Rafael Rodas > www.tucocina.net

Rafael Rodas, Co-Founder & President, TUCOCINA.

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
Passion and determination are enough most days to get you excited about your business idea or about growing your company, self discipline and perseverance should pick-up the slack on the days when the going gets tough. I believe most of us have what it takes to succeed in business, but the ability to gauge and manage risk is what differentiates those who choose to pursue a career in entrepreneurship

What did inspire you to start your business?
Having an impact in the direction of our business and the chance to build and grow a company from scratch, have always seemed worthy challenges. Addressing a void in the cookware and household product markets with superior-quality, specialty kitchenware and products for the fast-growing Hispanic segment is a very exciting business prospect. The intersection of these challenges and business prospect, and the opportunity to stay connected to Latin cuisine, such a central part of Latino culture, made it so compelling, it inspired me to pursue it.

How did you finance it?
Commercial debt and a combination of personal funds and bootstrapping, giving the business breathing room to grow, a great deal of which has been possible thanks to my wife's unyielding support

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?
I am convinced that what makes Latin cuisine an essential part of our culture are the traditions that bring family and friends together. We are committed to complementing the cooking experience of Latin food lovers with high-quality products for everyday use. Being Hispanic provides a personal dimension to the way we approach our business, from product development to customer service, we are always inspired by the traditions we look to preserve

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
Always try to keep an eye on the "big picture". Having the ability and the discipline to look at current events in the context of the long-term business objectives is an effective way to understand what is happening right now. Evaluating current challenges from this perspective helps me determine the best way to move forward to regain momentum

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
Balancing growth is our greatest challenge. In a fast-growing market there are always multiple opportunities for growth, whether they be launching innovative products or partnering with new customers, the need to constantly evaluate opportunities and allocate scarce capital resources is an exciting challenge to face.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
With so much of the success of a business based on the timing of events, it is impossible to know whether the timeline and the path to success would be the same. However, if I could do one thing differently, I would have started earlier

What was your childhood ambition?
Since early on, my ambition was to "build something", so I wanted to be an architect. Later I became interested in business and the goal became to build a business. Today I work to build a company that has a positive impact on the people it touches.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Prudencio Unanue and later his son Joseph Unanue for having the vision to serve a market that many thought was not yet there

Richard Branson for the market-making boldness of his business endeavors and for his branding and marketing genius

Reinaldo Rodas, my father, for his unrelenting optimism and work ethic, and for his genuine interest in relating to people, understanding and addressing their needs

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Dinner. With the benefit of a full day's work behind, a good meal seems an ideal informal setting to start or strengthen a business relationship

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle that demands sacrifices often borne not only by an entrepreneur but by those around him/her as well. Bootstrapping, for instance, requires frugal stewardship of both business and personal financial resources, and at times it may mean modifying short term financial goals that would be easily attainable on more conventional career paths, like deferring contributions to a retirement plan, for example. Nevertheless, these sacrifices usually come with the expectation of worthy long-term rewards

What is your favorite quote?
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore"
- André Gide

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
No. Like most people, I never set out to be unconventional, but simply strive to attain goals that I find challenging and fulfilling. Sometimes these pursuits stand out because they are different than what most people choose to do. I believe that nowadays our collective mindset is shifting toward entrepreneurship; twenty or thirty-year careers at a single company seem a lot less likely today than they did twenty years ago. Pursuing a twenty-plus year career at a corporate giant undoubtedly takes a great deal of determination and perseverance; and in my opinion, that kind of commitment is no less extraordinary and unconventional than choosing a career in entrepreneurship.

Biggest mistake made?
A few years ago, during the launch of one of our brands, I decided to outsource an important function to focus on other priorities of the business. Upon evaluating the outsourcing partner's performance, we found that although it had been satisfactory and according to our requirements, there was tremendous opportunity within that function to affect the strategic direction of the company and to capture significant cost savings.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
Yes. I am convinced that no matter the setting, in order to succeed in business one has to offer something new, different. However, I always keep in mind that innovation can take many forms. Innovators aren't only those who can come up with the quintessential "better mouse-trap"; they are also those who find a way to deliver it faster, or those who find a different application for it.

About the Company.
The ROCI Group, LLC owns and manages the TUCOCINA® brand of specialty kitchenware.

The premier source of specialty Hispanic kitchenware, TUCOCINA® products are created to satisfy the needs of Latino families and Latin-food lovers. Whether you are preparing the latest Nuevo Latino dish or your grandmother's signature soup we provide superior-quality cookware and kitchen tools designed to perform in today's kitchen.

