Leidersdorff of Architectural Flooring Resource: Getting into the head of a serial entrepreneur

If, a young Cathy Leidersdorff had set up a lemonade stand on her street, surely by the end of the day she would have hired a full staff, built a large customer base and franchised lemonade stands on every corner of the city. Such is her passion, drive and entrepreneurial spirit. "I always had a penchant for running businesses," Leidersdorff said. "When I was in college I purchased and ran an exterior painting contractor franchise in Ithaca, New York called College Pro Painters." By the time she graduated from Cornell University, the ink still fresh on her business degree, Leidersdorff had earned the down payment to purchase her first New York City apartment. After graduation, Leidersdorff worked in Armstrong World Industries' flooring division. Three years later, she accepted a position as sales associate at SCS Systems, one of the largest flooring contractors in New York City, at the time. These were formative years as she deepened her learning of the contracting business. Though the job was rewarding, her inner entrepreneur called. In 1993 she opened Architectural Flooring Resource Inc, a company specializing in supplying and installing commercial carpet, wood, tile, cork, rubber, vinyl, laminates, polished concrete among other flooring products. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Leidersdorff says, "You must prove your proficiency more than a guy, but once you gain someone's trust, I don't think they care about your sex as long as the work gets done!" Not only is the work getting done, the company is thriving, growing by 30% every year since its beginning. Leidersdorff continues, "Woman are relationship oriented and most of my customers are still with us from inception. It's not just about the job. It's about doing the right thing for the customer. They'll always remember that. Carnegie Hall, UNDP, Jones NY, A/R Cubellis have been our customers for 15 years." Because Leidersdorff keeps a vigilant eye on customer needs, she recognized opportunities to expand her business. In 2001 she started Architectural Flooring Care when she discovered many clients had difficulty finding providers to adequately clean and maintain their flooring. Leidersdorff says, "AFC was received well because we actually 'clean' the carpet, not just move dirt around." Leidersdorff further states the service saves customers money since the carpet lasts longer. A few years later, she bought the Saniglaze franchise, a process that restores old ceramic tile, servicing New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. Such successes led Inc. 500 magazine to rank the AFR companies one of America's fastest growing businesses in 2007 and 2008. Most recently, AFR has gone "green," offering a certified third-party carpet recycling program and furnishing and installing eco-friendly flooring for the National Audubon Society, among others. Today, many businesses face difficult budgetary and marketing decisions. How does an entrepreneur tackle the economic downturn? Head on. Leidersdorff says, "For the hard economic times we offer 'recession proof' carpet tiles for $14.00/sq. yd from major manufacturers with 10-year warrantees." She adds, "One has to evolve to keep up with customer needs."