It's 3 minutes before the hour. "The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause." - Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer and humorist
I'm extremely excited and honored to have Marcela Landres in our studio today. Her innovative approach in sharing her ideas not only help people become published authors, Marcela's accomplishments are a beacon of encouragement for people chasing that elusive animal called "success". In addition to being a highly sought after international speaker, Marcela presents writing workshops at the Learning Annex in New York City, which sell out quickly. After attending her workshops, Marcela has inspired me to complete my book manuscript and fearlessly submit a book proposal to publishers. Thank you, Marcela, for taking time to share with us today.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
Marcela Landres, Editorial Consultant. I work one-on-one with writers, providing developmental editing for manuscripts, critiques for book proposals, and strategic advice on how to launch and maintain a successful writing career. I work with writers of all backgrounds in fiction and non-fiction, and specialize in helping Latino writers get published. I am also the Publisher of Latinidad', a free career advice newsletter for Latino writers, and the creator of the web site http://www.marcelalandres.com/.
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the Owner.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I was an editor at Simon & Schuster for seven years.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Experience is my best teacher. I've learned many things over the years, but some key lessons are:
If you are in a position to help someone, it is your honor and obligation to do so.
Knowledge is power only when shared.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love to cook a meal from scratch, especially with ingredients from a farmers market. I also love to dance, and will shamelessly dance the night away if given half a chance.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
I grew up the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants in the projects of Long Island City, Queens. Nothing was ever handed to me; everything I have I earned so I learned early in life that if I wanted something, I would have to work for it.
What are your concerns about the world today?
The U.S. educational system lags behind other countries, setting the stage for future American workers to be unable to compete in a global economy. Also, the environment has been so neglected and abused that our health will increasingly become at risk. For instance, when I was a child hardly anyone had allergies; now nearly every child or adult I know has allergies.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do?
Start my own publishing company, devoted exclusively to publishing Latino authors.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
The smartest, hardest working, and most deserving don't win the race, the most persistent and hungry do. Therefore, don't pursue any endeavor unless it engages your passion.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
People are only as interesting as their stories. When people choose a book to read or a movie or TV show to watch, they don't ask "Who is it about?" they ask "What is it about?"
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I would like to write a guide book for Latino writers on how to get published.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
I need a 36-hour day!
Which people have been role models to you?
Terry McMillan, she single-handedly taught the publishing industry that black people read books. I'm trying, in my own modest way, to do the same for Latinos.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
Books: anything by Annie Dillard or Charles Dickens, and Luis Alberto Urrea's "The Devil's Highway". Films: Sense & Sensibility and the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice. Music: anything with a wicked beat, especially cheesy 80's pop music.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
Good conversation, especially paired with good wine; laughing with my family; playing with my dog; traveling to a city or country new to me; helping writers get published.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Kim Snyder, CEO & President of Over All Beauty
We're coming up on 15 minutes past the hour. "Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." -Demosthenes (384-322bc) Greek orator
Kim Snyder joins us this morning in the studio to share how she turned her dreams into reality with her very successful online Internet business. Kim and I met in what us fellow bloggers call the blogshere. In addition to running her own business, Kim provides delightfully engaging stories on her web log (blog). I have my RSS reader tuned into her blog, so I don't miss any of the everyday learning situations Kim loves to share.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
The name of my company is Overall Beauty and we have a site online at www.Overallbeauty.com Right now its nail polish, eyeshadow, lip gloss and Natural skin/body products. Working on getting music for soothing the soul and other natural skin/body and bath products. I am very fussy about what I use so the natural products that's I sell are the only products I now use on my skin. So why not sell it?
What role do you play in your organization?
Cook, Chef and bottle washer? Sorry no I'm it, I am doing everything from taking orders, getting out so they can be drop shipped, deciding what new products to add, pay bills all the usual stuff for a one woman business. Working on a idea for a ebook that given to me by Kevin over all www.kevs-korner.com. A really neat guy all around. So I would say the organization is me and a lot of great friends online.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I have teenager boys and now that they are mostly out of the house I wanted to do a business out of my home selling something I know. That's what you are told to do, sell what you love/ know the best. Well I can't sell cars cause I'm lucky if I remember to put oil in mine but I do know that Body Butters are best for me having very dry skin, and I can't live with mascara and a good lip gloss. What I sell are all products I use, have used or going to use, all the time so when I went looking for a ideas I thought having a business online would be the best way to go. I also was in a car accident and blew out my back so I can't do my job that I did have that was working with the elderly. If I had never had the car accident I don't think I would be working a online store cause I loved so much working with the elderly.. Plus having great friends that I have come across a few just by me asking a question in a forum..
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Lots and lots of reading and really great friends who don't mind you asking questions. I think the one person that help me the most is the owner of www.tawnystreasures.com cause he is so much better at PHP than I will ever be. I think when I got started I was feeling I am behind the eightball cause everyone has been on computers for years and I wouldn't own one till about 3 years ago. So when I started I read everything I could on web design, computers, I even took a course from ThomasDirect.com on Web Design to get me going right. Learning what is best for me with products that's a hard choice cause there is so much out there, marketing and advertising. I am doing Google Adwords right now and that's something can't just jump into without reading more than what Google has up on their site.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I read. I have a few favorite authors that have nothing do with computers or my online store. Right now with just getting her up I am still so busy with Overallbeauty.com that I don't just sit back much but I try. I do enjoy writing my blog cause that's just noise I'm letting out. Check out my noise at http://havecoffee.blogspot.com and you will see what I mean. I am a talker that's for sure. I do watch TV every Friday night cause I have got to watch StarGate SG-1! Also really truly enjoy the family pet Tweaker who happens to be a bearded dragon, taking care of him is a blast cause beardies are a trip all by themselves. I'm raising roses this year and really can't wait to see them bloom cause I put 6 in.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
I would have to say having children. I have a son who is going to be 21 this year who has autism and that alone is one of the hardest disorders to work with but I are really lucky, I got to stay at home and raise my boys. I would of lost Derek if I had listen to doctors when he was young so my heart goes out to all woman who have to work cause I was so lucky. Plus Derek even with autism is now able to drive, (I know killed me too when he drove for the first time), finish high school and work these are all things he would of never would of done if I had had to work. .
What are your concerns about the world today?
That woman are having to work instead of raising their children and if they don't the world looks down on them if they do work they are frown on for not taking care of their kids. These days there is a whole age group of kids raised by nannies and babysitters and not their mothers or even grandparents. No one really talks anymore about being part of families and kids have no respect for their elders. That senior citizens are not treated with respect and taken for their hard earn monies all the time. That really blows my mind what children do their parents and grandparents for their money and throwing out into street like yesterdays trash. Yeah taking care of seniors is something that is very near and dear to my own heart having been a caregiver. The hardest thing was watching Volet pass away but it was even harder cause there was no family there to see her go. Now how wrong is that? Seeing a proud loving woman go onto the next world without any family around, I pray that is something will change and soon.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
I would want to travel but I have places I really want to go. I want to see England and see the town I was born in, see Germany were my youngest son Sean was born and go on some real major walks there. That's a big past time thing to do in Germany is go on walks, you see more of what Germany really looks like by getting off the autonbaun. Yeah I want own a high powered car that drive on the autobaun and bring back to the states and race. Yes I do have a lead foot and I will be the first to admit it..LOL I want to create my own product something that I can put my name on and really say yeah that's me!! I have made it in this crazy world of the internet.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Never give up on your dreams. Always be willing to work for your dreams not thinking
someone just needs to give it to you. One of my dreams has been my website www.Overallbeauty.com and I can tell that once I had the code so messed up that I was in tears ready to just give up. I didn't know at the time you can't update PHP like you can HTML. But instead of giving up I just starting looking for that one person who could help me out, check forums oh everything. It took me over a month to find someone who didn't want over thousand dollars to fix her. I had a double site going, it was really cool looking if you like looking at something drunk maybe. It had one web site on top of another website working as one. Yeah for real. I got really lucky and met someone on a forum who jumped at the challenge and I had to go out of town and I left on a Wednesday and check her out on Friday and it was done. www.Overallbeauty.com was back being beautiful again. Never not listen to someone else who might have a better idea than you do about doing something, park your ego if need be, some of my best buddies are guys who tell me "you know----" And nine times out of ten something is better because they speak up. Admit when you are wrong and don't know everything. That's hard thing to do at times I even know that. I start my web site in June of 2004 and she didn't really go live till Janunary of 2005 cause I made mistakes and forgot to park my own ego at times and took me way longer than need be. You can't do this alone you got to have either friends or a guru or just someone else help you out or its just not going to happen/ I have a very young site but she will grow. In fact if you saw her check her out in about 6 months when she is a teenager and you will see that there are going to be more improvements thanks to my great buddy Phil owner and creator of TawnysTeasures.com. Now that is a man who knows his PHP....LOL Never stop growing as a person, as a friend, as parent, as someone out on your own, you have got to keep doing things, other things that you don't know how to do but want to try. One more thing is never forget your family, never forget they love you and are there for you went times are hard. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have a parent who loved you enough to
bring you into this world.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
I love talking with people, I am a people person and I have great respect for my elders.
Let me answer you with a question of my own , if you were in the mall and you saw this
great looking hot male/female walking by, what's on your mind? The item in your hand or
them?..Couldn't help but ask you that..It really depends on the product, if you believe in it
enough and it does everything you are told it does and more, then it can be a product. My
friend Michelle who is the creator of Gaia's natural products tells me stories of why each
one of her products came about and that is some really neat stories like were the Body
Butter came from. She has a son who has skin that when he was a child was all broke out
cause he was that sensitive to just about everything. So she decided to create something
that even his skin could handle, so we have Body Butter now because of that. My own skin
loves it and I got a sister who is having a baby who is using it on her stretch marks and can't
help but say wonderful things about it. Its amazing product it really is. I hope it will be my
major seller once word gets around about it. All natural too.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To be a future 500 company. Yeah going to dream then I'm dreaming big. I want to create more web sites for other products besides what I am now having drop shipped. I want to put Overall Beauty on a line of products not sure which either your face or body maybe both. I want to write a ebook maybe more. I want both my boys to go to and finish college and then see them married someday. I want to be able to help one of my sons get started online as well in a
idea he has been thinking about. I want to remarry my husband of 21 years when we been
together 45 years or longer. I really hope to help my husband have a site of his own someday
and it doesn't even have to be selling something.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Wow that answer would have to be no computer knowledge till about 3 years ago.
In fact I was just plain scared to death of them. You couldn't get me to even touch them.
