Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Morisset.
Marie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti and immigrated here to Boston in the late 80’s with my parents and five siblings. For as long as I could remember, I’ve always had a strong work ethic. Earning my first “paycheck” at 12 years old! When I came to the US, I did not speak any English, so it was hard work in school that helped me to quickly learn the new language and to perform well academically. My upper education led me to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Management from Lesley University and later, my Masters from Boston University. When all else failed, hard work and perseverance pulled me through!
Today, I want to share more about Morisset Plumbing and Heating. The company was established by my husband Tony Morisset back in 2002 when we were dating and while I was studying at Lesley University. Initially, Morisset Plumbing and Heating focused on providing plumbing services to residential customers but has since grown its portfolio to include commercial and trade partners (e.g., contractors, subcontracting for larger plumbing companies, etc.) as well. We are also working to include state and federal organizations as a “minority owned” enterprise soon.
After earning my college degree from Lesley University, I pursued a career in Financial Services while supporting back-office operations for Morisset Plumbing & Heating and growing the company with my husband. I quickly learned that in order to grow the company faster, we needed to spend more time focused on business development activities as opposed to back-office/administrative work. We made a decision to outsource a number of administrative tasks including bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll. The result of our business development work has opened a lot of doors for the company and today, we are working hard to see that key opportunities come to fruition.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Overtime, as my husband and I continued to build Morisset Plumbing & Heating, I had two children and also worked full time. I found myself devoting most of my team to my profession which did pay off to some respect and my career catapulted landing me into a Vice President role at a Fortune 500 company. Fast forward to 2013, we knew we had to map out a better plan where I could contribute more time to the business and less to a 9-5 job. We decided to seek out small business mentors by joining a local Chamber of Commerce chapter. We also joined small business networking groups so that we could improve customer acquisition, retention, marketing, and operations skills.
Looking back at the past 15+ years, there have been challenges and rewards from running our own business. We made the decision very early on that we were going to finance the business ourselves and through revenue generated by the business rather than rely on business loans from banks. This strategy I believe slowed growth but has enabled us to navigate through economic downtimes and retain control of the company’s assets.
Over the years, my second income provided a sense of security and lifestyle. I would guess that this is one area many couples running their own small business face and find themselves at the crossroad of whether to take the leap of fate and go all in or continue to juggle the business and a full-time job. I now believe whole-heartedly that the only real security is self-created by owning your own business, where you have the freedom to make all of the decisions regarding your wellbeing. When couples finally come around to seeing the truth in this statement it will help them better understand that the choice for self-employment actually increases security and can provide any lifestyle they desire.
My advice to women that are in relationships (either as the business owner or supporting partner) is to focus on the upside rewards of running your own business rather than just the downsides. Evaluate the gains and the potential joy/prosperity a business can bring. Have frequent vision sessions with your partner where you both draw out the rewards of achieving success and living a fulfilling life.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Morisset Plumbing & Heating story. Tell us more about the business.
Morisset Plumbing and Heating is a full-service plumbing, heating and cooling company that has been operating in Massachusetts and the surrounding areas since 2002. We specialize in residential home and business renovations, new construction, heating system installation and repair, drain cleaning & repair, faucets, refrigeration and more.
My husband Tony is a licensed Master Plumber with over 20 years experience in the industry. He is a trade professional who is adept at all phases of construction and maintenance of plumbing and heating. Tony hires and partners with the best subject matter expertise in the trade. In addition, most of our services are fully insured and we guarantee all of our workmanship for a minimum of 1 year from date of installation. We are able to offer our customers flexibility concerning their choice of products by partnering with industry recognized vendors.
Our expertise is in developing strong and sustaining relationships with our clients. Most of our revenue is generated through repeat business and word of mouth. We take the time to listen and partner with our clients on their projects. We personally have spent a lot of time cultivating client relationships through proactive engagement.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
This is a tough question, I have many women in my life that have and continue to inspire me. Although I would have to say that my mom takes the #1 seat. Growing up, I watched her raise a family and work full time. She too came to the U.S. and did not speak the language. She committed herself to take ESL classes during the evening while being the primary caretaker for a family of eight. She never showed signs of being tired, frustrated, resentful given our situation growing up; she remained happy which taught me to appreciate the small things in life. She has an unbelievable work ethic. She spent almost 30 years in cleaning/housekeeping roles so that she could provide for her family. When she finally saved enough money, I partnered up with her to complete a first-time homebuyers class and purchased our own home. She makes me proud.
Most small businesses like ours operates in a similar structure whereby, the husband has the technical expertise and trade licenses and a spouse/partner runs the day to day back-office operations. In this type of arrangement, at times it can be difficult for the spouse to demonstrate leadership in a professional capacity. If you find yourself in this state, I encourage you to take responsibility for your experience in this role. Breathe it, live it and own it. Make it yours and try to find strategies to achieve success in your own way.
Our motto is family first, so when times get tough, I try to put things into perspective and remember the true reason we work so hard to create a successful business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 24 Quincy Street, Quincy MA
- Website: https://morissetplumbing.com/
- Phone: 617-275-6442
- Email: morissetplumbing@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morissetplumbing/
- Other: https://morissetplumbing.com/contact/
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