Entrepreneurial Spirit – Hispanic Heritage Month
As a Hispanic immigrant from Venezuela, I have always been very connected to my roots through community service, work, and the like.
My impact within the Hispanic community came from my experience working for various local, Hispanic media outlets, nonprofit organizations, as well as, producing events and leading other organizations in this market. Throughout my professional and personal life, I have been involved with the HCCMO in various capacities. I started as an intern when I was just 18 years old. That opportunity allowed me to embark on my professional journey with greater ease.
This journey is what led me to realize that there was a great need to connect others with the Hispanic market, as I have always been willing to help and collaborate with my community. So, when I decided to start my business, the first business decision I made was to register my company as a member of the HCCMO. Since then, my relationship has continued to flourish, especially during the pandemic. I am now the HCCMO Ambassador Co-Chair, and my company has the honor of being their digital marketeers. I have developed new business relationships, participated in countless events that have taught me so much, and volunteered in various activities that have allowed me to see the world of entrepreneurship in a completely different way. It is due to this 15-year relationship, that BOLD has been able to survive throughout this pandemic.
We had been in business for less than a year when COVID hit, which hindered me, as a business owner, from conducting typical things a new business owner would do like networking, business development, branding, etc.
In addition, the pandemic caused most of our clients to cancel their services due to the serious impact it had on their industries. I thought for sure that my dream was fading away. For three months, I didn’t pay myself a salary, and any income that came in was paid to my team.
"Keep Your Eyes On the Stars, But Your Feet On the Ground.”
For those three months, we decided to give it our all. To support our clients during the pandemic, we took certain measures and actions that allowed us to stay relevant and present which oddly enough, generated amazing results:
We continued to provide the service to those clients who suspended and / or reduced budgets without sacrificing quality. We offered free consulting to businesses that needed help with their marketing message. We hosted webinars about the digital world for the Hispanic community through a project called Embrace Digital Media. We offered special discounts on our services to help those companies that needed to establish or expand digitally. Finally, we were able to strengthen the relationships with our clients which allowed us to become more personalized in our approach.
I also became involved in special initiatives outside of my business, which included becoming Co-founder of “Más”, an alliance created between several marketing agencies where we brought together our talents & resources to help benefit the community. “Más” partnered with the HOPE Community Center in Apopka. Since the start of the pandemic, “Más” was able to raise funds for the organization and provide over 40 boxes of diapers to pregnant women and babies in need in the community, and we also contributed with a $2,000 donation. Additionally, we volunteered and helped with the distribution of diapers and food to these families.
Despite all the challenges, we managed to keep pushing forward. We transformed the business by providing services to over 35 small businesses and entrepreneurs, experienced 58% growth in revenue as compared to last year, doubled my staff, and provided internship opportunities to students abroad.
In 2020, I was nominated for the Outstanding Young Woman Leader Award of La Prensa Newspaper’s Mujeres Destacadas.
In February 2021, BOLD was recognized as the “Small Business of the Month” by the Orlando Magic through a program to help local small businesses. BOLD was highlighted in the Orlando Magic’s Newsletter, social media, official radio channel.
In September 2021, thanks to a newsletter we received from the HCCMO in August, we applied and were awarded a grant through Hello Alice’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Fund by SIA Scotch.