Then my husband decided I needed to be part of his and the guys world and got me my
first laptop. I started out with help from my mother with a AOL account and then I
started surfing and that's all it took. My little brother help me set up by hosting my
web site and ideas just started coming to me about having a store online. You can find
everything you want online somewhere. I even have a eFax with a number for my city,
916-405-7444. Now how cool is that? I went from know nothing to knowing more than
my guys do about everything having to do with owning and operating a web site. They
didn't know you can get a answering service as a 800 number online. I have 888-422-2694
which is great to have. I found out my website domain name idea I wanted was free,
friends still wonder why Overallbeauty was free so I got it so its the name of my
company as well. We are growing slowly but we will get there someday, plans are in
the works so to speak.
Which people have been role models to you?
Well my mom for one, she had 9 of us and still loves us anyway...haha sorry family joke..
Volet who God Bless her soul taught me to be myself without having to worry what other
people think. Katherine who was one of meanest senior I ever had to work with who calls
me now just to check up on me. I was the only caregiver she ever liked and likes to remind
me of that often. My husband for helping me start and keep Overallbeauty running when
things are lean.. My son Derek for never giving up, you would never know he has autism
and I Thank God for the honor of being his mother.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love to read stories about werewolfs, vampires and magic. I love books by Christine
Feehan I own everyone one she has wrote and can't wait for more to come out. I love
puzzle games my favorite had got to be bejeweled..I love to shop but not like your thinking
I don't shop for shoes I shop stilling looking for the best lip gloss and I love to watch people,
sit in a mall and watch what others are wearing and what they should be wearing.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
Well one thing I am most passionate about is my website, making her better and getting more
sales, check her out at Overallbeauty.com and see what I mean. But if there is a improvement
that might make my site better give me a call at 888-422-2694 or drop me a email at
Kim@overallbeauty.com I love hearing what other people has to say good or bad. I'm
sure there could be improvements and another set of eyes could be of great help. My greatest
enjoyment is putting a smile on a face of a very old woman, who still calls me to tell me how
bad her food is and what hurts now.
Thanks for all your questions its been a blast answering.
Kim Snyder joins us this morning in the studio to share how she turned her dreams into reality with her very successful online Internet business. Kim and I met in what us fellow bloggers call the blogshere. In addition to running her own business, Kim provides delightfully engaging stories on her web log (blog). I have my RSS reader tuned into her blog, so I don't miss any of the everyday learning situations Kim loves to share.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
The name of my company is Overall Beauty and we have a site online at www.Overallbeauty.com Right now its nail polish, eyeshadow, lip gloss and Natural skin/body products. Working on getting music for soothing the soul and other natural skin/body and bath products. I am very fussy about what I use so the natural products that's I sell are the only products I now use on my skin. So why not sell it?
What role do you play in your organization?
Cook, Chef and bottle washer? Sorry no I'm it, I am doing everything from taking orders, getting out so they can be drop shipped, deciding what new products to add, pay bills all the usual stuff for a one woman business. Working on a idea for a ebook that given to me by Kevin over all www.kevs-korner.com. A really neat guy all around. So I would say the organization is me and a lot of great friends online.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I have teenager boys and now that they are mostly out of the house I wanted to do a business out of my home selling something I know. That's what you are told to do, sell what you love/ know the best. Well I can't sell cars cause I'm lucky if I remember to put oil in mine but I do know that Body Butters are best for me having very dry skin, and I can't live with mascara and a good lip gloss. What I sell are all products I use, have used or going to use, all the time so when I went looking for a ideas I thought having a business online would be the best way to go. I also was in a car accident and blew out my back so I can't do my job that I did have that was working with the elderly. If I had never had the car accident I don't think I would be working a online store cause I loved so much working with the elderly.. Plus having great friends that I have come across a few just by me asking a question in a forum..
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Lots and lots of reading and really great friends who don't mind you asking questions. I think the one person that help me the most is the owner of www.tawnystreasures.com cause he is so much better at PHP than I will ever be. I think when I got started I was feeling I am behind the eightball cause everyone has been on computers for years and I wouldn't own one till about 3 years ago. So when I started I read everything I could on web design, computers, I even took a course from ThomasDirect.com on Web Design to get me going right. Learning what is best for me with products that's a hard choice cause there is so much out there, marketing and advertising. I am doing Google Adwords right now and that's something can't just jump into without reading more than what Google has up on their site.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I read. I have a few favorite authors that have nothing do with computers or my online store. Right now with just getting her up I am still so busy with Overallbeauty.com that I don't just sit back much but I try. I do enjoy writing my blog cause that's just noise I'm letting out. Check out my noise at http://havecoffee.blogspot.com and you will see what I mean. I am a talker that's for sure. I do watch TV every Friday night cause I have got to watch StarGate SG-1! Also really truly enjoy the family pet Tweaker who happens to be a bearded dragon, taking care of him is a blast cause beardies are a trip all by themselves. I'm raising roses this year and really can't wait to see them bloom cause I put 6 in.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
I would have to say having children. I have a son who is going to be 21 this year who has autism and that alone is one of the hardest disorders to work with but I are really lucky, I got to stay at home and raise my boys. I would of lost Derek if I had listen to doctors when he was young so my heart goes out to all woman who have to work cause I was so lucky. Plus Derek even with autism is now able to drive, (I know killed me too when he drove for the first time), finish high school and work these are all things he would of never would of done if I had had to work. .
What are your concerns about the world today?
That woman are having to work instead of raising their children and if they don't the world looks down on them if they do work they are frown on for not taking care of their kids. These days there is a whole age group of kids raised by nannies and babysitters and not their mothers or even grandparents. No one really talks anymore about being part of families and kids have no respect for their elders. That senior citizens are not treated with respect and taken for their hard earn monies all the time. That really blows my mind what children do their parents and grandparents for their money and throwing out into street like yesterdays trash. Yeah taking care of seniors is something that is very near and dear to my own heart having been a caregiver. The hardest thing was watching Volet pass away but it was even harder cause there was no family there to see her go. Now how wrong is that? Seeing a proud loving woman go onto the next world without any family around, I pray that is something will change and soon.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
I would want to travel but I have places I really want to go. I want to see England and see the town I was born in, see Germany were my youngest son Sean was born and go on some real major walks there. That's a big past time thing to do in Germany is go on walks, you see more of what Germany really looks like by getting off the autonbaun. Yeah I want own a high powered car that drive on the autobaun and bring back to the states and race. Yes I do have a lead foot and I will be the first to admit it..LOL I want to create my own product something that I can put my name on and really say yeah that's me!! I have made it in this crazy world of the internet.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Never give up on your dreams. Always be willing to work for your dreams not thinking
someone just needs to give it to you. One of my dreams has been my website www.Overallbeauty.com and I can tell that once I had the code so messed up that I was in tears ready to just give up. I didn't know at the time you can't update PHP like you can HTML. But instead of giving up I just starting looking for that one person who could help me out, check forums oh everything. It took me over a month to find someone who didn't want over thousand dollars to fix her. I had a double site going, it was really cool looking if you like looking at something drunk maybe. It had one web site on top of another website working as one. Yeah for real. I got really lucky and met someone on a forum who jumped at the challenge and I had to go out of town and I left on a Wednesday and check her out on Friday and it was done. www.Overallbeauty.com was back being beautiful again. Never not listen to someone else who might have a better idea than you do about doing something, park your ego if need be, some of my best buddies are guys who tell me "you know----" And nine times out of ten something is better because they speak up. Admit when you are wrong and don't know everything. That's hard thing to do at times I even know that. I start my web site in June of 2004 and she didn't really go live till Janunary of 2005 cause I made mistakes and forgot to park my own ego at times and took me way longer than need be. You can't do this alone you got to have either friends or a guru or just someone else help you out or its just not going to happen/ I have a very young site but she will grow. In fact if you saw her check her out in about 6 months when she is a teenager and you will see that there are going to be more improvements thanks to my great buddy Phil owner and creator of TawnysTeasures.com. Now that is a man who knows his PHP....LOL Never stop growing as a person, as a friend, as parent, as someone out on your own, you have got to keep doing things, other things that you don't know how to do but want to try. One more thing is never forget your family, never forget they love you and are there for you went times are hard. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have a parent who loved you enough to
bring you into this world.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
I love talking with people, I am a people person and I have great respect for my elders.
Let me answer you with a question of my own , if you were in the mall and you saw this
great looking hot male/female walking by, what's on your mind? The item in your hand or
them?..Couldn't help but ask you that..It really depends on the product, if you believe in it
enough and it does everything you are told it does and more, then it can be a product. My
friend Michelle who is the creator of Gaia's natural products tells me stories of why each
one of her products came about and that is some really neat stories like were the Body
Butter came from. She has a son who has skin that when he was a child was all broke out
cause he was that sensitive to just about everything. So she decided to create something
that even his skin could handle, so we have Body Butter now because of that. My own skin
loves it and I got a sister who is having a baby who is using it on her stretch marks and can't
help but say wonderful things about it. Its amazing product it really is. I hope it will be my
major seller once word gets around about it. All natural too.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To be a future 500 company. Yeah going to dream then I'm dreaming big. I want to create more web sites for other products besides what I am now having drop shipped. I want to put Overall Beauty on a line of products not sure which either your face or body maybe both. I want to write a ebook maybe more. I want both my boys to go to and finish college and then see them married someday. I want to be able to help one of my sons get started online as well in a
idea he has been thinking about. I want to remarry my husband of 21 years when we been
together 45 years or longer. I really hope to help my husband have a site of his own someday
and it doesn't even have to be selling something.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Wow that answer would have to be no computer knowledge till about 3 years ago.
In fact I was just plain scared to death of them. You couldn't get me to even touch them.
Then my husband decided I needed to be part of his and the guys world and got me my
first laptop. I started out with help from my mother with a AOL account and then I
started surfing and that's all it took. My little brother help me set up by hosting my
web site and ideas just started coming to me about having a store online. You can find
everything you want online somewhere. I even have a eFax with a number for my city,
916-405-7444. Now how cool is that? I went from know nothing to knowing more than
my guys do about everything having to do with owning and operating a web site. They
didn't know you can get a answering service as a 800 number online. I have 888-422-2694
which is great to have. I found out my website domain name idea I wanted was free,
friends still wonder why Overallbeauty was free so I got it so its the name of my
company as well. We are growing slowly but we will get there someday, plans are in
the works so to speak.
Which people have been role models to you?
Well my mom for one, she had 9 of us and still loves us anyway...haha sorry family joke..
