COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Edwina Adams began her journey as a businesswoman with a unique idea of cleaning trash cans, which eventually culminated in the creation of Clean R Cans.
"I had never thought about the fact that the horrendous smells are harmful bacteria like E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria," explained Adams. "We’re touching those and then grabbing our door handles or picking up our kids and the germ transfer is there and it's just something we hadn't taken care of in the past.”
Adams also reflected on the challenges she faced as a mother in the world of business and how she persevered.
“We had sold the business in 2013 for my husband to go back to school full time but I didn't think about the fact that I had a two-year old and a four-month old and no money for a baby sitter, no family really around to help, and it was hard," said Adams. "I had to slow down and just because I wanted to. I wanted to prioritize being a mom with my young kids and I just decided to make that sacrifice to the business, but I believed in it so I didn’t let it go.”
Even while gender roles and expectations have shifted drastically, women are still scrutinized for their ambitions, and Adams believes encouragement and confidence in a person's personal journey is a major supporting factor.
“I was fortunate enough to have a father that encouraged us and there are many women that don’t have that, and you can be a mom, you can not be a mom whatever your goals are you may have to slow down in one area. The world gives us a lie that you have to do it all and you don’t,” said Adams.