I have SOMETHING to say!

What do advocacy and support look like for Hispanic Business Enterprises (HBEs) so they can actually have equitable access to procurement opportunities? Meet Alma Del Toro, Co-Founder of BlueWave, a Supplier Development Program designed to strengthen Latino-owned businesses and get them BIG BUSINESS READY. In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, Alma shares how she partnered up with Co-Founder Eduardo Nuñez, also a former C-Level executive in the oil industry to create this much-needed training and capacity building curriculum to help business owners like me attain the required documentation and knowledge to align with the rules and regulations of most procurement departments in Corporate America – across all industries.

URBANDER had the privilege to participate in Blue Wave’s first cohort with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. I’m very grateful to have been nominated by my cheerleader at Chase here in Orlando, Janice Lopez, and to have been accepted into the program. Access to this type of resource and support to scale in a significant way can be costly and difficult to secure.

As we look forward to celebrating the upcoming celebration of URBANDER’s quinceañero in business, I’m delighted that we were the recipient of this invaluable gift in the form of BlueWave’s hands-on guidance. The initial self-assessment was extremely helpful in benchmarking our procurement readiness, and each session was a masterclass in compliance, policies, and procedures.

I vividly recall when we were encouraged to access BlueWave’s Document Library to see samples of how to implement best practices in operating a business. I was in disbelief and nearly cried; it was the first time in 15 years that I have received such a generous amount of assistance accompanied by Alma’s outstanding level of coaching. Result: URBANDER received the PLATINUM badge – whoot whoot!

This experience has been transformational, and I know that URBANDER, as well as the rest of my comrades in this cohort, will now have the tools and knowledge to seek opportunities that will exponentially grow our businesses. Alma Del Toro and Eduardo Nuñez, your leadership, authenticity, and selflessness does not go unnoticed. URBANDER’s forthcoming quantum leap is part of Blue Wave’s legacy, and it will impact wealth creation in our families for generations to come.

I know so many people that have started their own business in the last couple of years, and a lot of them are fellow Latinas for whom it’s especially difficult to get access to…basically everything (i.e., introductions, invitations, capital, contracts, mentorship, sponsorships, certifications, commercial spaces, manufacturers, press and media coverage, etc.). So, for this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY I asked my dear friend Sandra Noemi Torres, Founder and CEO of Plan Your Company, to join me to discuss where, as Latina business owners, we have learned to invest our time, energy, and resources (aka money).  We figured this conversation could perhaps prevent fellow entrepreneurs who identify as women of color from experiencing some of the pitfalls of “not knowing what you don’t know” regarding business ownership.

This is a very raw and candid conversation – that even takes a turn into existentialism, spirituality, and how we are all interconnected (Sandra takes it there!) – and we hope it offers some insight into what and who to avoid, what not to waste your hard-earned money on, where to invest your energy and re$ource$, and the importance of being mindful of the time you dedicate to yourself, certain tasks, other people and pursuing opportunities. It becomes very real very quickly that self-worth is at the epicenter of how to maximize all three: YOUR time, YOUR energy, and YOUR resources. It’s YOUR business and at the end of the day…you call the shots! ¡Tú eres la jefa!

I know so many people that have started their own business in the last couple of years, and a lot of them are fellow Latinas for whom it’s especially difficult to get access to…basically everything (i.e., introductions, invitations, capital, contracts, mentorship, sponsorships, certifications, commercial spaces, manufacturers, press and media coverage, etc.). So, for this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY I asked my dear friend Sandra Noemi Torres, Founder and CEO of Plan Your Company, to join me to discuss where, as Latina business owners, we have learned to invest our time, energy, and resources (aka money).  We figured this conversation could perhaps prevent fellow entrepreneurs who identify as women of color from experiencing some of the pitfalls of “not knowing what you don’t know” regarding business ownership.

This is a very raw and candid conversation – that even takes a turn into existentialism, spirituality, and how we are all interconnected (Sandra takes it there!) – and we hope it offers some insight into what and who to avoid, what not to waste your hard-earned money on, where to invest your energy and re$ource$, and the importance of being mindful of the time you dedicate to yourself, certain tasks, other people and pursuing opportunities. It becomes very real very quickly that self-worth is at the epicenter of how to maximize all three: YOUR time, YOUR energy, and YOUR resources. It’s YOUR business and at the end of the day…you call the shots! ¡Tú eres la jefa!

