JAMAICAN-BORN entrepreneur Ingrid Murray has built a career out of seeing possibilities where others see limitations.

Now based in New York, Murray is the chief executive officer of Prospect Cleaning Service Inc, a commercial cleaning and building maintenance company that has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise serving major public and private sector clients. Under her leadership, the company has expanded significantly, earning recognition on the Inc 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and establishing itself as a respected player in an industry that is often overlooked.

The company’s success has been driven by strategic growth, operational excellence and Murray’s ability to identify opportunities where others saw obstacles. What began as a modest operation evolved into a thriving business providing commercial cleaning, maintenance and environmental services throughout the New York region.

One of Prospect Cleaning Service’s most defining moments came during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when businesses across the United States were struggling to survive, the company secured contracts that placed it at the centre of critical sanitisation efforts throughout New York. Prospect Cleaning Service was commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to oversee cleaning, disinfecting and sanitisation services for Metro-North and Harlem Line stations across multiple counties, while also providing 24-hour cleaning services at Grand Central Terminal, one of the busiest transportation hubs in the United States.

For Murray, however, the story behind that success extends far beyond business.

It is also a story about migration, responsibility, faith, loss, perseverance and the unique pressures Caribbean women often face while pursuing ambitious goals.

“Growing up in Jamaica, I always envisioned a life of impact,” Murray said. “I knew I wanted to create change and rise beyond the limitations I saw around me.”

Her journey, she believes, reflects a broader reality about Caribbean women and the challenges many continue to navigate while trying to build lives that extend beyond survival.

Long before she became a business executive, Murray learned what it meant to carry responsibility.

“I’ve been a caregiver since I was 14 years old, helping to take care of my younger brother after my mother immigrated to the United States,” she said.

Like many Caribbean women, she learned early that other people would depend on her.

“All my life I’ve been a caregiver. There was always someone depending on me.“

Those experiences shaped the way she approaches leadership today.

“I learned how to pivot, adapt and find solutions no matter the circumstances,” she said. “Leadership is a gift, but without substance and meaningful impact, it means nothing.”

Even as a child growing up in Jamaica, Murray believed she was capable of building something larger than the circumstances around her.

“A lot of people doubted me early on, so I became determined to show the world who I truly was — not who others assumed I would become,” she said.

“I used to say all the time, ‘When I go to America, I’m going to be rich’,” she recalled. “But it was never only about money. It was about proving to myself that my environment did not define my future.”

While popular culture often frames success through the language of manifestation, Murray offers a different perspective.

Ingrid Murray

“For me, manifestation is about aligning my vision with what God has already designed for my life,” she said. “It’s not simply wishing for something and waiting for it to appear. It requires discipline, faith, hard work and obedience.”

That philosophy would be tested dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the early days of the crisis, Murray’s company lost approximately 90 per cent of its clients almost overnight.

“For a moment, I lost hope,” she said.

After praying, she felt compelled to invest the last available funds in her account into specialised sanitisation equipment, despite having no guarantee that the decision would pay off.

“At first, even my late husband thought it sounded unreasonable,” she recalled. “But like always, I asked him to trust me — and he did.”

The gamble proved transformative.

That investment positioned Prospect Cleaning Service to respond to an unprecedented demand for disinfecting services and ultimately led to contracts that changed the trajectory of the business.

“Without God, I would be nothing,“ she said. “Every success I have belongs to Him.”

Although Murray’s story is one of achievement, she is candid about the obstacles she believes continue to hold many Caribbean women back.

“Fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles,” she said. “There’s also a lack of support, and often a lack of self-worth that develops from years of being underestimated or overlooked.”

And rather than allowing criticism to discourage her, she focused on execution.

“Not everyone will understand your vision,” she said. “Sometimes you have to keep building anyway.”

Today, Murray sees success as something that should extend beyond personal achievement.

Through mentorship, philanthropy and her work with aspiring entrepreneurs, she has become increasingly focused on helping other women recognise their own potential.

“Growing up without support or people believing in you can be deeply traumatic,” she said. “Sometimes all it takes is one person truly listening to you, hearing your vision and reminding you that your life has value.”

As she looks toward the future, Murray says she remains focused on expansion, both personally and professionally.

“I am manifesting expansion — more businesses, new opportunities and becoming a gateway for future leaders who need guidance, wisdom and insight,” she said.