Six years ago, the Caracciolo-Clayton family became part of the south Lake Community and recently Kyle and his wife Jesenia opened the brick and mortar location of Lion Heart Floors at 376 E. Myers Blvd, Unit C, Mascotte. The South Lake Chamber of Commerce welcomed the family to the business community with a ribbon cutting followed by a Business After Hours celebration.
Kyle Caracciolo-Clayton talks about his business, his family, and himself
South Lake Tablet: Tell me a little about your family
Kyle: “My wife and I have been together since 2004. We have gone through all major milestones in life together. She is my best friend. We are loyal partners. We have 3 children and one on the way. Our oldest girl; Lily is 13. We have Kyle Jr. who is 8 and Luna who just turned 11 months and expecting another!
South Lake Tablet: Why Did you choose Mascotte to open your business?
Kyle: We chose Mascotte because we saw it as a community that was underserviced and growing very quickly. I wanted to be a part of the community’s growth.
South Lake Tablet: Why A Flooring Business?
Kyle: I’m the second generation in the flooring industry.
My dad owns a flooring company in Orlando and I was set up to one day take the company over and run things. My dad and I never really saw eye to eye, there were so many things that he was doing that I just knew I could do better. We could leverage technology and social media and go paperless which would optimize efficiency while being green to boot.
The Flooring Industry is not what I originally wanted to do but as I got deeper into the industry, I realized I was good with my hands and I fell in love with it. I got a taste of sales and working with people and that was it, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
South Lake Tablet: When did you decide you were going to open your business and how did you choose the name Lion Heart as the name of your business?
Kyle: For years, my wife was pushing me to go out on my own and start a company where we can implement these bold ideas. The only thing that held me back was fear of failing.
She was driving home from Tampa and phoned me out of the blue. She told me that I had the heart of a lion and, I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to do. We had to go for it ….., so that was the name of our company would become, Lion Heart.
SOUTH LAKE TALBET: How long has Lion Heart Floors been opened?
Kyle: I have been installing since 2004 and officially went on my own in 2016 with Lion Heart Floors. We opened our brick and mortar here is Mascotte in January of 2019.
South Lake Tablet: Would you like to share anything with the readers?
Kyle: Fear can stop us from doing all the things we could have done; People fail because they are afraid to give 100%. For everyone being held back by fear, just do it! Win, lose or draw, it is worth every second of the experience.