TUCOCINA® offers a complete line of cookware and kitchen tools sold at over 600 retail establishments in the U.S.

TUCOCINA® Tradición Latina!
www.tucocina.net

Rodolfo Llanos > www.SoloIngles.com

Rodolfo Llanos, Founder, SoloIngles.com

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
I am encouraged to say that, more than anything, you need great determination to turn a dream into reality. Once you have that you have the most important thing and, adding a lot of work, creativity, planning and passion for what you propose, you are surely qualified as an “entrepreneur.” Every person that has an idea, takes the initiative with the only objective to turn it into a reality and leads the project all while keeping his nose to the grindstone to me is an entrepreneur. You need a lot of willpower, confidence and clarity of your objectives to not give in when things get stormy or negative. You must also be very attentive to the market so that you are not surprised by the reality

What did inspire you to start your business?
All my life I have known that education is the base of all progress and I firmly believe that the English language drives the business world. This is not only true for business, but also general communications increase and improve when we interact with other cultures, so it is important to use a universal language. Based on that belief I saw that many more people than I had thought do not use English due to the difficulties they have in finding a professor. These difficulties vary (different schedules, distances and economic resources) and it occurred to me that something as massive as the internet could be the solution to this problem that has been so important and reoccurring for a long time. In this way I used an existing resource for an educational mission that strives to be completely global and beneficial for everyone. I am motivated by imagining thousands of men and women finding the solution to their language problem with my service and that it helps to improve and change their quality of life.

How did you finance it?
To tell the truth, I started with $500. There wasn’t any more. We taught the first class from an internet café, without a proper structure, or investors. We gradually found the market and all of the investments were the fruit of sales done in the street, door to door and face to café. Everything was a “re-investment” in the business. It was hard, very hard, and something longer than we had imagined, but today we can say that we grew thanks to our work and our economic sacrifice. I made the furniture and the light fixtures in the office, I hired employees when it was possible to pay them and, in this way, always looking for more and improving the service, we financed the project.

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
I don’t know. I feel that the market for those who need to learn the English language is clearer for me, since I am a part of it. Being a “Spanish speaker” is related to the awareness of the need of my service in the world, but being “Hispanic” in reality could be a handicap rather than a positive influence in opening my business to the world.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
What a question! I will take a few of the words quoted in my first answer, for example: “determination.” For me, adversity is always there; it is not something that comes and goes. I look at it as an unfavorable condition which is always there with any goal (truthfully there have been very few when I have felt the “fair winds”), and therefore I have learned to see it as a part of life. Nothing more than that. And despite of it I have decided to keep moving forward for the same reasons as I started. My desire to see mi dream made into a reality, precisely against the tide. I knew when I started that my dream would never abandon me and I would never abandon my dream due to adversity. I never questioned whether I would move forward or not; I battled adversity with optimism and a lot of ingenuity. I know that it is passing and if I dwell too much on it, adversity wins.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
The biggest? My business is one disaster after another, partly because I handle it that way. In any case, I think that the biggest challenge has been opening offices in other countries and not just finding clients: flying to another country to tell them about myself and my project, my business, getting them to believe in an Argentine and his business. It is hard for me to decide which of these challenges deserves the title of “most difficult,” but, in the real world, Argentina is seen as an unstable country, therefore, it seems that all of the residents are unstable as well, so it is difficult to show this flag with pride when talking about businesses. Opening offices in foreign countries is also a new adventure for us, since what we have already done was a big investment and that is why I can select it as the biggest challenge. Another big one occurred while we were getting started: trying to quiet all of those voices that said, “This isn’t going to work.” This included experts in education who said that it was a good idea, but not applicable. This was an even bigger problem due to the fact that we were trying to teach by “videoconferencing” during an era when many of our students had never even chatted before.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
Nothing; this is the way I know it and any other way wouldn’t be the same. I imagine that I would cut down on the time needed to put our product on the market and spread to foreign countries. If I could change anything, I would change that, but if you are asking me to choose a characteristic that I don’t like leading, it would be this: I am a very anxious person and this sometimes makes me too restless. In any case I also know that this time that is spent waiting teaches you a lot and is very useful for me today. Therefore, I will stay with my lived experience, because without it the business wouldn’t be MINE, but a business to conquer.

What was your childhood ambition?
To be big. I always wanted to leave my mark. Have my family and my family. Reap the fruits of my labor successfully. When I was an adolescent it wasn’t very clear, maybe at that age I wanted more to have a girlfriend and travel the world with her, but I quickly changed!

