the corporate ladder".
Until March 2013, when I laid eyes on my first born. Everything I thought I knew about myself had changed. Literally in an instant. And. It. Was. Terrifying. I promised myself that I would free myself from the cubicle chains and be home with my baby. And be present. Thus, the path to creating my “exit” strategy had commenced.
In May 2013, I found a business opportunity through health and fitness, which is something I am insanely passionate about. It started as just a side hustle and something I truly enjoyed doing. But 4 years and 770 clients later, I had accomplished what I had set out to do. Lead a healthy life while inspiring others and helping them get to a place where they loved themselves again, all while helping my family financially. By December 2014, I went part-time and was home with my now two babies under two.
Upon my return from maternity leave with my third child in May 2016, I knew in my heart I was not fulfilling my purpose. And while I loved where I was, I needed to do more. In January 2017, I made the difficult decision to shift my focus from my Health and Fitness business to this crazy idea brewing in the back of my mind….I wanted to be able to start my own thing. Something I am incredibly good at, enjoy doing, and could somehow use all my neurotic behaviors in a positive way, while serving others…
In November 2017, Ashley Ciresi, LLC was officially born. By December, I had retained my first client. And then another in February and then another in March and so on. In May 2018, I was determined to make this "side hustle" of mine- the main hustle. In October, I turned in my two week notice to my corporate job. At the age of 33, I retired from corporate to pursue my 5 year dream of being my own CEO.
For as long as I can remember, I have been very Type A. It is literally how I function. I have learned over the years that most people do not operate or live like this and that is totally fine. This is literally the reason my idea came to life- to help the insanely overwhelmed successful woman.
I love to purge. I love to organize. I love creating solutions to problems. I love helping people and minimizing their chaos. My best friend teases me that I am her Google or lifeline for help/solutions. She has literally started calling me “Alexa”. So while this particular business may appear relatively new, I am no stranger to owning and running a business. The passion, drive and skill has always been there- I am just now pursuing it.
I have been the go-to girl in a professional office setting for the last 15 years, helping attorneys and other business professionals manage their busy schedules and implementing systems that really work. With 3 kids now 5 and under, I am no stranger to the constant chaos or demands of daily life. Trust me when I say that I totally get it.
No matter what you have on your plate, I’ll help you manage it. You have enough to think about. Let me organize life’s stuff so you get back to the important things. Life is too short to waste being disorganized and stressed out. You deserve better <3