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Judy Perdomo is a true entrepreneur. Unafraid to take risks, find new directions and do the unexpected. In fact, some have commented that she is downright “gutsy”.
Judy comments that when she graduated from high school in Calgary it was expected that she would attend university to study Sciences. She quickly found that this was not right for her and she left after three semesters to take a summer job with Travel Alberta in Toronto. She found this busy, culturally diverse city quite a change after the slower, friendlier atmosphere in Calgary.
Judy loved the travel industry and wanted to see more of Canada, so she moved to Peterborough to study Tourism and Transportation at a local community college.
From there, Judy returned to Calgary, to work for Eaton's Travel. She loved the benefits of working in travel, but always had the feeling that most of her clients thought they were smarter than her. She returned to U of C to get a Bachelor of Commerce and there she realized that business was something she really wanted to pursue.
Travel has always been an important part of Judy's life, and in 1989 she and her husband took a three-month trip to Australia and the Far East. This trip of a lifetime was made possible thanks to her husband’s job in the oil patch where, after accumulating enough field time, he was able to take a long break.
For the next few years Judy worked to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. But, when she had her two sons Daniel and Scott she made the decision to stay home with them. As well as playing an active role in the boys' activities she managed to work part-time during tax season and run a successful Discovery Toys business. She laughs that, although selling the toys was a breeze for her, she found it more difficult to focus on building a team in the business.
Although she loved being home with her sons, Judy yearned for more. She felt restless. One day, as she was taking out yet another load of laundry from the dryer, Judy realized that there had to be more to life.
And sure enough, shortly thereafter, her husband was transferred to Colombia. For approximately a year the family enjoyed the ex-pat existence, soaking in yet another new culture and experiencing a completely different way of life.
Back in Canada again, after the breakdown of her marriage, Judy returned to the tax work she had done previously. Working in International Assignments Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers she was quickly promoted to Manager even though she had never fully qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
During this time she remarried and had her third son, Justin. Still, though, she felt she hadn't really found her path. She was still searching.
When Judy was introduced to franchising in late 2004 she knew that her search was over. She did some suitability testing and thoroughly investigated several opportunities, deciding on Liquid Capital. Clearly this opportunity was a great fit for Judy, with her financial and professional background as well as her ability to develop strong relationships. She comments that she felt as though she was dying in the corporate world, and now she has a whole new lease of life.
Between her new business and her sons, Judy keeps very busy, but she still finds time for quilting and yoga, and for going out for dinner with girlfriends. And, of course, she still travels whenever possible.
Judy is passionate about working with business people and helping them to succeed. She enjoys working out of a home office where she is available for her sons. She also loves to network because it enables her to meet new people and share her knowledge with other business owners.
By Wendy Zak |
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