Volet who God Bless her soul taught me to be myself without having to worry what other
people think. Katherine who was one of meanest senior I ever had to work with who calls
me now just to check up on me. I was the only caregiver she ever liked and likes to remind
me of that often. My husband for helping me start and keep Overallbeauty running when
things are lean.. My son Derek for never giving up, you would never know he has autism
and I Thank God for the honor of being his mother.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love to read stories about werewolfs, vampires and magic. I love books by Christine
Feehan I own everyone one she has wrote and can't wait for more to come out. I love
puzzle games my favorite had got to be bejeweled..I love to shop but not like your thinking
I don't shop for shoes I shop stilling looking for the best lip gloss and I love to watch people,
sit in a mall and watch what others are wearing and what they should be wearing.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
Well one thing I am most passionate about is my website, making her better and getting more
sales, check her out at Overallbeauty.com and see what I mean. But if there is a improvement
that might make my site better give me a call at 888-422-2694 or drop me a email at
Kim@overallbeauty.com I love hearing what other people has to say good or bad. I'm
sure there could be improvements and another set of eyes could be of great help. My greatest
enjoyment is putting a smile on a face of a very old woman, who still calls me to tell me how
bad her food is and what hurts now.
Thanks for all your questions its been a blast answering.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Lise' Ramos, Founder of NY Squadron Productions
It's 10 minutes before the hour. "Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda, Jedi master from the "Star Wars" series
I recently met with an energetic and very successful business owner named Lise' Ramos. She has a passion for mixing her creative entrepreneurship with community projects focused on children related issues. Thank you Lise' for joining us in the studio today.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
NY Squadron Productions, Inc. providing superior digital film and photography services for artists, families, corporate America - specializing in cultural and artistic events and music videos. For information Tel: 917-796-8499 Email: info@NYSquadronProductions.com
What role do you play in your organization?
Founder/Creative Director and writer - handling all facets of production with my team.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
An idea, a dream and just did it!
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Knowledge, confidence, being comfortable with everyone you meet in order to build a good business/personal relationship.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
Hiking, shopping, taking trips, sitting around talking and watching foreign films
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
Education is important, but learning from others is more important.
What are your concerns about the world today?
Racial tension; war; the suffering of women, children and the elderly. Those very unfortunate are being left behind and being poor is not a crime.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
Solve all the above! Everyone should have a place to live, a job and self worth.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Always be yourself, leave your ego at the doorstep and accept others for who they are.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
People are infinitely more interesting. More bizarre too.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To own a production company in every major city dedicated to making good family films.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Limited funds and the inability to travel and tell the world about me. But I'm working on it.
Which people have been role models to you?
My mother, my professors and any person who has the courage to make a difference.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
Latina Power by Ana Nogales, Heroes, Lovers and Others, 100 Years of Latinos in Hollywood, and I love concerts and Broadway shows.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life? Working with children and taking a concept or idea and translating that to a story on film.
I recently met with an energetic and very successful business owner named Lise' Ramos. She has a passion for mixing her creative entrepreneurship with community projects focused on children related issues. Thank you Lise' for joining us in the studio today.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
NY Squadron Productions, Inc. providing superior digital film and photography services for artists, families, corporate America - specializing in cultural and artistic events and music videos. For information Tel: 917-796-8499 Email: info@NYSquadronProductions.com
What role do you play in your organization?
Founder/Creative Director and writer - handling all facets of production with my team.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
An idea, a dream and just did it!
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Knowledge, confidence, being comfortable with everyone you meet in order to build a good business/personal relationship.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
Hiking, shopping, taking trips, sitting around talking and watching foreign films
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
Education is important, but learning from others is more important.
What are your concerns about the world today?
Racial tension; war; the suffering of women, children and the elderly. Those very unfortunate are being left behind and being poor is not a crime.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
Solve all the above! Everyone should have a place to live, a job and self worth.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Always be yourself, leave your ego at the doorstep and accept others for who they are.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
People are infinitely more interesting. More bizarre too.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To own a production company in every major city dedicated to making good family films.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Limited funds and the inability to travel and tell the world about me. But I'm working on it.
Which people have been role models to you?
My mother, my professors and any person who has the courage to make a difference.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
Latina Power by Ana Nogales, Heroes, Lovers and Others, 100 Years of Latinos in Hollywood, and I love concerts and Broadway shows.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life? Working with children and taking a concept or idea and translating that to a story on film.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Sandra Duque, CEO & President of La Negrita Productions, LLC
We are at the top of the hour and problems are still disguised as opportunities in work clothes.
I recently had an opportunity to meet a very ambitious and compassionate entrepreneur named Sandra Duque. Since we met a few weeks back, I recently had an opportunity to see her in action. Sandra was "grace under fire" at a recent event where she and her team were filming a presentation in a very fast paced environment. Despite many challenges she had to overcome, Sandra still focuses her energy on helping and educating other people to overcome their challenges.
Thank you Sandra for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us today in the studio.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
La Negrita Productions, LLC offers information and educational material to the Spanish speaking minority. Through the use of its production facilities it creates commercials, films, television programs, and documentaries to enrich and better educate Spanish speaking immigrants. Its main focus is communities without a voice, specially women and immigrants who do not speak English.
It aims to collaborate with large organizations such as the government, health care providers and anyone who can benefit from enriching and improving the standard of living for this rapid growing community. La Negrita Productions, LLC aspires to create integration between the Spanish speaking minority and mainstream.
La Negrita Productions, LLC believes that by incorporating knowledge, education and an understanding between the two worlds, English and Spanish, barriers will be broken. If you want to find out more about La Negrita Productions please visit http://www.lanegritaproductions.com/ or contact me at lanegritaproductions@yahoo.com
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the Chief Executive Officer and President. It is a startup company which means I wear all of the hats. I am presently working on several peaces which I've written. The first is a short entitle "Shattered Dream". Its message is: support the AgJob and Dream Act bills and help stop violence and exploitation against immigrant laborers. The second is entitled "Americanized Latino". It's an episodic made for television. It is a show about the history of Latinos in the United States. Both are meant to educate Latino immigrants and mainstream. In the future I hope to be able to produce other writers work.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I founded my company in 2002 as a means to produce an umbrella for my passion. ‘Dear Abigail’ a 16 minute satire, marked the debut for La Negrita Productions, LLC. It paints a farcical picture of what a sexually driven strict Catholic Latina woman would become if she had to sacrifice her sexuality to pursue her fame and stay true to her faith. I Soon realized that I had much more to say about my own experiences as a migrant from Colombia and as a Latina woman growing up in the United States.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
There is this song by Eminem that I love "Lose Yourself". Two lines from it have stuck with me when ever I think of throwing in the towel. The first being "I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage" and "success is my only mothafucking option, failures not". My art has always been a do or die situation, it's like deciding to become a nun. You don't think you have the calling, you know. I would have to say I'm always learning and I don't think I ever will stop. Life always finds ways of teaching me a new lesson :)
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love spending time with family and friends. They are invaluable. My childhood wasn't a positive experience. For a very long time I resented my mother for the decision she made when I was a little girl. I now realize the sacrifice she made and I love her for it. I try and always set time aside for people I love. Regarding my personal life, my work is my life, it's my passion. I can't imagine being anything else but what I am, a story teller.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
Growing up I had a lot of rage inside. I was angry at the world, God and life, because I had such a terrible childhood and because we were so poor. College and for the most part my early 20's was a time of self-destruction. Then I found acting. Acting, saved my life. It introduced me to understanding people and who they are. I've had to learn to forgive the people who hurt me in the past but most importantly to forgive myself and the abuse I gave my body. I love who I am today and what I want to do. I love my family and friends. I'm grateful for having them in my life. I'm grateful for my drive and ability to stick to my guns and follow this passion no matter how broke I am.
What are your concerns about the world today?
I’m very sad about the whole situation. I'm sad that there is such a thing as war, destruction, abuse, neglect, racism, starvation, homelessness, abandonment, lack of respect. My biggest concerns are the children who sometimes have to experience and be witness to all these things. I think for the most part it's us. We do it to ourselves because we are ignorant, egotistical and self centered. I say "we" because I know I fall under that category too.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
The money is out there and I give myself the time. I like limitations and not having things at my disposal because it makes me think. Barriers are gifts for those of us who want to break them. Money is never yours to have. I've had $1,000 dollars in my hand and then I have to pay rent and it's gone. Money, it's not yours to have, it is an ends to a means. Time will always keep going, it doesn't stop for you or me. Live today this moment, that's what is important.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Don't accept others insecurities and limitations. There will always be someone who will tell you "no, it's not possible" Look for the people who will say "Yes, it's possible" when you find them make them your friends for life. I always think of these types of people as my belts of armor, my infantry. Remember to give to these people as much, if not more than what they are able to offer you.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Yes! I love people. I love their habits, struggles, little ticks. I have to say sometimes they drive me mad with frustration and then I remember it’s an experience. Life is an experience. I love to hear success stories, specially ones with a lot of tragedy and drama. I guess it's the story teller inside of me.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I want to fund and produce "Shattered Dream". I want to take it to all the Spanish speaking neighborhoods in the United States and shake congress with it. I want to see "Americanized Latino" on English and Spanish television. I want Latinos to realize that their history doesn't start or stop in the United States. I want my company to grow, have a home and support itself. I want to have the ability to help other people succeed and tell their stories.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
The biggest obstacle is my mind. Once I conquer that I know the skies the limit.
Which people have been role models to you?
Women, my mother specially. After the death of my father, when I was about four years old, my mother was faced with extreme poverty and starvation. She had to make the heart wrenching decision to separate from her two daughters and immigrate to the United States. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for her.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love books that heal and educate the mind, spirit and body. Currently I'm reading two books "Healing the Shame That Binds You" by John Bradshaw and "El Monje Que Vendio Su Ferrari" by Robin S. Sharma. I also love movies and theater. If you want to get me away from my desk just say "hey, I have tickets, do you want to check out?"
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
I am most passionate about healing myself and growing as a human being and spirit. I believe I was born into this world to grow and experience living and that's exactly what I'm doing.
If you want to find out more about La Negrita Productions pleas visit www.lanegritaproductions.com or contact me at lanegritaproductions@yahoo.com
I recently had an opportunity to meet a very ambitious and compassionate entrepreneur named Sandra Duque. Since we met a few weeks back, I recently had an opportunity to see her in action. Sandra was "grace under fire" at a recent event where she and her team were filming a presentation in a very fast paced environment. Despite many challenges she had to overcome, Sandra still focuses her energy on helping and educating other people to overcome their challenges.
