What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
Risk taker, innovator, passionate, proactive, persistent,
disciplined, hard working.
What did inspire you to start your business?
To be able to write my own destiny
To be able to write my own destiny
How did you finance it?
With my personal savings and when that ran out my partner stepped in and helpped
With my personal savings and when that ran out my partner stepped in and helpped
Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your
business?
Absolutely. Growing up in Latin America definitely plays a major roll in my character, principles and values and allowed me to appreciate more the opportunities that America has to offer.
Absolutely. Growing up in Latin America definitely plays a major roll in my character, principles and values and allowed me to appreciate more the opportunities that America has to offer.
In the face of adversity, how do you decide to
keep going?
By focusing on solutions rather than the problem, learning from the situation and immediately thinking of a plan to overcome it.
By focusing on solutions rather than the problem, learning from the situation and immediately thinking of a plan to overcome it.
What is the biggest challenge your
business has faced?
Getting off the ground in the midst of recession
Getting off the ground in the midst of recession
If you could change one thing about
your business, what would it be?
I would have started to delegate more from early on
I would have started to delegate more from early on
What was your childhood ambition?
To be a renowned fashion designer
To be a renowned fashion designer
Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you
admire?
Oprah, Bill gates, Steve Jobs
Oprah, Bill gates, Steve Jobs
For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or
dinner?
Lunch
Lunch
What sacrifices on your personal life did you
have to make in order to become a business success?
Innumerable. In order to be able to graduate fashion school while being a single mother, and launch my own line while working full time for another company, I worked 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, so I did not have a social life for years but the hardest part was not to be able to spend as much time with my children as I wanted.
Innumerable. In order to be able to graduate fashion school while being a single mother, and launch my own line while working full time for another company, I worked 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, so I did not have a social life for years but the hardest part was not to be able to spend as much time with my children as I wanted.
What is your favorite quote?
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt
Is it difficult to be unconventional?
It is indeed. You can be misinterpreted at times and can also raise some eyebrows as well.
It is indeed. You can be misinterpreted at times and can also raise some eyebrows as well.
Biggest mistake made?
Not doing my homework and act only on instict. There has to be synergy between the two.
Not doing my homework and act only on instict. There has to be synergy between the two.
Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
Absolutely! By attempting to offer an alternative to what’s been traditionally offered in market, women’s clothing in 4 distinctive fits
Absolutely! By attempting to offer an alternative to what’s been traditionally offered in market, women’s clothing in 4 distinctive fits
About the Company
Cenia Paredes, a native of the
Dominican Republic grew up in family dedicated almost entirely to the fine art
of dress making. Cenia graduated Summa cum Laude from the prestigious Fashion
Institute of Technology in 2004. She then worked in New York's competitive
fashion district for various renowned brands, but always kept her dream of
designing her own line as her ultimate goal. In 2009, Cenia launched her first
ready to wear collection, a clothing line that not only represented her vision
and design sensibility, that would also help real women look their best no
matter what shape.
Cenia blends inspiration from her
Latin roots with her American influence to create a modern contemporary look
that appeals to today's modern woman. Her sensibility for detail, choice of
fabrication and her bold exclusive prints have set her apart as a raising star
in New York's fashion scene.
In 2011, Cenia was chosen among 900
companies as one of the 22 participants of The Workshop At Macy’s, and she was
one of 4 vendors chosen to launch her product in selected stores in the
June’12. Since then, Cenia has been shipping Macy’s stores in Florida,
California, US’ Central and the East Coast and Puerto Rico.
Links:
www.youtube.com/user/CeniaNewYorkTV?feature=mhee
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