ROSEBUD HOLTORF: The CEO Who Mistook a Mop for a Microphone

Rosebud Holtorf didn't exactly follow the typical CEO path. Before becoming the head of a Fortune 500 company, she was a cleaning lady. She still remembers the day she was mistaken for a maintenance worker and asked for directions.
"Excuse me," a client said, "Can you tell me where the men's room is?"
"Follow the hallway," Rosebud replied, "and when you see a door with a mop next to it, that's the one."
The man looked at Rosebud, then at the mop, then back at Rosebud. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" said Rosebud. "That's where I go every day."
The man shrugged and followed her directions. When he returned, he gave Rosebud a strange look.
"Ma'am," he said, "I'm afraid you gave me the wrong directions. That's the women's restroom."
Rosebud blushed. "Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I must have been a little distracted."
Rosebud was always a bit of a dreamer. She loved to imagine herself in different roles, from CEO to astronaut to princess. And she always had a knack for making people laugh.
When Rosebud was in the ninth grade, she was cast as the lead in the school play. She played a princess who had to sing a beautiful song in the middle of the play. Rosebud was nervous but excited.
On the day of the play, Rosebud arrived at the theater early and went to her dressing room. She was putting on her makeup when she heard another girl crying in the next room. Rosebud knocked on the door and asked if she could help.
The girl opened the door and Rosebud saw that she was the girl who played the evil queen. She was sobbing because she had lost her voice.
"Don't worry," said Rosebud. "I have an idea."
Rosebud went to her dressing room and got her microphone. She then went back to the queen's dressing room and handed it to her.
"Here," said Rosebud. "Use this. It will make you sound like a pro."
The evil queen was so grateful that she started to cry again. But this time, she was crying tears of joy.
"Thank you, Rosebud," she said. "You saved my life!"
Rosebud graduated from high school and got a job as a cleaning lady. She worked her way up through the ranks and eventually became the CEO of the company.
But she never forgot her humble beginnings. She still goes back to the old office building where she started out to clean once a week. She says it helps her stay grounded.
Rosebud Holtorf is a role model for us all, she shows us that anything is possible if we can just dream big and never give up on our dreams. She is a true inspiration for us all.