Thank you Sandra for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us today in the studio.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
La Negrita Productions, LLC offers information and educational material to the Spanish speaking minority. Through the use of its production facilities it creates commercials, films, television programs, and documentaries to enrich and better educate Spanish speaking immigrants. Its main focus is communities without a voice, specially women and immigrants who do not speak English.
It aims to collaborate with large organizations such as the government, health care providers and anyone who can benefit from enriching and improving the standard of living for this rapid growing community. La Negrita Productions, LLC aspires to create integration between the Spanish speaking minority and mainstream.
La Negrita Productions, LLC believes that by incorporating knowledge, education and an understanding between the two worlds, English and Spanish, barriers will be broken. If you want to find out more about La Negrita Productions please visit http://www.lanegritaproductions.com/ or contact me at lanegritaproductions@yahoo.com
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the Chief Executive Officer and President. It is a startup company which means I wear all of the hats. I am presently working on several peaces which I've written. The first is a short entitle "Shattered Dream". Its message is: support the AgJob and Dream Act bills and help stop violence and exploitation against immigrant laborers. The second is entitled "Americanized Latino". It's an episodic made for television. It is a show about the history of Latinos in the United States. Both are meant to educate Latino immigrants and mainstream. In the future I hope to be able to produce other writers work.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I founded my company in 2002 as a means to produce an umbrella for my passion. ‘Dear Abigail’ a 16 minute satire, marked the debut for La Negrita Productions, LLC. It paints a farcical picture of what a sexually driven strict Catholic Latina woman would become if she had to sacrifice her sexuality to pursue her fame and stay true to her faith. I Soon realized that I had much more to say about my own experiences as a migrant from Colombia and as a Latina woman growing up in the United States.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
There is this song by Eminem that I love "Lose Yourself". Two lines from it have stuck with me when ever I think of throwing in the towel. The first being "I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage" and "success is my only mothafucking option, failures not". My art has always been a do or die situation, it's like deciding to become a nun. You don't think you have the calling, you know. I would have to say I'm always learning and I don't think I ever will stop. Life always finds ways of teaching me a new lesson :)
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love spending time with family and friends. They are invaluable. My childhood wasn't a positive experience. For a very long time I resented my mother for the decision she made when I was a little girl. I now realize the sacrifice she made and I love her for it. I try and always set time aside for people I love. Regarding my personal life, my work is my life, it's my passion. I can't imagine being anything else but what I am, a story teller.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
Growing up I had a lot of rage inside. I was angry at the world, God and life, because I had such a terrible childhood and because we were so poor. College and for the most part my early 20's was a time of self-destruction. Then I found acting. Acting, saved my life. It introduced me to understanding people and who they are. I've had to learn to forgive the people who hurt me in the past but most importantly to forgive myself and the abuse I gave my body. I love who I am today and what I want to do. I love my family and friends. I'm grateful for having them in my life. I'm grateful for my drive and ability to stick to my guns and follow this passion no matter how broke I am.
What are your concerns about the world today?
I’m very sad about the whole situation. I'm sad that there is such a thing as war, destruction, abuse, neglect, racism, starvation, homelessness, abandonment, lack of respect. My biggest concerns are the children who sometimes have to experience and be witness to all these things. I think for the most part it's us. We do it to ourselves because we are ignorant, egotistical and self centered. I say "we" because I know I fall under that category too.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
The money is out there and I give myself the time. I like limitations and not having things at my disposal because it makes me think. Barriers are gifts for those of us who want to break them. Money is never yours to have. I've had $1,000 dollars in my hand and then I have to pay rent and it's gone. Money, it's not yours to have, it is an ends to a means. Time will always keep going, it doesn't stop for you or me. Live today this moment, that's what is important.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Don't accept others insecurities and limitations. There will always be someone who will tell you "no, it's not possible" Look for the people who will say "Yes, it's possible" when you find them make them your friends for life. I always think of these types of people as my belts of armor, my infantry. Remember to give to these people as much, if not more than what they are able to offer you.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Yes! I love people. I love their habits, struggles, little ticks. I have to say sometimes they drive me mad with frustration and then I remember it’s an experience. Life is an experience. I love to hear success stories, specially ones with a lot of tragedy and drama. I guess it's the story teller inside of me.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I want to fund and produce "Shattered Dream". I want to take it to all the Spanish speaking neighborhoods in the United States and shake congress with it. I want to see "Americanized Latino" on English and Spanish television. I want Latinos to realize that their history doesn't start or stop in the United States. I want my company to grow, have a home and support itself. I want to have the ability to help other people succeed and tell their stories.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
The biggest obstacle is my mind. Once I conquer that I know the skies the limit.
Which people have been role models to you?
Women, my mother specially. After the death of my father, when I was about four years old, my mother was faced with extreme poverty and starvation. She had to make the heart wrenching decision to separate from her two daughters and immigrate to the United States. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for her.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love books that heal and educate the mind, spirit and body. Currently I'm reading two books "Healing the Shame That Binds You" by John Bradshaw and "El Monje Que Vendio Su Ferrari" by Robin S. Sharma. I also love movies and theater. If you want to get me away from my desk just say "hey, I have tickets, do you want to check out?"
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
I am most passionate about healing myself and growing as a human being and spirit. I believe I was born into this world to grow and experience living and that's exactly what I'm doing.
If you want to find out more about La Negrita Productions pleas visit www.lanegritaproductions.com or contact me at lanegritaproductions@yahoo.com
Jose Yrizarry, Co-Founder, CEO & Managing Editor of The New Tomorrow Publications
It's 14 minutes passed the hour. Smile. It's contagious.
Who says 2 people cannot formulate a positive association in the time it takes to ride an elevator together? That's exactly how I met our guest, Jose Yrizarry,who is Co-Founder, CEO & Managing Editor of powerfully written publication called "The New Tomorrow" which focuses on empowering youth and young adults. Thanx for joining us in the studio today Jose.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide? The New Tomorrow (TNT) monthly publication providing researched information and resources to young Black and Latino students striving for Higher Education and Entrepreneurial Ventures through: Our guiding pillars B.R.I.E.F. (Business, Role models, Information, Education, and Finance); and our interactive sections to foster (Knights in Armor, Women of Valor, A Place for Writers and Poets) to foster community unity and writing incentives. www.TNTomorrow.com
What role do you play in your organization?
Co-founder, CEO, Managing Editor, Columnist
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I got tired of seeing, having an opinion, and needing a vehicle to share
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I didn't learn it. I had to do it and still learning. It's the nature of the beast, once you start, it takes its own momentum and all you have to do is stay in the saddle no matter what.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
Family gatherings are very grounding, biking and hiking are rejuvenating, and reciting is empowering
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
My time as a teacher and counselor led to creating alternative programs that grew into Planned parenthood and Outward Bound. My computer rentals led to building networks for Missionary Organizations. I've learned to take my eyes off money and individualism to focus on the task through teamwork with a conviction that obstacles are opportunities for innovation. Most of all, the understanding that it's all a package deal; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
What are your concerns about the world today?
That we fail to realize that it's about passing the baton from one generation to the next: a bad pass makes the next run worse. I don't think capitalism was meant to equate individualism. It could mean, and does, among the best, collaboration.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? - Consider money as no object.
I would invest in creating a model community with all the whistles and bells
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Believe in the planet. We are a collective speck contributing or depriving its role in a bigger picture yet to be fully defined.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Electricity, the light bulb, the traffic lamp, bacteria, etc are all fascinating; more fascinating are the people who made them.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To finish preparing my two books of poetry for submission, return to my novel, go back to school and never leave again. I'd like to see The New Tomorrow become borough chapters and grow to national chapters tying in key states with similar issues. And most of all build my speaking opportunities with hope to share the joys of discovery hope where there seemed to be none to find.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
My immediate partners without giving in to the concept of replace, replace; we need to consider whether and educate over eliminate: People are not expendable without consequence
Which people have been role models to you?
My family, especially my mom and sisters who have made careers out of civil and spiritual service; my childhood, neighborhood priest, Father Kenner, who after 40 years continues to fight for community; Marty Needleman, head of Bklyn Legal Services, who has never left the needy standing alone in court; and believe it or not some enemies who have shown me, by their fates, which way not to go.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
While computers and their programs are but fascinating tools to use, books like: The bible (Job, Joshua, Isahia),Sociology, philosophy, psychology (Fromm, Cambell, Marx, Skinner), are great things to share in the woods in front of a fireplace over a game like chess and a glass of wine. Yet Winnie the Pooh, on a park bench over a game of checkers and a glass of water would probably serve the same purpose
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
When I speak/teach and see the light bulbs of understanding brighten up in peoples eyes: especially the youth. I never forgot what an Indian friend told me a long time ago "If everyday I learn something, productively apply it something, and share it with so! meone, then I am at peace with God and my inner self: where he and humanity reside."
Who says 2 people cannot formulate a positive association in the time it takes to ride an elevator together? That's exactly how I met our guest, Jose Yrizarry,who is Co-Founder, CEO & Managing Editor of powerfully written publication called "The New Tomorrow" which focuses on empowering youth and young adults. Thanx for joining us in the studio today Jose.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide? The New Tomorrow (TNT) monthly publication providing researched information and resources to young Black and Latino students striving for Higher Education and Entrepreneurial Ventures through: Our guiding pillars B.R.I.E.F. (Business, Role models, Information, Education, and Finance); and our interactive sections to foster (Knights in Armor, Women of Valor, A Place for Writers and Poets) to foster community unity and writing incentives. www.TNTomorrow.com
What role do you play in your organization?
Co-founder, CEO, Managing Editor, Columnist
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I got tired of seeing, having an opinion, and needing a vehicle to share
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I didn't learn it. I had to do it and still learning. It's the nature of the beast, once you start, it takes its own momentum and all you have to do is stay in the saddle no matter what.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
Family gatherings are very grounding, biking and hiking are rejuvenating, and reciting is empowering
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
My time as a teacher and counselor led to creating alternative programs that grew into Planned parenthood and Outward Bound. My computer rentals led to building networks for Missionary Organizations. I've learned to take my eyes off money and individualism to focus on the task through teamwork with a conviction that obstacles are opportunities for innovation. Most of all, the understanding that it's all a package deal; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
What are your concerns about the world today?
That we fail to realize that it's about passing the baton from one generation to the next: a bad pass makes the next run worse. I don't think capitalism was meant to equate individualism. It could mean, and does, among the best, collaboration.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? - Consider money as no object.
