Candy Valentino didn’t grow up with much. Born to teenage parents in small-town Pennsylvania, her earliest memories aren’t of playdates or ballet recitals, they’re of oil-slick floors and clanging tools in her father’s makeshift garage.
“From [that] time until I was 16, I got dropped off at that little auto mechanic shop every day while my dad fixed cars and welded metal and did all of the things that you do in a greasy, grimy garage,” Valentino told Entrepreneur. “Instead of learning dance or soccer, I learned about small business.”
That daily immersion in small business operations laid the groundwork for what would become a wildly successful career in entrepreneurship, one that began when she was just 19.
Why She Turned Down College and Launched a Spa Instead
Valentino nearly became the first in her family to attend college. But after reading a book that claimed a degree wasn’t a prerequisite for success, she decided to bet on herself and business.
“I wish I could say [my initial motivation was] super inspiring,” she admitted. “But the only reason I wanted to start a business when I was younger was because I didn’t want to be poor.”
Armed with ambition and a vision, Valentino pitched a spa concept to the Small Business Administration, inspired by her first visit to a New York spa gifted to her after high school graduation.
It was a hit.
“ I often think that was a little bit of a divine moment,” she recalled. The SBA panel, notably five out of six were women, approved her loan. She had 45 days to launch.
She Built, Scaled, and Sold — More Than Once
That spa kickstarted a career that has spanned decades. Since then, Valentino has launched and sold two companies, built a robust real estate portfolio, and founded a nonprofit animal rescue. She’s also the voice behind The Candy Valentino Show and the bestselling author of The 9% Edge.
But it wasn’t just vision that got her there. It was tenacity and a knack for mastering the financial nitty-gritty most entrepreneurs avoid.
“ Grit is what got me started,” she explained. “But financial acumen is what got me to continue. And it’s the only thing that got me to exit twice.”
She taught herself accounting, tax strategy, and financial analysis skills that allowed her to run lean and smart.
“ I basically became the CFO inside of my company without a degree,” she said. “That’s when we went from just a small business that was successful to scaling and setting ourselves up to exit.”
Working Harder Than Everyone Else — Her Unshakeable Edge
One core value has remained constant throughout Valentino’s journey: outwork everyone.
“Even when you don’t have all the right answers, even if you don’t know what to do in the beginning, to be successful at anything, we have to have the courage to commit and the fortitude to continue,” she said. “We have to care more about our dreams than the opinions of other people.”
From Being Underestimated to Owning the Room
Valentino says one of her biggest ongoing challenges is getting taken seriously, especially as a woman in business.
“ I knew exactly what I was talking about so that nobody could rattle me,” she said. “And within one conversation, they knew who was in charge.”
Instead of seeing the initial underestimation as a disadvantage, she flipped it.
“It made me better. It made me sharper than some of the men that I interacted with,” she said. “Sometimes, they weren’t as prepared as me.”
Lessons in Leadership from the Women Who Inspired Her
Growing up in the ‘90s, Valentino heard the usual refrain: “Do you want to be a teacher or a nurse?” But she had other ideas.
She looked up to bold female leaders like Mary Kay Ash, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Oprah even printing their quotes and taping them on her bedroom wall.
Later, she found a real-world mentor in Anne Degre, a powerhouse in manufacturing.
“She became a real-life example of what it’s like to be bold [and] lead in a male-dominated space,” Valentino said.
“Even though our stories were very different … it was still eye-opening to see how she navigated spaces that men sometimes didn’t want her to be in.”
Building Teams That Thrive on Excellence — Not Mediocrity
Valentino’s leadership style evolved as her companies grew.
“Both can exist,” she said of being kind and strong. “The ‘and’ is what’s important and being kind, understanding and expecting greatness.”
She believes in seeing potential in people before they see it themselves and pushing them to meet it.
“When we [accept] mediocrity, the company is not going to achieve what it can,” she said. “ Seeing people for who they are … is critically important, [as is] calling them up into that higher version of themselves.”
Her Call to Women: Don’t Wait to Be Taken Seriously
Despite her success, Valentino says the business world still has a long way to go in supporting women, especially in finance and investment.
“[It’s about] knowing that you have done some of the hardest things in your life,” she said. “Figuring out finances in your business is really nothing [compared to] having a baby handed to you that you have to walk out of the hospital and raise.”
She encourages women to stop waiting for permission.
“Sometimes women underestimate their power because they think, Oh, I didn’t have this experience, or They’re not taking me seriously,” she continues.
“But it’s us not taking ourselves seriously enough to command the rooms that we walk into, that’s where the greatest level of growth still lives for women today.”