We have all been challenged in recent years to pause and consider other perspectives. And it’s not always as easy as it sounds in the workplace because most people don’t control how businesses are generally run. They must abide by the rules and policies of their employers – like them or not. However, the pushback and tension are REAL and PERSISTENT.

In this episode of “I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY” I talk to Ilhiana Rojas Saldana, Founder and President of BeLIVE Coaching & Consulting, dedicated to supporting companies with their Executive and Leadership Transformation Strategy. We take a deep dive into the generational clashes that are happening in workplace cultures across the U.S. and how to best navigate them.

Ilhiana points out that for the first time ever there are five generations of employees represented in work environments (traditionalists, baby boomers, Generation X, millennials/Gen Y, and Generation Z), all with very distinct values. When we add into the mix (and tension) the fact that the younger generations are the most diverse we have ever experienced in terms of gender identity, race, and ethnicity, let’s just say – it’s A LOT to navigate from the employer’s perspective.

Communication is critical because if everyone is not on the same page with regards to the expectations of each individual and each team, then performance will be at most satisfactory and oftentimes disjointed or “meh”. From a generational standpoint, people tend to have differences in three areas: what they value at work, how they behave at work, and their skill sets. For example, while a seasoned salesperson might have more years of customer service and forecasting experience a recent college grad is a native speaker of tech and Web 3.0.

Something’s gotta give. We can all start by listening with empathy and admitting that we don’t know it all. There is MUCH we can learn from newer as well as more mature colleagues. We also have to come to terms that things will never go back to pre-pandemic work experiences because people are prioritizing LIVING…and many want work with PURPOSE. So, at the end of the day, if people feel valued, appreciated, and respected in the workplace, they will feel their employer actually cares about them and they will want to stick around for the long run. Otherwise, it’s time to BOUNCE!

I’m experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions as I read Passion and Purpose: 21 Inspiring Stories from Women in the US Virgin Islands on Business, Leadership, and Life. In this episode, if I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, the co-authors of this incredibly powerful anthology of essays, Jo’Hanna D. Samuel and Vanessa I. Farrell reminisce on the special circumstances under which this book came to be.

We all met in the summer of 2019 while enjoying the inaugural Annual #Girlfriendism Retreat in St. Croix. Both Jo’Hanna and Vanessa are businesswomen, accomplished speakers, and best-selling authors, so they inevitably gravitated towards each other, quickly realizing they had the same idea in mind of elevating the voices of female leaders from the USVI.

Passion and Purpose is “an amazing journey of unshakeable faith in the face of adversity, unknowns, and triumphs. This compilation of stories was written by women for women to inspire, motivate, and strengthen your confidence to follow your dreams, rise above fear, and live out your life’s passion and purpose.” This is the formal description of the book, and while it’s spot on, I share with Vanessa and Jo’Hanna how I don’t know what to expect with the turn of each page – and in a good way. Will I cry, feel enraged, laugh out loud, pause to ponder or be inspired?

Each story is mesmerizing and transformational. The authors wear their hearts on their sleeves and tell us how they pushed forward in pursuing their goals with confidence and clinging on to their faith in a higher power, even during the direst situations. But the best part is that men who have ventured into exploring these life-changing essays are also hooked with Passion and Purpose. They are likely struck by the voices of women who are exercising their leadership through storytelling because they are often dismissed, unheard or unrecognized in society.

We celebrate that the majority of the authors are first-time writers, and invite everyone to buy a digital copy (hard copy will be available soon!): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BYY6T54L/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

I’m experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions as I read Passion and Purpose: 21 Inspiring Stories from Women in the US Virgin Islands on Business, Leadership, and Life. In this episode, if I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, the co-authors of this incredibly powerful anthology of essays, Jo’Hanna D. Samuel and Vanessa I. Farrell reminisce on the special circumstances under which this book came to be.

We all met in the summer of 2019 while enjoying the inaugural Annual #Girlfriendism Retreat in St. Croix. Both Jo’Hanna and Vanessa are businesswomen, accomplished speakers, and best-selling authors, so they inevitably gravitated towards each other, quickly realizing they had the same idea in mind of elevating the voices of female leaders from the USVI.