I would invest in creating a model community with all the whistles and bells
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Believe in the planet. We are a collective speck contributing or depriving its role in a bigger picture yet to be fully defined.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Electricity, the light bulb, the traffic lamp, bacteria, etc are all fascinating; more fascinating are the people who made them.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To finish preparing my two books of poetry for submission, return to my novel, go back to school and never leave again. I'd like to see The New Tomorrow become borough chapters and grow to national chapters tying in key states with similar issues. And most of all build my speaking opportunities with hope to share the joys of discovery hope where there seemed to be none to find.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
My immediate partners without giving in to the concept of replace, replace; we need to consider whether and educate over eliminate: People are not expendable without consequence
Which people have been role models to you?
My family, especially my mom and sisters who have made careers out of civil and spiritual service; my childhood, neighborhood priest, Father Kenner, who after 40 years continues to fight for community; Marty Needleman, head of Bklyn Legal Services, who has never left the needy standing alone in court; and believe it or not some enemies who have shown me, by their fates, which way not to go.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
While computers and their programs are but fascinating tools to use, books like: The bible (Job, Joshua, Isahia),Sociology, philosophy, psychology (Fromm, Cambell, Marx, Skinner), are great things to share in the woods in front of a fireplace over a game like chess and a glass of wine. Yet Winnie the Pooh, on a park bench over a game of checkers and a glass of water would probably serve the same purpose
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
When I speak/teach and see the light bulbs of understanding brighten up in peoples eyes: especially the youth. I never forgot what an Indian friend told me a long time ago "If everyday I learn something, productively apply it something, and share it with so! meone, then I am at peace with God and my inner self: where he and humanity reside."
Monday, February 28, 2005
Jonathan McKee, President of The Source for Youth Ministry
3 minutes before the hour and there are people who actually care about what happens in the world.
It is a very refreshing pleasure to welcome Jonathan McKee to our studio today. I always look forward to reading Jonathan's powerful, youth focused, eZine which is published by his outstanding organization, The Source for Youth Ministry.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
We are www.TheSourceforYouthMinistry.com
We love impacting the lives of kids around the world. And one of the best ways we found to do that is by equipping youth workers who are working with these kids. So our ministry's goal is threefold: Speaking to kids, Training student and adult leaders, and Providing Free Resources on our web site.
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the president, founder, janitor and best boy.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I started on the front lines as a youth worker. I was a volunteer in the church, then I worked with Youth for Christ reaching "unchurched" kids for almost 10 years. When I looked on the web for some free resources, I found few . . . almost none. I thought, "What a shame. I have a whole file cabinet full of curriculum and ideas that I've developed over the years. Why don't people share these things?" So I did. And the web site was a hit. So we started doing it full time.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
By God's grace. Actually, I've learned about 100 ways how NOT to succeed over the last decade. But slowly, I'm learning a few things that work in youth ministry. And I'm trying to share those ideas with as many people as possible.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love just hanging out with my family . . . my wife Lori, and my three kids, Alec, Alyssa and Ashley. They're awesome. We like family bike rides, back pack trips . . . or just piling on the coach with popcorn and a movie.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
Eating Pizza! Pizza has made me the man I am!
But I guess I’d also say working with kids on campus. Kids across the globe are hurting and looking for someone to notice them. As I spent years on campus meeting kids and investing time into their lives . . . my life was changed. God used me to share his love with kids. And there's no greater joy than being used by God to make a difference.
What are your concerns about the world today?
MTV. Have you seen that crap?
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Yeah . . . don’t swing your 5 year old around in circles after she just finished eating a spaghetti dinner.
And don't ever stop learning. The successful people I know are teachable. When I meet a guy who "knows all the answers" . . . I meet someone who's reached their limit. Go into every situation trying to learn something. Everyone has something to offer. (yes, some less than others)
Which people have been role models to you?
Ray Johnston, Jim Burns, Chap Clark . . . and Napoleon Dynamite.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
My top 10 favorite books are listed on my web site on the left hand side bar: www.TheSourc4YM.com. My least favorite computer program is Microsoft Word because it can spell and format better than me. My favorite entertainment has to be movies. I’m sort of a movie fanatic. But everyone knows that from my movie review page: www.thesource4ym.com/moviereviews
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
My 7 year old came home from church the other day and told me how she really wants to trust God with her actions. I asked her if that meant that she would stop talking about how the cat’s butt rises when you pet it. She agreed.
The greatest joy in my life is when I see my own kids following Christ. I love it when I see “a light go on” during a family devotions time or when I see my son put $5 out of his pocket to give to a homeless person on the street. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Jonathan McKee
The Source for Youth Ministry
www.TheSource4YM.com
It is a very refreshing pleasure to welcome Jonathan McKee to our studio today. I always look forward to reading Jonathan's powerful, youth focused, eZine which is published by his outstanding organization, The Source for Youth Ministry.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
We are www.TheSourceforYouthMinistry.com
We love impacting the lives of kids around the world. And one of the best ways we found to do that is by equipping youth workers who are working with these kids. So our ministry's goal is threefold: Speaking to kids, Training student and adult leaders, and Providing Free Resources on our web site.
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the president, founder, janitor and best boy.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I started on the front lines as a youth worker. I was a volunteer in the church, then I worked with Youth for Christ reaching "unchurched" kids for almost 10 years. When I looked on the web for some free resources, I found few . . . almost none. I thought, "What a shame. I have a whole file cabinet full of curriculum and ideas that I've developed over the years. Why don't people share these things?" So I did. And the web site was a hit. So we started doing it full time.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
By God's grace. Actually, I've learned about 100 ways how NOT to succeed over the last decade. But slowly, I'm learning a few things that work in youth ministry. And I'm trying to share those ideas with as many people as possible.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love just hanging out with my family . . . my wife Lori, and my three kids, Alec, Alyssa and Ashley. They're awesome. We like family bike rides, back pack trips . . . or just piling on the coach with popcorn and a movie.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
Eating Pizza! Pizza has made me the man I am!
But I guess I’d also say working with kids on campus. Kids across the globe are hurting and looking for someone to notice them. As I spent years on campus meeting kids and investing time into their lives . . . my life was changed. God used me to share his love with kids. And there's no greater joy than being used by God to make a difference.
What are your concerns about the world today?
MTV. Have you seen that crap?
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Yeah . . . don’t swing your 5 year old around in circles after she just finished eating a spaghetti dinner.
And don't ever stop learning. The successful people I know are teachable. When I meet a guy who "knows all the answers" . . . I meet someone who's reached their limit. Go into every situation trying to learn something. Everyone has something to offer. (yes, some less than others)
Which people have been role models to you?
Ray Johnston, Jim Burns, Chap Clark . . . and Napoleon Dynamite.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
My top 10 favorite books are listed on my web site on the left hand side bar: www.TheSourc4YM.com. My least favorite computer program is Microsoft Word because it can spell and format better than me. My favorite entertainment has to be movies. I’m sort of a movie fanatic. But everyone knows that from my movie review page: www.thesource4ym.com/moviereviews
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
My 7 year old came home from church the other day and told me how she really wants to trust God with her actions. I asked her if that meant that she would stop talking about how the cat’s butt rises when you pet it. She agreed.
The greatest joy in my life is when I see my own kids following Christ. I love it when I see “a light go on” during a family devotions time or when I see my son put $5 out of his pocket to give to a homeless person on the street. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Jonathan McKee
The Source for Youth Ministry
www.TheSource4YM.com
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Max Ramirez, President of Max Media Worldwide
It 15 minutes before the hour and somewhere in the world people are working collaboratively to raise each other up.
Joining us in our studio is Max Ramirez, President of Max Media Worldwide and Director of New York Entrepreneurs Network. Max is an extemely motivating and inspiring person I have the awesome pleasure of knowing. His organized networking events have empowered the business community in New York City by stimulating growth with positive associations formulated between business owners and professionals.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
Max Media Worldwide is one of the nation's fastest growing, 100% Hispanic owned; marketing consulting firms based in New York. They specialize in developing customized campaigns to generate immediate product sales, increased advertising response or enhanced brand-identity for your company’s product or service. For more info, visit our website www.maxmw.com or call us at 212-591-0004.
What role do you play in your organization?
Max Ramirez, President & Chief Marketing Officer
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I have always had the drive to succeed. I started working real hard at a very young age and then decided to work smart. In the past I felt that if I got educated and worked hard I would really climb the corporate ladder and be successful. Although, that wasn't the case. I worked for several well-known advertising and media companies and felt there was a need to offer more to clients than just a specific media vehicle. In addition, the huge advertising agencies were going after the typical "ACME" advertisers and were ignoring the small businesses in the community. That's when I said, I'll help out that small company grow and not only offer them radio. I'll offer them radio, TV, print, creative and consulting. Booom a package that will help their company with increased sales and brand image.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
By working hard every day and staying focused on achieving my goals.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love spending quality time by myself since I'm single. Weekend getaways are always fun. At the same time, I look for new business.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person? Seeing my family just live an average life has made me work harder every day.
What are your concerns about the world today?
Unity. Everyone is just out for himself or herself. We need to touch as many people as we can. By giving back to our community and simply by sharing a few encouraging words to your teenage neighbor next door. I have been actively involved as a motivational speaker to various local local high schools and colleges in New York City. In addition, I started an organization called the New York Entrepreneurs Network www.nyen.org. We have built a community of entrepreneurs in NYC, where they meet on a monthly basis to share ideas and support each other.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? (Consider money as no object)
I will see to it that every child has the opportunity to a great education and get the support to achieve what he/she wants to become.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Everyone has his or her own way of thinking and personality. All I can suggest is to don't be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of people willing to help. If you don't ask - you don't get!
Are people more interesting than product stories?Absolutely.
We make the product, not the other way around.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
Max Media Worldwide offices in every location I own property.New York, Miami, California, Chicago, Texas, Puerto Rico & Dominican Republic
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
It's been a challenge building my team. When you are small it's hard to find dedicated and talented people to work for you. They don't see the big picture.
Which people have been role models to you?
Definitely not Trump. hahaha! I don't admire people that always had the good life and had riches passed down to them. Anyone can hire a good public relations firm or team up with someone like Mark Burnett to produce their reality show. I like to hear and read about true success - starting with nothing, from the bottom - up!
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment? I read most books on self-improvement, successful entrepreneurs, motivational tapes by Robert Kiyosaki and Tony Robbins. Entertainment hmmmmmmmm, I am entertainment. hahaha. I love the nightlife scene. As much as I try to run away from it, it keeps coming back. That is why I am looking for an investor to partner with me on a few nightlife ventures.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
It's the little things in life that give me the greatest satisfaction...
