Lorena Amarante > www.omlatam.com

Lorena Amarante, Co-Founder, OM Latam

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

You need a combination of work, decision, commitment, endurance, passion, strategy, vision and innovation.

What did inspire you to start your business?

To do something that didn’t exists in the region. There were few events for professionals that generated a weak networking and were not able to create real synergy. What inspired us was to solve a problem: it wasn’t easy to hire qualified employees for our companies, while, in the other hand it was plenty of enthusiastic people eager to learn. The missing part was the link that could connect these two sides.

How did you finance it?

We finance through personal funds and through our members. It also requires plenty of time and dedication.

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?

Probably yes. I think the key is our need to socialize and to find a common Latin American professional ground to share our professional experiences.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

Adverse situations make me stronger. I’m the kind of person that can get the most out of them, in a positive way. I learn the lesson and go on with new fresh air.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

It was to take the decision to turn a hobby into a profitable business.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

I don’t think I would change something. But I would like to consolidate the company as the #1 Latin American marketplace in regards of digital marketing, and to reach more Spanish-speaking professionals.

What was your childhood ambition?

I wanted to stand out; to be better and to transcend myself in every aspect.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

Steve Jobs (Apple).

Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post).

Marcos Galperin (Mercadolibre).

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

I definitively prefer lunch.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?

I sacrificed personal spaces and time with my family.

What is your favorite quote?

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of US (1872 - 1933)

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

The real question is: What is ‘conventional’? Is easy to be what you truly are, to assume yourself in that way and to develop from that on. Conventional or unconventional, what matters is to know ourselves, our boundaries, our strengths and to build something with all that. The only thing that’s difficult is wishing to be something different than what we are.

Biggest mistake made?

Being afraid of success. I’ve always been frightened not by failure but by success. I was afraid of not having a balance between my personal life and my career. That kept me paralyzed for quite a few years.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?

Yes, basically because creating is a crucial part of every aspect of my life. I enjoy discovering, exploring and testing things, and always having in mind new possibilities. I feel motivated by innovation and, on the contrary, copy makes me bored.

About the company

In 2008, we founded a Professional Community –Online Marketing Latam- in order to facilitate interaction through the use of 2.0 technologies. At that time, we detected the need for relationships and access to relevant information about the industry, in addition to the networking events. So, we created a space for networking and exchange, and we became an industry benchmark for the region.

In 2011, we created OM Latam to help people develop their careers or businesses with digital marketing. Through Om Latam Academy we offer different training options on demand, with traditional attending learning and specially developed for companies. We’ve developed an Executive Program on Digital Marketing and a series of training and specialization courses and webinars.

Yvette Pineyro > www.WildChildPost.com / www.WeAreResident.com

Yvette Pineyro, Owner & Founder, Wild (child) / Resident Creative Studio

1. What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

Guts! Seriously, a passion for doing something that you love is most important, this passion allows you to maintain your drive and focus while growing your business.

2. What did inspire you to start your business?

I grew up in a family of filmmakers. It was a very creative environment and I developed a passion for storytelling and visual imagery at an early age. My aunt, Gloria Pineyro was an award-winning documentary editor who made the transition into advertising in the 1970’s. She owned her own editorial house in New York City, a place where I spent endless hours. After graduating from film school, I joined her company and in 1996, I launched the first incarnation of Wild(child) Editorial, and began building a business model that reflected my personal global aesthetic. I will always be grateful to have had such an inspirational mentor!

3. How did you finance it?

I was lucky to have someone who believed in my talent and business savvy. My aunt lent me the seed money to launch Wild(child), and I purchased my first AVID system. Then, as the business grew, and we met and surpassed our projections, I was able to secure loans to take it to the next level.

4. Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?

Being Hispanic influences my business in that it has provided me with an appreciation of a diverse mix of international aesthetics that brings a unique perspective to our work in all markets.

From the day that Wild(child) opened its doors we attracted high-end General Market work, as well as Hispanic and Latin American projects. We do have to work harder to maintain a balanced perception of our company in order to counter the industry’s tendency to pigeonhole a company. We are pro-active about showcasing our high-end general market work, talents and the accolades they receive. The fact is, I strive to maintain a diverse multicultural team of talent because my experience has always been that it provides the general market with access to a wider range of fresh talent.

By definition, creativity is all about pushing boundaries, yet we still need to prove to the industry that our artists speak a universal language. It is a process and we build relationships one agency at a time.

5. In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

I wake up each day truly looking forward to meeting the challenges that the business throws at me. My deep passion for the craft of editing is also a great motivator.

Adversity is a fact of life… but it’s no match for Wild(child)’s collaborative team of creative problem-solvers. My staff is an inspiring group with a creative spirit and passion for their work that allows us to keep raising the creative bar, and taking our work to the next level. Belief in the people that I work with is another motivating factor.

