Her smile seems like her first enduring victory in life. Greta Bajrami leads her businesses in the USA and beyond. Not only has she overcome challenges to achieve success, but today, she is expanding her activities and the geography of her engagements, fulfilling a personal aspiration.
Through occasional communications with Greta over the past two years, I have understood that she achieved success even before starting her business. A young woman, who, together with her high school sweetheart, took on the responsibilities of parenthood early, providing a life for their child. Despite opposition from those around them, much like in business, they built the foundation of a family they now cherish while running their group of businesses.
In this interview, Greta shares her journey and future plans, which fortunately include Albania.
How did your journey in the US begin? How long have you been there, and what were your initial engagements?
When I was 10 years old, my parents and I emigrated to the United States through the American lottery system in Albania. As a young girl, my first step in the US was attending high school and later college to earn a degree in business administration. In my final year of college, during an entrepreneurship class, I discovered an opportunity and decided to start my own company, “Golden Group Roofing.”
How long did it take to consolidate your business and feel successful?
The initial challenges of every young entrepreneur, especially at the age of 21, included building confidence to deliver what I said I would, not just for myself but also for my team. The second challenge was being a young female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry. The third was being a young immigrant female entrepreneur in such a field, facing countless obstacles that made it feel like swimming against the current.
When I opened the doors to Golden Group Roofing, I did so with just a $15,000 loan from my parents at the time. Having a very limited budget in a highly competitive industry pushed me to innovate, use many free resources, and find ways to leverage time instead of financial resources I didn’t have.
The reason I decided to enter business is simple. I wanted to find a way to secure income for my family and myself, creating stability so I wouldn’t risk being unemployed. At that time, I was a young mother married to my high school sweetheart. I didn’t wake up one day thinking I wanted to work in construction, renovation, or own a roofing company. All I knew was that I wanted to find a way to support my family.
The idea for Golden Group Roofing came from an entrepreneurship class I attended in my final year of college. Initially, I was working on a project for a coffee shop called Tiramisu Café. However, at that time, I urgently needed a job and began exploring the construction industry, which was booming after the recession in the US.
Working in construction that summer, I noticed it was a growing industry with many opportunities for profit. When I returned to class, I told my professor about construction and ways I had noticed to improve its outdated processes, neglected by technology. My professor said: “Why don’t you turn Tiramisu Café into your own construction company?”
At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant, but later I realized he was suggesting that everything I had learned and prepared to open Tiramisu Café was all I needed to start any type of business. So, my project for Tiramisu Café transformed into Golden Group Roofing.
When did you first feel successful in business?
This is a question a good CEO or entrepreneur should answer daily. We always strive to stay ahead of competitors, breaking not only personal goals but also last year’s results. Without this daily plan, we risk falling behind, which is why many good businesses stop growing.
For me personally, every day, I think we haven’t achieved success yet and are still on a journey. This mindset has allowed the business to grow by an average of $1 to $2 million annually. However, if I had to pinpoint when I first felt successful, I’d say it began around the seventh year.
The first seven years of the business were filled with relentless work, long nights, countless hours, and little to no income. Today, when I speak at conferences or podcasts, I’m often asked, “What do you do?” or “How much do you earn?” But I always say these are the wrong questions. The right question is, “What have I done, and what did it take to get here?” because it’s likely a journey, a time commitment, and a sacrifice you might not be willing to make.
Success in business differs for everyone. For some, it may feel achieved after three years, for others after ten. The question is: How long are you willing to sacrifice and strive until success feels real?
In recent years, you’ve expanded your portfolio, including marketing and education. Can you tell us about Rootless, how it started, and its progress?
The story of Rootless is truly beautiful and unique. In 2017 and 2018, I started attracting national media attention in the United States. Everyone wanted to know more about the Albanian girl who launched a roofing reconstruction company with just a $15,000 loan and managed to create a success story with less than a 1% chance of success statistically.
My story is uncommon. I became a young mother in my first year of college and married my high school sweetheart, not because we were sure we wanted to spend our lives together, but because we wanted to give our daughter everything she deserved—a family. As two young individuals learning to parent and build love for one another, launching a company in a male-dominated industry as a woman and immigrant was an incredible challenge.
With the growth and success of our company came awards, interviews, and community interest in knowing the people behind the brand. This led me to appear in numerous podcasts from 2018 to 2022. Through these conversations, I realized I had a broader message to share with the world—the message of Rootless.
The name Rootless came from my personal feelings. When I came to America at age 10, I never felt fully American. When I returned to Albania as a 35-year-old woman, I didn’t feel entirely Albanian either because much of what I remembered had changed. This feeling persisted in the roofing industry as well, where, despite being the CEO of a successful company, I still didn’t feel included because immigrants and women are rare in this sector.
That feeling defines Rootless for me, symbolizing breaking free from the limitations of our roots. For some, roots are painful memories of past struggles that hinder success due to a lack of opportunities. Those who are rootless understand that unless they leave where they are, they won’t find open doors. They must dare to detach, face the unknown, because even if there’s only a 1% chance of success, their story deserves that chance.
Rootless.com is a platform based on the mission of sharing stories like mine, Fadil Berisha’s, and many others. Through inspiring narratives and practical guides, we offer tools to help others create their own success stories.
In this journey, we also created Rootless Agency, a branding and marketing company. With this agency, I assist in creating and implementing strategies for new businesses. A talented team, led by our CTO, Xhulio Jamaku, delivers technological projects for our clients, helping various businesses grow and achieve their success.
You always appear smiling. What is your formula for happiness? What do you consider happiness?
It’s true that I often appear smiling and positive, but that doesn’t mean I’m always happy. However, I have an important rule in my life: no matter the situations I face, I must handle them with dignity and empathy for others. I don’t want my stress or personal difficulties to impact my friends or my team.
To me, happiness is about family, friends, and my children. Every day, I ask myself: “Why do I wake up in the morning? Why do I do everything I do?” While money is an important part of business, it’s not the main reason I work hard. The reason is to create a life that allows me to be present in my children’s important moments, to attend every soccer game for my son, every activity for my daughter, and to have dinner with my husband every night.
For me, being present and active in the lives of those I love is everything. After all, what’s the point of earning millions if you lose the people you love—whether physically, emotionally, or through missed memories you couldn’t create with them?
What future projects are in the works?
One of the biggest projects I’m planning for the future is “Rootless Albania,” set to take place in April 2025. This project is very exciting for me, as it will bring the Rootless platform and message to my homeland, Albania.
The plan is to organize a major Rootless conference, including:
- Panelists sharing inspiring stories and practical experiences.
- Workshops to help participants develop concrete skills and business strategies.
- Networking events accompanied by music, creating an open and friendly atmosphere.
Additionally, “Rootless Albania” will support a startup in Albania with a monetary prize, to be announced in spring 2025. This is our way of investing in Albanian talent and new ideas.