Joining us in our studio is Max Ramirez, President of Max Media Worldwide and Director of New York Entrepreneurs Network. Max is an extemely motivating and inspiring person I have the awesome pleasure of knowing. His organized networking events have empowered the business community in New York City by stimulating growth with positive associations formulated between business owners and professionals.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
Max Media Worldwide is one of the nation's fastest growing, 100% Hispanic owned; marketing consulting firms based in New York. They specialize in developing customized campaigns to generate immediate product sales, increased advertising response or enhanced brand-identity for your company’s product or service. For more info, visit our website www.maxmw.com or call us at 212-591-0004.
What role do you play in your organization?
Max Ramirez, President & Chief Marketing Officer
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I have always had the drive to succeed. I started working real hard at a very young age and then decided to work smart. In the past I felt that if I got educated and worked hard I would really climb the corporate ladder and be successful. Although, that wasn't the case. I worked for several well-known advertising and media companies and felt there was a need to offer more to clients than just a specific media vehicle. In addition, the huge advertising agencies were going after the typical "ACME" advertisers and were ignoring the small businesses in the community. That's when I said, I'll help out that small company grow and not only offer them radio. I'll offer them radio, TV, print, creative and consulting. Booom a package that will help their company with increased sales and brand image.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
By working hard every day and staying focused on achieving my goals.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I love spending quality time by myself since I'm single. Weekend getaways are always fun. At the same time, I look for new business.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person? Seeing my family just live an average life has made me work harder every day.
What are your concerns about the world today?
Unity. Everyone is just out for himself or herself. We need to touch as many people as we can. By giving back to our community and simply by sharing a few encouraging words to your teenage neighbor next door. I have been actively involved as a motivational speaker to various local local high schools and colleges in New York City. In addition, I started an organization called the New York Entrepreneurs Network www.nyen.org. We have built a community of entrepreneurs in NYC, where they meet on a monthly basis to share ideas and support each other.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? (Consider money as no object)
I will see to it that every child has the opportunity to a great education and get the support to achieve what he/she wants to become.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Everyone has his or her own way of thinking and personality. All I can suggest is to don't be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of people willing to help. If you don't ask - you don't get!
Are people more interesting than product stories?Absolutely.
We make the product, not the other way around.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
Max Media Worldwide offices in every location I own property.New York, Miami, California, Chicago, Texas, Puerto Rico & Dominican Republic
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
It's been a challenge building my team. When you are small it's hard to find dedicated and talented people to work for you. They don't see the big picture.
Which people have been role models to you?
Definitely not Trump. hahaha! I don't admire people that always had the good life and had riches passed down to them. Anyone can hire a good public relations firm or team up with someone like Mark Burnett to produce their reality show. I like to hear and read about true success - starting with nothing, from the bottom - up!
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment? I read most books on self-improvement, successful entrepreneurs, motivational tapes by Robert Kiyosaki and Tony Robbins. Entertainment hmmmmmmmm, I am entertainment. hahaha. I love the nightlife scene. As much as I try to run away from it, it keeps coming back. That is why I am looking for an investor to partner with me on a few nightlife ventures.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
It's the little things in life that give me the greatest satisfaction...
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Ali T. Curi, President & Founder of Hispanic Professionals Networking Group
It's 10 minutes before the hour. Smile today. It's contagious.
I recently had the opportunity to meet a very dynamic individual, Ali T. Curi. His energy and genuine interest in making me feel comfortable at a HPNG G event was very heart warming. I'm excited about HPNG being on the move in various states throughout the United States with a focus on empowering Latino professionals. Thanx for joining our show today Ali.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
Hispanic Professionals Networking Group, we mostly go by HPNG www.hpng.net. We're a networking group for Hispanic professionals of all industries. We also ask Latino leaders to speak at our events to share their personal story and tell us what their organization or company is doing for the Hispanic community. We've been around for almost two years.
What role do you play in your organization?
I'm the President and Founder - Ali@hpng.net
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I just acted. I didn't give it too much thought, otherwise I'd still be thinking about it. Success is also the sum of all parts, so I'd say my fellow co-founders of HPNG were instrumental in helping me succeed. Don't think about how tough its going to be, think about how to solve the problem.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Sounds cliche, but never giving up. You have to keep your "eye on the prize" in order to know there will be success in two months or two years. The lesson however, is to get up everday and putting in a few more hours and few more ideas.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
Personal activities...? What's that? Because I work in events, quiet time is always special. I enjoy doing things in the Summer, but otherwise, I'm usually pretty focused on "the prize." What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person? Experiencing everything at least once. I really gives you a different perspective than playing it "safe." The trick is to learn from it and applying the lessons.
What are your concerns about the world today?
That we don't portray enough young people as role models for our future leaders. That being mean, vengeful and spiteful, as portrayed in "reality" shows, is considered accepted behavior.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
I'd like have an organization that offers people to take an all-expense paid "time off" from their lives to do 3 things they've always wanted to do. That would make me happy, to see others taking action towards their dreams, writing a book, exploring Africa, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'd go with them on the safari.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Don't hang around negative people, they will drain you. Hang around positive, hard-working people, they will inspire you.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Some are, but I've met a few where I'd rather hear about product stories. But as a whole, yes, the people factor ranks up there.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
My professional goals are to have an HPNG Chapter in every major city in the U.S. with a high Hispanic population. We're opening our Miami Chapter in April of this year. I believe you can't build unity until people really take time to talk to each other. All this great technology will never replace the experience of, let's say, a networking event where you "connect" at a different level than online communications.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Re-assuring people that connecting in person is a good thing.
Which people have been role models to you?
My dad and Professor Carl Sagan. I learned from my father that people will know when you're truly happy with yourself, in turn, those good feelings are contagious. I learned from Dr. Sagan to look at the skies and seek inspiration.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love reading biographies about famous people. I have a facination with Andy Warhol.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
My family, my friends and HPNG. In that order.
Ali T. Curi, President HPNG New York
Email: ali@hpng.net
www.hpng.net
I recently had the opportunity to meet a very dynamic individual, Ali T. Curi. His energy and genuine interest in making me feel comfortable at a HPNG G event was very heart warming. I'm excited about HPNG being on the move in various states throughout the United States with a focus on empowering Latino professionals. Thanx for joining our show today Ali.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
Hispanic Professionals Networking Group, we mostly go by HPNG www.hpng.net. We're a networking group for Hispanic professionals of all industries. We also ask Latino leaders to speak at our events to share their personal story and tell us what their organization or company is doing for the Hispanic community. We've been around for almost two years.
What role do you play in your organization?
I'm the President and Founder - Ali@hpng.net
As a successful person, how did you get started?
I just acted. I didn't give it too much thought, otherwise I'd still be thinking about it. Success is also the sum of all parts, so I'd say my fellow co-founders of HPNG were instrumental in helping me succeed. Don't think about how tough its going to be, think about how to solve the problem.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Sounds cliche, but never giving up. You have to keep your "eye on the prize" in order to know there will be success in two months or two years. The lesson however, is to get up everday and putting in a few more hours and few more ideas.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
Personal activities...? What's that? Because I work in events, quiet time is always special. I enjoy doing things in the Summer, but otherwise, I'm usually pretty focused on "the prize." What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person? Experiencing everything at least once. I really gives you a different perspective than playing it "safe." The trick is to learn from it and applying the lessons.
What are your concerns about the world today?
That we don't portray enough young people as role models for our future leaders. That being mean, vengeful and spiteful, as portrayed in "reality" shows, is considered accepted behavior.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
I'd like have an organization that offers people to take an all-expense paid "time off" from their lives to do 3 things they've always wanted to do. That would make me happy, to see others taking action towards their dreams, writing a book, exploring Africa, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'd go with them on the safari.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Don't hang around negative people, they will drain you. Hang around positive, hard-working people, they will inspire you.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Some are, but I've met a few where I'd rather hear about product stories. But as a whole, yes, the people factor ranks up there.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
My professional goals are to have an HPNG Chapter in every major city in the U.S. with a high Hispanic population. We're opening our Miami Chapter in April of this year. I believe you can't build unity until people really take time to talk to each other. All this great technology will never replace the experience of, let's say, a networking event where you "connect" at a different level than online communications.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Re-assuring people that connecting in person is a good thing.
Which people have been role models to you?
My dad and Professor Carl Sagan. I learned from my father that people will know when you're truly happy with yourself, in turn, those good feelings are contagious. I learned from Dr. Sagan to look at the skies and seek inspiration.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love reading biographies about famous people. I have a facination with Andy Warhol.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
My family, my friends and HPNG. In that order.
Ali T. Curi, President HPNG New York
Email: ali@hpng.net
www.hpng.net
Richard Wolodkowicz, Information Technology Project Manager
It's 25 minutes after the hour. Make today count!!
We are joined in our studio today by a gentleman I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing for almost 2 decades. Richard Wolodkowicz is an excellent role model that exemplifies being able to continuously create a balance between his family and his career. Richard has taught me many things that not only enhanced my career in the Information Technology field, but allowed me to develop better interpersonal skills with people relationships. Thanx Richard for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us today.
What profession / industry are you in?
Ok that’s a bit tricky, currently I am in the information technology industry supporting the banking industry.
I work in a global investment bank as an Information Technology Project Manager with 8 people reporting to me. We develop applications to support the Compliance department of this global investment bank.
As a successful business person, how did you get started?
Really, this goes back to my college days… I was a math major in college and abhorred the idea of going the statistics tract so I took the Computer option… and the rest as they say is history.
I took a job as a systems analyst in 1986 working for the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation and never left IT.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I don’t know for sure that I know what it takes to succeed. I’ve been very lucky in my career; I’ve always worked hard and done what’s been asked of me and somehow it all turned out for the good.
If you believe that “luck is the residue of design” I can attribute any success I have to my work ethic and my focus. Hard work never goes unnoticed and managers appreciate hard working employees as it makes their job easier.
Add to this that as learning beings our experience is a huge contributor, I’ve learned what I like from the good managers, and how not to behave from the poor managers.
What family activities do you enjoy?
All of them! With two boys I find any sports related activity is always fun, my daughter has taught me that bottle-feeding her “baby” is still a dad’s job… But my favorite family activity is dinner. It’s the time for everybody to share their experiences and get reacquainted.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
There was a time when an answer to this question would include things like Golf (I love golf), fishing, pleasure reading, or even a little bit of television, but currently, all of my spare time is filled with schoolwork. I have always loved to learn and a degree is just another way to formalize study time.
Learning has always been foremost in my endeavors so it is currently the thing I like to do with my spare time.
What are your concerns about the world today?
Outsourcing. Period. End of sentence. My greatest concern today is outsourcing. Not because of the off shoring of work to places like India, Russia or the Phillipines. These are industrious countries seeking to improve their own status. My concern stems from the question “What will the United States become?”