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Gates, Ford and Larry Page.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
For me the best is lunch; it allows me to complete my daily activities and it makes me predisposed to eating well while doing business. This is very good because it helps everyone to relate the business meeting with a friendly gathering. Nothing takes away the goal of the meeting, but if we can make it more agreeable, all the better. In any case, I will agree to breakfast and dinner for any presented opportunities.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
Many. Giving up time with my family, principally with my children. It was hard but I always accomplished my goals knowing that they were also for a better future for my children. Abandoning the sport that I’m participating in again today, triathlons, because it took up so much time that I had to dedicate to my project. Reducing a few of the pleasures of my family because the money didn’t cover everything. I sacrificed, among other things, the sensation of security that someone who receives a salary at the end of the month feels. My decision to be an entrepreneur wouldn’t be changed for anything, but I know that in my life a lot my strength came from knowing that if I didn’t do it I wouldn’t get paid.

What is your favorite quote?
“Failure will never surprise you if your determination to catch up with success is sufficiently powerful.”

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
Haha, this question makes me feel too special! I don’t think I’m that special! I know that it is a decision that must be made everyday and that there are many temptations to fall into mediocrity and reduce our ambitions and it is not hard to stay conventional. Sometimes it is a question of conduct, but in my case, the desire grew in my essence to challenge the limits that held me back. Ignoring this would be much more difficult than maintaining a comfortable position where I was bored.

Biggest mistake made?
Delaying the opening of offices in other countries and thinking of publicity as a consequence of the consolidation of the business.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
Yes, it is something that I love: trying new things, inventing things to propose to the world. I like that my actions change the course of things and that my steps make a difference. Change attracts me and I get bored of routine. Innovation to me is a carrot that I will always pursue and enjoy exploring.

About the Company
Soloingles.com is a global technology and education company, a pioneer at the global level in the teaching of languages to professionals, executives and business people through videoconferencing and cell phones.
As an organization with strong international grow, the success of our project is based in our constant dedication to developing an educational system where the student obtains control of the language, both oral and written, that his profession demands.
Our number one strength is giving our students an indispensible tool in the globalized world of today. www.soloingles.com

Reynaldo Infante > www.worldvoicesstudios.com

Reynaldo Infante, Founder, World Voices Studios

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
It takes courage, enthusiasm, audacity, energy, and involves ourselves in a constant learning process about the Industry, the market and our inner strengths.

What did inspire you to start your business?
I noticed an increasing need of developing multilingual projects. As a neutral Spanish voice talent, I’ve been involved in the advertising field for many years and became aware of the need for neutral Spanish voiceovers for the Hispanic audience of the United States. This way, it started the idea of creating a multilingual voice bank with native professional talents, and support all by a professional voice recording facility.

How did you finance it?
My own resources, basically savings. I invested my savings in the construction of a small recording studio facility that stared progressing little by little until it allowed us to finance the construction of a second, better installed facility, which finally, again, made it possible for us to buy our current facilities. Everything happened step by step and every penny counted.

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
Sure, that was the light that started everything, the need of producing audiovisual materials specially intended for us, the Hispanic audience.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
We tend to focus on those elements that represent more benefits with less costs as possible for the company; and always keeping a positive attitude to look for opportunities during adversity, keeping in mind that such “adversity” is temporary.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
As every small start up company, I would say Time and Money were the biggest challenges. Time to develop and create business relations and money to develop a proper structure for the business.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
I´d like to able to spend even more time on the business , for me this is not work it´s passion, and you never get tired when you are involved in projects you just love.

What was your childhood ambition?
I always liked the idea of having my own recording studio agency and work on broadcast media. All my childhood hobbies were somehow related to this, which are now my current occupations.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire
There are many people I would say I admire from many perspectives in life, but these three well represent the all:

-Steve Jobs: his company created trends and his technology have changed life styles.

-Donald Trump: his courage to start all over again after a big fall

-Barack Obama: he is life representation of “Yes, we can” if we believe.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfast, early in the morning, ideas are fresh and everyone is open for new things that may come with a new day.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
Time, time and more time. Family and friends suffer this situation but they also understand. A few years later you are able to balance your life bit more. Currently, my wife works with me at the agency, which helps.

What is your favorite quote?
I have two phrases; I use one or the other depending on the situation. Mostly, when I am about to do something I say “You will never have all the proper circumstances to start something” and then I say “So, Cheer Up”.

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
Sometimes. The world works as a big system in which you are expected to be conventional….but then entrepreneurs arise and change everything.

Biggest mistake made?
Many! But other than a mistake, I would call it a learning curve, which has been sometimes long, painful or expensive, but the important thing about this is that at least I have been able to learn from each experience and become wiser with every new situation.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
If we consider innovation as the fact of being able to modify, make changes on something the way it is known, then I guess we are all innovators somehow. By the time we add some of our personal history on anything that we do, then we are making changes, we are innovating.

