Ebony Sullivan

Mar 14, 2022

If someone had told me that I would be running my mother’s electrical business, I would have laughed so hard that I may have peed my pants a little. Truth is, I had failed so many times that I didn’t believe that I was ever going to be that person. You know, successful! In my own right, sure, I was successful, but a successful business woman, nah, not me. Working hard was certainly something that I knew how to do. Showing up, raising my hand and taking on new challenges. Raising four children, working full time, PTA, basketball, track and field, you name it, I am that mom and I lived for the daily challenges that life was throwing at me. I never considered that one day I would be taking all the skills that I learned along this marathon of life and running my family business. 

My mother started this business out the trunk of her Ford Escort. Ladder on the roof, tool bag in the backseat and supplies in the trunk. A hardworking woman looking for an additional stream of income, she started this business as a hobby. Twenty-five years later, Cassy Electric is a full service electrical contracting company with employees… Yes, employees! My mom and I marvel often over just how far she has come and what this business has grown into over the years. When she and I started talking about retirement, she hadn’t even considered the fact that she was a business owner who needed to plan for not only her future but for the future of her business. I asked her, mom, “what are you going to do about your team when you retire?” At the time she had two men working with her and she had not even considered what the future could look like. I leaned into my community, you know the folks that really know what to do because they have done this before and I asked for help. 

Two years later, I’m sitting here writing this blog in hopes that someone is going to read this and say, WOW, this is truly one heck of a story. Nearly fifty percent growth year over year, eight full time employees, five vans on the road, y’all, we even moved out of my mom’s basement! I’m still struggling with believing that yes, we are really doing this! WE ARE REALLY DOING THIS. I think back to the time when I finally decided that I would choose me. When I said, you know what, I’m going to do what makes Ebony happy. For YEARS, I made choices that were best for my children, took jobs that I was overqualified for and usually under paid so I could be there with my children. Now, they were older and I could make different choices. I decided to take all the talent and treasures that I had collected along the way and bring it to my family business. I know some of my friends right now will laugh when they read this because I talked about for years how my children would all work in our family business and contribute back to the business that paid the way for them. Shoot, US! I didn’t consider myself in that equation. I had no clue that I would be the person running it all. What a blessing just writing that. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about how truly blessed we are to be able to grow this business to support our family, build generational wealth and a legacy for our family. 

Standing on the shoulders of my mother, grandmother and all the other strong women that paved the way fills me with gratitude. Positioning to be our lady liberty until the next generation is truly an honor. Trailblazing in spaces where you were once told to “go get the coffee” and now walking into the board room and negotiating deals seems unreal. Yet I constantly remind myself that this is what hard-work and dedication looks like. Having read stories and beard witness to all the women who have shattered glass ceilings in all sectors and industries is happening daily and I’m honored, ready, and willing to be amongst them.