“I didn’t know everything I needed to know, so I learned along the way.”

That is how Josie Olivares describes building Chynoweth Services from the ground up. Founded in 2008, Chynoweth Services is a family-owned Austin business providing residential and commercial cleaning services. What started small has grown through years of learning, sacrifice, persistence, and a willingness to keep moving forward when the path changed.

One of those difficult moments came when Chynoweth secured a contract worth about $60,000. It was a major opportunity, but it also taught Josie an important lesson about cash flow. She quickly learned that completing the work and getting paid could be months apart. Without enough capital to carry the project while waiting for payment, she had to find a way to keep going. Support from someone who believed in her helped her complete the contract and positioned Chynoweth to begin taking on larger opportunities.

Josie later stepped outside her comfort zone and into the restaurant industry with Red Rock Steakhouse. The business was moving in the right direction, but when the property owner chose not to renew the lease, that chapter came to an unexpected end. Rather than let the setback stop her, Josie adapted, carried the lessons with her, and kept building.

She describes entrepreneurship in three stages: the excitement of starting, the storm of unexpected challenges, and finally reaching the other side. For Josie, the second stage is often where entrepreneurs are most tempted to give up.

Along that journey, Josie strengthened her business knowledge through EGBI. BCL of Texas has had a longstanding relationship with EGBI as part of Austin’s small business ecosystem, and that connection eventually led Josie to BCL when access to capital became the next important step.

Finding enough financing to support larger projects had not been easy. In 2024, BCL provided Chynoweth Services with a $50,000 Growth Fund loan. The financing helped Josie diversify, invest in new projects, and continue building at a time when additional capital could make a real difference in the direction of the business.

For Josie, BCL’s support was about more than financing. It was about having an organization believe in what she was building and help open the door to new opportunities.

Today, Chynoweth Services looks very different from where it started. Josie says the business has reached a point where they are no longer searching for every opportunity, clients are now finding them. The company is growing its client base, building greater capacity, and preparing to pursue larger projects, including government contracts.

That growth also reaches beyond Josie. Chynoweth creates jobs and helps provide stability for the families of the people who work with the company, making the impact of that growth even more meaningful.

For Josie, resilience is not about avoiding setbacks. It is about staying committed, adapting when things change, and continuing to believe in what you are building.

“Sometimes you have to get through the storm before you can see what you were capable of achieving.”