We started the industrial revolution. When low cost providers like, the far east, emerged, we became a service industry. Now we are outsourcing that service component to other low cost providers. What will the United States become when this is outsourced?
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
First, I’d complete my education, with no concern for work or tuition reimbursement. I’d buy two homes, one on the beach and one in the mountains, I’d establish college educations for all my children, and then with a clear mind I would start my own business.
With three children, feeding those little mouths comes first, and for me, the best way to do this is with the security of a job. However, if money were no object, I would certainly open my own business.
If you were to ask “what type of business?” well this is a little different. I don’t have all the specifics… It would have to be a consulting business so I could set my hours.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Find a mentor! Mentors are key to your success. They help by providing a sounding board, act as neutral observers, and should be both open and honest with you. These people will help you rationalize your thoughts and feelings.
Second, I talk about feelings, now this may sound strange, but in the business world you must be in touch with your feelings. What does this mean? If you understand your emotional position, you can better control it. Conversely, if you understand your opponent’s emotional position you can move them in your direction.
Who is your favorite sports team?
I have always been a faithful football fan, and to that end I have followed the Dallas Cowboys continuously. I grew up in a time when the Cowboys were consistent winners and as a young impressionable child, my admiration for the team has only grown.
After all, consider the fact that Jerry Jones (the Cowboys Owner) is a financial genius. In a time when the National Football League would not allow teams to serve any soda other than Coke in their stadiums, due to a contractual agreement; Jerry Jones was the first owner to separate the Stadium from the Team and contract Pepsi with the Stadium, not the Cowboys. Loophole? Maybe! Outside the spirit of the contract? Possibly! Genius? Definitely!
Add to this that the team is a perennial winner, and how could you not love the ‘boys?
Are people more interesting than product stories?
People make product stories, so Yes, people are more interesting that product stories. There will always be the story of the man who invented the widget, and Yes the widget is mildly interesting but it’s the work that went into the product, the personal struggle for success, the human factor and the will the achieve that is valuable.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
Currently, I’m pursuing a Doctorate of Management so all my future goals begin with Doctor. Once I complete my degree, my primary objective will be to harvest that education through the appropriate marketing and sale of my dissertation (I wish I could talk more on this but it will have to wait).
The appropriate harvesting of my education should lead to improved opportunities, modified employment, and yes, hopefully, more money.
What obstacles do you have overcome to achieve your goals?
I think the biggest obstacle is time. I need a 36 hour day, time for everyone who requires it like the children, time for work, time for leisure, time for school, time to plan, time to execute.
Which people have been role models to you?
Role models aren’t hard to find in my life. Somehow, I have always found someone whom I could emulate.
During my first job out of college, I met a man whose leadership skill was evident (at least to me.) An educated man, with a strong personality, whose military background enhanced his inborn leadership traits; a leader in both business and his personal life.
This man has many leadership qualities; to this day, I still use him as a mentor in various different situations. I think the first leadership quality that I identified in him was the fact that he took initiative; he never shied from a challenge and always rose to meet it. He is transformational and boundaryless. I couldn’t think of a stronger person.
My wife is another, I’ve learned that there is no harder job than that of a stay-at-home mom. She inspires me!
Oh, the transformational leader above is Carl E. Reid.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
As much as I like to read my favorite form of entertainment is television and movies. I just love a good movie. Unfortunately at this time, I haven’t watched television for over a year due to my current school work.
When I do find the time for pleasure reading, my favorites are real life stories, fiction only mildly entertains me. Books I enjoy run the gamut from Richard Feynman (Nobel Physicist) to Leading with the Heart by Coach Mike Krzyzewski, to any real life mafia related history book.
What time of the day are you at your best?
I function best in the morning. I’m at my peak at the start of the day and seem to slowly wind down as the day progresses. Some of this is the influence of work, some of it the influence of children, some of it just a natural process, but I get my best work done before lunch.
We are joined in our studio today by a gentleman I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing for almost 2 decades. Richard Wolodkowicz is an excellent role model that exemplifies being able to continuously create a balance between his family and his career. Richard has taught me many things that not only enhanced my career in the Information Technology field, but allowed me to develop better interpersonal skills with people relationships. Thanx Richard for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us today.
What profession / industry are you in?
Ok that’s a bit tricky, currently I am in the information technology industry supporting the banking industry.
I work in a global investment bank as an Information Technology Project Manager with 8 people reporting to me. We develop applications to support the Compliance department of this global investment bank.
As a successful business person, how did you get started?
Really, this goes back to my college days… I was a math major in college and abhorred the idea of going the statistics tract so I took the Computer option… and the rest as they say is history.
I took a job as a systems analyst in 1986 working for the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation and never left IT.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I don’t know for sure that I know what it takes to succeed. I’ve been very lucky in my career; I’ve always worked hard and done what’s been asked of me and somehow it all turned out for the good.
If you believe that “luck is the residue of design” I can attribute any success I have to my work ethic and my focus. Hard work never goes unnoticed and managers appreciate hard working employees as it makes their job easier.
Add to this that as learning beings our experience is a huge contributor, I’ve learned what I like from the good managers, and how not to behave from the poor managers.
What family activities do you enjoy?
All of them! With two boys I find any sports related activity is always fun, my daughter has taught me that bottle-feeding her “baby” is still a dad’s job… But my favorite family activity is dinner. It’s the time for everybody to share their experiences and get reacquainted.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
There was a time when an answer to this question would include things like Golf (I love golf), fishing, pleasure reading, or even a little bit of television, but currently, all of my spare time is filled with schoolwork. I have always loved to learn and a degree is just another way to formalize study time.
Learning has always been foremost in my endeavors so it is currently the thing I like to do with my spare time.
What are your concerns about the world today?
Outsourcing. Period. End of sentence. My greatest concern today is outsourcing. Not because of the off shoring of work to places like India, Russia or the Phillipines. These are industrious countries seeking to improve their own status. My concern stems from the question “What will the United States become?”
We started the industrial revolution. When low cost providers like, the far east, emerged, we became a service industry. Now we are outsourcing that service component to other low cost providers. What will the United States become when this is outsourced?
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
First, I’d complete my education, with no concern for work or tuition reimbursement. I’d buy two homes, one on the beach and one in the mountains, I’d establish college educations for all my children, and then with a clear mind I would start my own business.
With three children, feeding those little mouths comes first, and for me, the best way to do this is with the security of a job. However, if money were no object, I would certainly open my own business.
If you were to ask “what type of business?” well this is a little different. I don’t have all the specifics… It would have to be a consulting business so I could set my hours.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Find a mentor! Mentors are key to your success. They help by providing a sounding board, act as neutral observers, and should be both open and honest with you. These people will help you rationalize your thoughts and feelings.
Second, I talk about feelings, now this may sound strange, but in the business world you must be in touch with your feelings. What does this mean? If you understand your emotional position, you can better control it. Conversely, if you understand your opponent’s emotional position you can move them in your direction.
Who is your favorite sports team?
I have always been a faithful football fan, and to that end I have followed the Dallas Cowboys continuously. I grew up in a time when the Cowboys were consistent winners and as a young impressionable child, my admiration for the team has only grown.
After all, consider the fact that Jerry Jones (the Cowboys Owner) is a financial genius. In a time when the National Football League would not allow teams to serve any soda other than Coke in their stadiums, due to a contractual agreement; Jerry Jones was the first owner to separate the Stadium from the Team and contract Pepsi with the Stadium, not the Cowboys. Loophole? Maybe! Outside the spirit of the contract? Possibly! Genius? Definitely!
Add to this that the team is a perennial winner, and how could you not love the ‘boys?
Are people more interesting than product stories?
People make product stories, so Yes, people are more interesting that product stories. There will always be the story of the man who invented the widget, and Yes the widget is mildly interesting but it’s the work that went into the product, the personal struggle for success, the human factor and the will the achieve that is valuable.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
Currently, I’m pursuing a Doctorate of Management so all my future goals begin with Doctor. Once I complete my degree, my primary objective will be to harvest that education through the appropriate marketing and sale of my dissertation (I wish I could talk more on this but it will have to wait).
The appropriate harvesting of my education should lead to improved opportunities, modified employment, and yes, hopefully, more money.
What obstacles do you have overcome to achieve your goals?
I think the biggest obstacle is time. I need a 36 hour day, time for everyone who requires it like the children, time for work, time for leisure, time for school, time to plan, time to execute.
Which people have been role models to you?
Role models aren’t hard to find in my life. Somehow, I have always found someone whom I could emulate.
During my first job out of college, I met a man whose leadership skill was evident (at least to me.) An educated man, with a strong personality, whose military background enhanced his inborn leadership traits; a leader in both business and his personal life.
This man has many leadership qualities; to this day, I still use him as a mentor in various different situations. I think the first leadership quality that I identified in him was the fact that he took initiative; he never shied from a challenge and always rose to meet it. He is transformational and boundaryless. I couldn’t think of a stronger person.
My wife is another, I’ve learned that there is no harder job than that of a stay-at-home mom. She inspires me!
Oh, the transformational leader above is Carl E. Reid.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
As much as I like to read my favorite form of entertainment is television and movies. I just love a good movie. Unfortunately at this time, I haven’t watched television for over a year due to my current school work.
When I do find the time for pleasure reading, my favorites are real life stories, fiction only mildly entertains me. Books I enjoy run the gamut from Richard Feynman (Nobel Physicist) to Leading with the Heart by Coach Mike Krzyzewski, to any real life mafia related history book.
What time of the day are you at your best?
I function best in the morning. I’m at my peak at the start of the day and seem to slowly wind down as the day progresses. Some of this is the influence of work, some of it the influence of children, some of it just a natural process, but I get my best work done before lunch.
Francis Lora, Business Development Manager & Mortgage Banker
It's 15 minutes past the hour and every where in the world people are going to work to succeed. No one goes to work to fail.
In our studio this morning we have an exceptional and motivated person named Francis Lora. I was very impressed with Francis as we met at a recent HPNG event in New York City. He enjoys sharing ideas and helping people achieve their goals. Francis is also an aspiring writer. Thanx for joining us today Francis.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it
provide?