6. What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

Staying ahead of the curve. The industry experienced a major shakeup three-years ago, and companies scrambled to create one-stop shops that could provide clients with a more efficient approach to creating media content.

Over six-years ago I launched Wild(child) Editorial’s sister company, Resident Creative Studio, and assembled a team of top-caliber designers, VFX artists, directors, and producers, creating a full-service compliment to Wild(child) Editorial’s services.

Our Flatiron-based NY facility was designed to provide an expansive, open architecture space where the two companies can collaborate, and seamlessly take a project from concept to completion, working on 360-degree campaigns in multiple platforms - while providing over-the-top clients services.

7. If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

The sofas. But I am in the process.

8. What was your childhood ambition?

To be a stockbroker but the creative side of my brain squashed that idea.

And in this industry I still get to deal with all of the ups and downs of the world of high finance – just on a smaller scale.

9. Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

1. Oprah, for her vision, the diversity of her brand and the power of a woman!

2. Florence Knoll, for timeless modern design and her nurturing of designers.

3. Steve Jobs, for his innovative designs in the field of communication and technology and having more cash than the US government!

10. For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Dinner.

11. What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?

In many ways, my personal and professional lives are so intertwined that I am lucky not to have had to sacrifice much. I love what I do and have so many close friends in the business. Mostly, I just feel lucky.

12. What is your favorite quote?

“Help the talented because the untalented will get there by themselves,” – Nestor Almendros.

13. Is it difficult to be unconventional?

Taking risks is unconventional and can be difficult, but very necessary.

14. Biggest mistake ever made?

I wish I had gotten an MBA as well as a film degree. Because creating a solid infrastructure and understanding the bottom line was something that I had to learn on the job.

15. Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?

It took me almost 16 years to realize there aren’t many women, particularly minority women, who are the sole owners of two NYC companies in this industry: I’ve been told that qualifies me as an industry pioneer. Who knew?

I also started handpicking and signing international talent before it was trendy. and always saw creativity from a global perspective.

About the companies:

Wild(child) Editorial is a NYC-based creative boutique with an award-winning roster of in-house editors complimented by a select roster of global talent that offers advertising agencies and content creators in the general and multicultural arenas the ability to connect with a wide range of cultures and styles. We provide a full range of postproduction services – from rough-cut editorial through completion - for commercials as well as music videos, films, broadcast programming and emerging media.

The veteran editorial company’s recent work includes spots for Nike, Verizon, Givenchy, Candies, Time Warner, Frontier Airlines, P&G, Wendy’s, USA Network, as well feature films, such as Al Pacino’s acclaimed film, Wilde Salome, which will be presented with the Glory Award at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, and the feature film City Island, starring Andy Garcia which won the Tribeca Audience Award.

Resident Creative Studio is a creative consortium where a multi-disciplined collective of top-caliber international design-driven talent specializing VFX, photorealistic CG, motion graphics, live-action production, interactive and emerging media provide clients with a seamless, open-architecture creative environment, from concept through completion. The ability to collaborate with Wild(child) Editorial in an open-architecture creative environment allows the two companies to take their shared created vision from concept to the completion of a project. Resident’s roster of work includes spots for Avon, Heineken, Verizon, Pepsi, Max Factor, Remington, Time Warner, and Vitamin Water; Music Videos include Coldplay, Kanye West, Jay Z, Kenna and Lupe Fiasco.

Silvie Celiz & Maryl Celiz > www.silvieandmaryl.com

Silvie Celiz & Maryl Celiz, Co-Founders, Silvie+Maryl

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

Silvie: Vision, drive, initiative, passion for your mission, a solid plan, courage to take risks, leadership, and an overwhelmingly strong desire to be your own boss.

Maryl: Passion, creativity, self-knowledge, a sense of purpose, and a lot of energy. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

What did inspire you to start your business?

Silvie: Knowing myself. I'm a leader and a visionary, and also a really bad employee. Knowing that I can't do anything else but run my own ship with my own rules, ideas, and at my own pace forced me to go inwards to gather all my gifts and skills, come up with a plan on how I can contribute them to humanity while making a sustainable business. Once that was established, we looked outward, out in the world, and we clearly saw our place in the world plus a gap that we could fill and be pioneers of.

Maryl: I had been laid off as a newspaper editor and had to evaluate where to put my efforts next. I decided that I would only do work that my heart said yes to. Nothing I was being offered did that. As a journalist, I knew that this country was in desperate need of truth and information when it came to health and I always felt my purpose in life was service via information, so when Silvie had the idea to create a healthy living informational resource to help peopled live better lives, I jumped at the chance, because I knew it was something I was both able and willing to do. Mind and heart were in it.

How did you finance it?

Silvie: Family investor who believed in us and stood by our mission.

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?