About the Company
World Voices Studios is a company entirely dedicated to the production of multilingual audio for corporate, commercial or educational use. We also offer translation services.
Our specialty is related to different aspects of the voiceover field and we work with a wide variety of voice talents native in different languages and residents in many countries. Our key value service is video dubbing and voiceovers into neutral Spanish. Our facilities allow us to record and direct our voice talents “in-house” and remotely.

http://www.worldvoicesstudios.com/

http://www.reynaldoinfante.com/

Angela Larson > www.FierceFunToys.com

Angela Larson, Founder, Fierce Fun Toys.

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
A business idea, a passion for seeing that idea come to life, flexibility to recognize when changes need to be made, AND thick skin to sort out all the “advice” that you will be given.

What did inspire you to start your business?
I had an idea that I thought could help make the world a tiny bit better for my boys. Then realizing that maybe other families could embrace the message as well.

How did you finance it?
After watching my 401K shrink significantly, I cashed it out. I decided I would have more fun developing and giving away my toy/story than losing the money to invisible market forces as well as a greater chance of return.

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
I grew up Hispanic in a very non-Hispanic neighborhood. My friends spoke one language and I was regularly hearing two languages. We had different rules and social structure in my household. Most of all we had different food. I think from those influences I’ve learned that different doesn’t mean better or worse, just different. This insight has helped me craft a message for my company that appeals to a wide group of diverse individuals. It has helped me as a business partner to think twice on why people may respond in a particular manner. And maybe the taste for diverse food has lead to much better business meetings!

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
Evaluate the concern at hand; is it a valid hurdle, is it surmountable, or is it something that needs serious consideration for the business model. Then deal with it. No matter what the issue, if left alone it is unlikely to be addressed. And when dealing with issues I just try to remember, “this too shall pass.”

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
Prioritizing. When first starting out, there is so much that needs to be done, but only limited time and funds. So prioritizing what is necessary now vs. what can wait till later becomes key. However finding any time and money has also provided challenges.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
I’m looking forward to having systems in place rather than building them. I love what we are about and what we are doing, but being a bit more mature in the process is something to which I’m looking forward.

What was your childhood ambition?
I was a day dreamer and book reader. I was not classically ambitions and did not have heroes. But my passions stir deep, and when I become passionate about something, it is the path I must follow. I guess all the books instilled the belief that anyone can cause change.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Kenneth Cole, he started from the back of a truck in mid-town NYC because he couldn’t afford to rent retail store space.

Martin Luther King Jr., ok, maybe not an entrepreneur, but he did repackage the message of ‘think beyond yourself and create good for the greater society’ in a non-religious metaphor so more people would understand.

Ruben Blades, the man is an amazing talent, passionate soul, and continues to build his life the way he chooses.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
I totally prefer breakfast. The meeting starts and ends on time due to the demands of the rest of the day, and I generally like the food. If it is a business/friendly meeting then dinner is nice, but because I have a family, don’t be surprised if I offer a cooked meal at my house.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
I held off having children for a long time. I’m older and more mature so maybe this wait was maybe a good choice overall. I also worked very long hours in the beginning, which if my husband hadn’t been so patient, we would not still be married. Now I still struggle to find a balance, I still work well over 40 hours a week, but I don’t do it all from an office.

What is your favorite quote?
“What would you do if you were sure not to fail?” It is a good question.

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
Sometimes. I think it instinctual to go the path that works best for oneself. However, others will try to focus you back on what is conventionally accepted. Thick skin definitely helps.

Biggest mistake made?
Not listening to my inner voice. Not following my passion. But I’m changing that now.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
Yes, because while I look for solutions I don’t only review what is available but consider every idea I can conceive.

About the Company
Fierce Fun Toys, LLC started one fateful morning when its president, a mother of two boys, was struck with a thought during her morning shower, “This can’t be all there is. I’m starting my own company!” A month later she went from working on Wall Street to working with a farting elephant, Norman PhartEphant.

Norman PhartEphant evolved from a funny idea, to an irresistible plush toy to an engaging picture book series about adoption, transition, cultural differences and overcoming odds. This toy and book series is the starting point for Fierce Fun Toys and mirrors the many events that have occurred in the founder’s life.

Fierce Fun Toys marries fun with charity by donating a portion of proceeds to children’s charities - The Smile Train and Half the Sky. We believe life should be fun, that we are all in it together, and everyone can make a difference.

www.FierceFunToys.com

www.PhartEphant.com