Passion and Purpose is “an amazing journey of unshakeable faith in the face of adversity, unknowns, and triumphs. This compilation of stories was written by women for women to inspire, motivate, and strengthen your confidence to follow your dreams, rise above fear, and live out your life’s passion and purpose.” This is the formal description of the book, and while it’s spot on, I share with Vanessa and Jo’Hanna how I don’t know what to expect with the turn of each page – and in a good way. Will I cry, feel enraged, laugh out loud, pause to ponder or be inspired?

Each story is mesmerizing and transformational. The authors wear their hearts on their sleeves and tell us how they pushed forward in pursuing their goals with confidence and clinging on to their faith in a higher power, even during the direst situations. But the best part is that men who have ventured into exploring these life-changing essays are also hooked with Passion and Purpose. They are likely struck by the voices of women who are exercising their leadership through storytelling because they are often dismissed, unheard or unrecognized in society.

We celebrate that the majority of the authors are first-time writers, and invite everyone to buy a digital copy (hard copy will be available soon!): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BYY6T54L/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Writing is art, and Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández has mastered it.  He’s our guest in this week’s episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, to talk about his life experiences and his new book “When the World Turned Upside Down: Politics, Culture, and the Unimaginable Events of 2019- 2022.” As a seasoned historian, university professor, nationally syndicated columnist, consultant, and public speaker, he has A LOT TO SAY and shares some of the developments in the United States and across the world that have impacted the world that he highlights in the book, including the parallels of an 1800’s Civil War United States with the current sociopolitical landscape in the nation.

Dr. Martínez-Fernández describes how by the age of 10 he had already experienced exile from Cuba and migration several times – Miami, Perú, Puerto Rico. All these lived experiences fueled his interest in understanding the history that caused them and writing about them. His college studies at the Universidad de Puerto Rico also afforded him a nurturing learning environment where he began exploring graphic design.

In Orlando since 2004, Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s expertise in international affairs, Latin America, the Caribbean, education, and US Latinos/Hispanics makes him a valuable asset to the students of the University of Central Florida (UCF), which is classified as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). This means that over 25% of UCF students identify as Hispanic. It’s awesome to learn that his “Puerto Rican History” class is very well attended. He says that for a researcher like him, Orlando is a laboratory of sorts, giving us an idea of the U.S. Hispanic experience, both for U.S.-born and migrating families. 

“When the World Turned Upside Down: Politics, Culture, and the Unimaginable Events of 2019-2022” will be presented at the Dr. Philips Performing Arts Center in Orlando in the DeVos Family Room on Thursday, Apr 6, 2023, at 7:00 p.m.

This is a FREE event and registration is strongly encouraged to attend:  https://arts.cah.ucf.edu/event/when-the-world-turned-upside-down-cta-2023/

Dr. Martínez-Fernández will share excerpts of this collection of 65 essays and opinion columns that stands at the intersection between opinion journalism and history, its individual components offering a dialogue between past and present. The talk will be accompanied by a visual presentation that includes a selection of editorial posters related to the book’s topics that will be on display.

Ladies. We are riddled with guilt. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Good news: you can stop beating yourself up.

In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, I'm joined by my new friend Pam Isom, President and CEO of ICE Safety Solutions, a company that has been supporting Corporations and Government entities since 1999 with the mitigation and prevention of employees and contractors from getting injured, ill, or potentially losing their life.

The stakes have always been high for Pam, who has had to navigate asserting her industry expertise in a male-dominated field. And she’s succeeded because of her unmatched ability to customize any potential safety concern into simulation-based training to ensure long-term retention of skills, and most importantly, people’s capacity to save lives.

However, today Pam and I talk woman-to-woman, sister-to-sister, about the guilt that inevitably creeps in when you are running a business and raising kids at the same time. Pam had her first baby while she was starting her business 25 years ago. Like in her home, in mine, my kids only know me as a mom-entrepreneur as well. And while it may sound sexy, it poses certain challenges: hard to disconnect from work/clients, limited family time even though you’re sort of “there” all the time, the constant disappointment of your loved ones, assumptions about where you have your priorities, etc. Some of these apply to working women in general, but having worked in both the corporate sector and as an entrepreneur – well, let’s just say the hustle is different. As a small business owner, you’re solely responsible for securing the revenue that will deliver financial stability and socioeconomic mobility for the family.