Maryl: Absolutely. For starters, it’s a family-owned and operated business, and family involvement is a hugely Hispanic thing. We also made sure we had bilingual content for the Hispanic community, because our hearts go out to all of the immigrants in the USA struggling with obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and who would benefit from knowing how to prepare healthy meals, deal with stress, and feel a sense of connection with their spirituality. We saw there was no bilingual holistic resource online and we decided to fill that gap.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

Silvie: Our global mission keeps us going. The frequent positive feedback keeps us going. We also believe in the authenticity and quality of our brand, service, and product. It's positive for humanity and for our world, and it’s needed - someone has to do it. We also apply what we teach: Spirituality. The Law of Rhythm reminds us that life has an ebb and a flow, and the Law of Polarity shows us that we live in a dual world where there will always be up and downs, so we take this into account and know that there will always be an up after a down, and that keeps us going too.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

Maryl: Rebranding. We launched as HLife and now relaunched as Silvie+Maryl, and it was hard to make the decision to go on hiatus, potentially lose all the momentum we’d had, and develop this next step for our business. But it was necessary and it has turned out to be the best thing we could’ve done. The new brand is even closer to what we really wanted to do as a business and more effective in its messaging. We have something unique - the first and only healthy living video email - and it’s a personality brand, which people can identify with and learn from very easily. It’s an accessible, visual, informative and entertaining way to deliver health to people’s inboxes. Show me, don’t tell me. Plus we now offer coaching and workshops, which is a natural extension of what we’ve been doing.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

Silvie: Nothing because it's constantly evolving and changing all the time.

What was your childhood ambition?

Maryl: To be a scientist or an architect. Today, I build better lives for people through science and spirituality.

Silvie: I always wanted to run my own business with my sister.... and live on the same block. We do.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

Maryl: Richard Branson (Virgin) because of his colorful business style and his policy to re-route employees to other departments within his company instead of firing them - recycling at its best. Steve Jobs (Apple) because of his creativity and the ability to follow his passion from calligraphy classes that were not in his college curriculum all the way to an indispensable empire of technology that makes my life easier - and more beautiful - today. Oprah Winfrey (Harpo, O) as the ultimate positive information brand. She took daytime talk in a different direction and made it a higher calling.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Silvie: None. The act of nourishment (which should be a break to relax and recharge our cells) should not be mixed with stressful, mentally focused business meetings. I prefer tea or juice meetings in the afternoon.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?

Maryl: Time and travel. Launching a business is an extraordinary feat that takes over your life for the first years - time, money, energy. All your resources are dedicated to your dream when you’re a true entrepreneur and for me this has meant exercising a bit less and getting less sun in the summer, as well as less travel, which is something I love to do. It’s also meant a restructuring of my relationship with my sister/best friend/business partner Silvie, but that’s been an education in respect, self-understanding, and compassion.

What is your favorite quote?

Silvie: I have two - “If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything”. And “if you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.”

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

Maryl: It’s dangerous not to be.

Biggest mistake made?

Silvie: Not being an entrepreneur sooner. I would have liked to begin at age 17.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?

Maryl: Absolutely. From our style of communication to Wellness MindApps signature system, Silvie and I have created new paradigms of what is health in today’s world. Innovation is exactly what we do: we upgrade the concept of health in people’s minds. We’re the first and only healthy living video email. New perspectives of self and lifestyle, done through cutting-edge digital technology - it doesn’t get more innovative than that.

About the company

Silvie+Maryl is a bilingual holistic healthy lifestyle brand and multimedia resource created to upgrade you mind and transform your life from the inside out. The website silvieandmaryl.com features Silvie+Maryl TV, the first and only free weekly video email on healthy living through nutrition, love, spirituality and design, plus an archive library of over 200 articles, private life coaching, lectures, and worldwide workshops.

Ruben Orozco > www.TweetFind.com

Ruben Orozco, Founder, TweetFind

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

Desire and Hunger to create

What did inspire you to start your business?

I was attending Pubcon in Las Vegas. It was there that seeing and talking with a lot of other Entrepreneurs inspired me to create.

How did you finance it?

Self finance.

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?

It has some influence because I strive to make my website appeal to the Latin community as well.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

The Future and the possibility of creating something that's great.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

The biggest challenge is promoting my company within a small market city (Santa Barbara, CA).

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

Nothing at all. I'm happy with the position my company is now.

What was your childhood ambition?

Be a Professional Baseball Player or owner of a Restaurant. :)

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Biz Stone

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Lunch.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?

Having a full time job and creating businesses does sacrifice my free time during the week.

What is your favorite quote?

"Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth'' - Roberto Clemente.

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

No, you just have to think outside the box.

Biggest mistake made?

Should of created more businesses while in College.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?

Yes, because I love to think and create on possible breakthrough products.

About the company:

TweetFind.com is a user Generated Online Twitter Directory to help people and businesses find and follow users.

TweetFindTools.com is a set of Web-based Twitter Tools to help user manage their Twitter Community, whether that is followers/customers.