B.O.S.S.
SPOTLIGHT Tonda Peterson-Bryant
B.O.S.S.: B.O.S.S. stands for “Be your Own Success Story.” Tell me, what does being successful and being a “boss” mean to you? Tonda: For me, being successful means that you are doing something that is fulfilling. It makes you happy, not necessarily making big bucks, but you are happy doing it. Being a boss means that you are able to create your own path, you decide what it is you want to do and you make it happen. It is something you can do alone or with others who can help you accomplish your goal. Just making whatever needs to happen, happen…that is what being a boss means to me. B.O.S.S.: As an entrepreneur, tell us about your company and what motivated you to start it. Tonda: I am a teacher by trade, having taught special educa-
tion for almost 8 years. During that time, my brother was in the NBA and he needed help with day to day things so that he could focus on basketball. He asked me to work for him and I did. I handled his day to day errands-- paying bills, getting his car serviced or washed… I noticed that some of the other guys on his team didn’t have someone like that. They were either trying to handle their own business or they had someone who wasn’t doing a good job at it. During the later part of my brother’s career, I started thinking about whether or not I would go back to teaching once his we reached the end of his career. I wasn’t sure about what I would do. I saw that there was a need for what I was doing and that’s how “Special T Concierge” came to be. B.O.S.S.: What advice would you have for youth inter-
ested in pursuing a career in concierge service? Tonda: I would say that you have to be a giver. You do a lot more than just what the clients need. Its trying to figure out what they need and go above and beyond their expectations. You must have a giving heart, be selfmotivated, and be imaginative all wrapped up in one. B.O.S.S.: When you were in school, who was your favorite teacher and how did they impact your life? Tonda: A teacher by the name of Mrs. Abrey… she was one on my teachers in elementary school. She had a way to make me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to. Even though my parents always instilled that in me, hearing it from someone else impacts you differently. She was very en-