I ask Pam, whose daughters are now in their early 20s and pursuing successful careers if my kids (16 and 13) will be OK, even though I often feel I’m failing them by not being fully accessible every time they need me. She responds reassuringly – “YES, THEY WILL BE OK!”  She offers up the following gems that help me rid myself of my guilt:

1. The children of mom entrepreneurs are exposed to experiences they otherwise wouldn’t have like listening in on business negotiations, helping consolidate invoices, and attending networking events. This helps them handle rejection, learn how to persevere and compromise, and adjust to unexpected circumstances (and people) more swiftly.
2. They understand that “NO”, stands for New Opportunity. It’s not the end of the world if things don’t work out as planned. On the contrary, they know it may lead to a better opportunity and the result is resilient, nimble, and creative people.
3. They learn to deal with disappointment, and that it’s OK to disappoint someone every day because no one is perfect. This wards off a sense of entitlement, affording everyone in the household a chance to “come short” of meeting the expectations of others without judgment.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A marketer’s curse or blessing? 

In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY my friend Juliana No, President of Stand Out Consulting, joins me to talk about recent developments in tech and how they impact communication, marketing, and engagement.

A few weeks ago, I read one of Juliana’s posts where she was strongly voicing her concerns (a justified rant) about how businesses were being taken advantage of because AI like ChatGPT are being pitched to them like magic potions.

Juliana and I go back and forth discussing a series of new shifts in the digital space – from Instagram now charging to get a verified account, to 3D the  immersive spaces aka metaverse – and this is where we landed after our zestful conversation:

1. We need to embrace new technologies as TOOLS to enhance how we communicate, engage, and do business.
2. AI can’t replicate the unique lived experiences of PEOPLE and how they are organically embedded in the production of amazing content created by humans.
3. Nothing replaces years of marketing EXPERIENCE – AI is just as good as the creativity and expertise of the people using it.
4. The latest trends are not a magic potion – we should learn about them and see if they serve us with the intention of DIVERSIFYING the ways we communicate our brand’s value.
5. People are craving in-person experiences, but it better be WORTH THEIR TIME because after the pandemic, we’re now evaluating the investment of time it takes to get to and from LIVE events.

Data drives business decisions, right? And investments, right? OK, then listen up. In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY the conversation is all about fact-based data that provides REAL economic information about who Latinos are in the U.S. Ana Valdez, President and CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), is a wonderful guest because she doesn’t hold back. LDC is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to elevate the national discourse on the role and contributions of Latinos to American society supported by data.

It all started over 10 years ago when a group of Latino leaders decided to bring together their resources and invest in conducting independent deep-dive research regarding the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. “This group was founded by Sol Trujillo and Henry Cisneros. They said, you know what, we need to present data that really shows who Latinos are in this country because we know instinctively that Latinos are incredible, but we really don’t have the means to show that. The country is really better because of us, and our economic impact is tremendous, but we don’t have the numbers,” Ana shares.

Since then, LDC has developed more than 25 original reports and research pieces that highlight the economic impact of Latinos across all industries and levels. They have secured partnerships of the caliber of Stanford, UCLA, Columbia University, and Accenture, to name a few, to conduct evidence-based research that informs new ways to stimulate the economy, influence how major corporations engage with Latinos, and ultimately provide the data that confirms that investing in Hispanic employees, talent, stories, suppliers, and communities will absolutely 1000% pay off from a business standpoint.

One of LDC’s many jewels is the Latino GDP Report, updated in 2022, which reflects that if U.S. Hispanics were a standalone country TODAY, we would be the 5^th largest GDP in the world right after the United States, China, Japan and Germany, to a tune of 2.8 trillion dollars. Ana explains, “The first report came out in 2017, and we were back then the 8^th largest economy in the world. These numbers show that we are incredibly hard-working that we are reliable and we’re incredibly loyal. We just want to create a better life for families. What is more of an American dream? And that’s what we want to show people. We are not the enemy. We are not invading anything we’ve been in this country even before this country was a country.”

Bottom line, LDC is providing free access to data about Latinos in the U.S. with a business lens and to counter racial profiling. “We chose to not go with the social justice argument, because although we believe that it’s a great argument, sometimes people are really scared. We believe that the reason why the LDC has been able to get to the places we have been is that we actually come to them with a business premise of growth. So, for us, it’s about telling you where you can get growth and where you actually have a blind spot. Who doesn’t want to know a blind spot in terms of getting more money?,” Ana quips.

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