I currently work for Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc, a medium sized mortgage bank and community lender headquartered in Astoria, Queens that offers mortgages for the purchase and refinance of 1-4 unit residential properties, Condos, Co-ops, Multifamily homes and Mixed Use properties, as well as for the purchase of commercial or other investment properties; Lyons even offers construction loans. Other loan programs that are unique and quite often sought after include our 40 year fixed rate mortgage and our competitive no income verification loan programs. The best part is that I am working for a company whose mission is, “to make homeownership an affordable and sustainable reality for all people” and a company that services the majority of its loans. Therefore, should you or anyone you know be purchasing or refinancing a property in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut and think you may need our services or if you would like for me to set up a seminar, please feel free to email me at FLora@elyons.com or to give me a call at the office at (718) 267- 2000 or at (917) 690-8726. We would be more than happy to help.
What role do you play in your organization?
As a Business Development Manager and Mortgage Banker at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc, I am finally doing more of what I enjoy: I spend part of my time marketing and part educating people on the home buying process and originating mortgages. I build relationships with realtors and the community and dedicate my time to creating a dynamic where everyone benefits from our programs and services. I even get to enjoy my passion for writing producing articles to educate the community and am currently working on a children’s book to teach about mortgages and the home buying process aimed and young Latino / Hispanic children. My job allows me the flexibility to be creative and help my community as well as the support to accomplish my goals.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
Like most successful people, I started with ambition, curiosity, and several dreams; I started off with a lot of drive, but too many directions. If you were to look at my resume, you would see the evolution of my dreams and aspirations as well as my transition from living with “hand-me-down” values to living life according to my beliefs. The one constant thread and theme that has followed me from one pursuit to the next has been my passion for writing. My ability to write has been a gift and a skill I have always tried to put to good use wherever I go. In everything I have ever done, I have always incorporated some element of my writing; in fact, I continue to do so to this very day and will certainly continue to do so for years to come. Writing has served me well on both my professional and personal journey:
When I was younger, I always wanted to work, so I started as soon as I could. At the age of 14, I was a Library Assistant and a Spanish tutor at my school. I still think my resume and cover letter were the keys to get me the job (even though it did not hurt that I spent a lot of time in the library as part of my community service). In any case, working in the library, I learned to pay close attention to details, and I had access to a wealth of knowledge in the volumes of books I helped organize. Being in a library, I spent most of my free time reading. I particularly liked the Psychology books, the Motivational books, the Business books, and the Self-Improvement books.
Then, because my family always thought that I would be a lawyer, I interned at a couple of law firms. However, my time there made me realize that I did not want to pursue law. Being a lawyer was not as exciting a job as they made it seem on television. I was a big “Matlock” and “Law and Order” fan, but those summers made me realize that being a lawyer and practicing law required more and was about more than they let on about on those shows. Being a lawyer involved a lot of writing, but most of it was writing briefs and “legalese” for contracts and that was not quite how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.
Next, I tried business and Wall Street: I spent a summer working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and a summer interning at Goldman Sachs. I liked business very much, especially working for Goldman Sachs. In fact, I thought that I wanted to pursue business all the way through graduation. But when I did not get the position at Goldman Sachs that I wanted, even after having been a Goldman Sachs Scholar, I changed my plans yet again. I guess working at Goldman was something that was not written in the stars for me.
So the summer right before graduation, I went to work with my cousin, a top producing loan officer, in South Jersey. It was then, working as her assistant, that I realized that I wanted to pursue real estate. I guess I should have known that real estate was in my blood; after all, my father is a Building Manager for Newmark and Co. and my Cousin is a top producing loan officer. But more than that, I had been eyeing real estate with dreams of owning and fixing up buildings ever since I was a young boy. Now I have
finally come to realize and accept my love for real estate.
However, with most of my family living in New York City, I realized that it was not going to be feasible to live in South Jersey and commute to the city every weekend. Therefore, I left my job in South Jersey to return to the city. While I was in between jobs looking for the right company to work for, I became a published Writing Entrepreneur ("Freelance Writer") featured in several publications: I was featured in such publications as Urban Latino Magazine; Sofrito, an insert in El Diario, a Spanish language newspaper; in Latino Leaders Magazine, a magazine that runs profiles of successful Latinos; and the Manhattan Times, a community newspaper serving Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and Spanish Harlem.
The son of Dominican parents who immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic in 1969 and the first in our family to be born and raised here and to attend and graduate from college here, failure has not been an option for me, especially not after attending and graduating from Columbia University. Finally, now at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., I have found a place where I can combine my two strongest driving forces: my passion for writing, with my love for real estate which is in my blood. Today, I consider myself fortunate to have found my way to Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., a community lending institution with a pleasant work environment that provides the members of its staff with the opportunity to do what they love everyday and the support that they need to succeed in business and in life.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I cannot say how I first learned to succeed or from whom. Probably the first time I learned the lesson was when I fell as I was learning to walk and I got up and tried again until I got it; so, I guess you could say that I have learned from life. However, learning to succeed is a lesson that is learned over and over throughout your life because there is no one route to success or any “cookie-cutter” formula either. Most recently, I have learned to succeed from George Sophocleous, one of the partners and owners of Lyons Mortgage
Services, Inc. He has been very much a role model to me and to countless others in the company by taking time out from his busy schedule to help every single one of us strive towards our full potential. He sat with us on various occasions during our training, he invites us to visit with him and to bring him our questions and concerns, and he is a constant motivating force.
Perhaps what I love and respect the most about him is that he constantly reminds us that we must be flexible and be able to think outside the box in this business because as he puts it, “the way we did business yesterday is not the same way we do business today and will not be the same way we will do business tomorrow.” But more importantly, by keeping Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc on the cutting edge with proprietary technology that helps us provide better costumer service, he helps us achieve our mission “to make
homeownership an affordable and sustainable reality for all people,” and to stay ahead of the trends. His other contribution to making himself, me, and Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., so successful is his effort to create an atmosphere at the company where people can, as he says quoting Aristotle, “find pleasure in what they do in life.” I, for one, find a lot of pleasure in what I do at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc, and I am not the only one. In fact, it is that same atmosphere and commitment to making our experience and those of our clients “pleasurable” that brings us clients and then brings them back to do business with us again and again.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I enjoy writing in my journal, helping my little brother and sister with their homework, and spending time with my friends.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a
person?
When I was younger my parents were very overprotective, so that made me less than popular; in fact, I had very few, select friends because of their standards. They scrutinized all of them and hand picked only the ones they thought would be good for me and criticized the rest. Having been kind of an outsider, some what of a “nerd,” and seemingly socially challenged when I was younger had a tremendous impact on my life. It led me to working even harder on my social skills and focusing on creating more positive social interactions. Also, I think feeling as if I were not accepted has helped me
become a more sensitive person and to be someone who is more aware of other people’s feelings. In short, I am glad that I have had to work at my relationships because doing so and working on my interpersonal skills from a young age has made me even more of a success today. I am grateful to my parents.
What are your concerns about the world today?
I have two main concerns about the world today: the lack of adequate public education and the fact that people have for the most part a low quality of life. I do not think that in the United States in general, and in New York State and New York City specifically, we invest enough in our public education system. Also, with most people suffering from the lack of a good work-life balance or living in debt and with many people living in near poverty conditions, I feel more should be done to improve everyone’s quality of life.
The goal should be to improve education amongst everyone and improve everyone’s quality of life.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things
would you do? Consider money as no object.
If I had all the money I needed, I would donate even more to the various charities and organizations that I believe in; I would invest a significant amount in Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. to have the company help me distribute my money to the community. I would also purchase several properties, some of which I would dedicate to affordable housing and educational communities and community centers. In addition, I would establish my own school to serve as a model for all of the other schools and a library dedicated to the Hispanic / Latino community, its history and diverse culture. Lastly, I would settle down to continue to teach our community and to write and publish several books I have in mind, not all of which have to do with real estate. Of course, I would
take my summers off to travel the world and rest (I would not want to burn out after all, and I would need to have new experiences to write about and new sources of inspiration to share).
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Although it will sound a little clichéd, I would advise people as George Sophocleus, one of the partners and owners of Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. has advised me quoting Aristotle, “You must find pleasure in everything that you do in life.” I think it is excellent advice and one of the best pieces of advice I have found repeated often throughout my career and throughout my life. In fact, I think it is advice that has achieved the status of “age-old wisdom.”
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Of course people are more interesting than product stories; they are without a doubt the foundation of all of our businesses.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I see a long future with Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. ahead of me, and I would like to one day own several of my own properties. At some point, I would also like to settle down and write and publish various books that I have in mind, some of which have nothing to do with real estate. Also, I would love to leave a school, a library, or some other learning institution in our community as part of my legacy.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
The three obstacles that I must overcome repeatedly are people’s negativity, skepticism, and cynicism. Some people just cannot bear to see some one other than themselves succeed, even if the reason those people are succeeding is by helping their community. Also, when I first approach them, most people are very cynical about my intentions and skeptical about my ability to deliver on my promises. I have to be careful not to let all of the negativity out in the world get me down. I have to keep up my enthusiasm by focusing on all of the good that I and my company have helped to accomplish. Luckily, I have a strong support at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc.; everyone in the company helps me keep a positive thought, because as I learned from an organization called CityKids, “a positive thought cannot be denied!”
Which people have been role models to you?
I have had various role models in several areas throughout my life; however, I do not have adequate time or space to share with you who they are and to honor them with the praise and thanks that they deserve. I will, however, mention two that I feel have had the most impact in the direction that my life has been taking most recently: my cousin, Madelynn Tejeda, a top producing loan officer, and George Sophocleus, one of the partners and owners of Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., and one of the people that I most admire. I am grateful to my cousin, Madelynn, for introducing me to the industry and
showing me what it is possible to accomplish within it. And, I am grateful to George for the guidance and hope that he has given me for what I can accomplish at Lyons Mortgage Services, both personally and professionally; by hiring me as a Business Development Manager for Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., he has empowered me to do a lot of good in my community and to “find pleasure in what I do in life.”
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
My two favorite books are The Road Less Traveled by Dr. M. Scott Peck and Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. I love The Road Less Traveled by Dr. M. Scott Peck that I have made it a ritual to re-read it every New Years, and I love Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within that I refer back to various sections of the book almost daily. I think both of these works and several others have had a significant impact on the course of my life.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest
enjoyment in life?
What I am most passionate about and what gives me the greatest enjoyment in life is real estate and writing. I am passionate about real estate because it is in my blood and because fixing and owning buildings has been a part of my greatest dreams ever since I can remember. And I am passionate about writing because it is an art of creation, recreation, and communication as well as a gift and skill that has helped me to succeed in most of my endeavors to date and I am sure for years to come. Together, like “Yin and Yang,” real estate and writing help make me balanced, make me whole.
In our studio this morning we have an exceptional and motivated person named Francis Lora. I was very impressed with Francis as we met at a recent HPNG event in New York City. He enjoys sharing ideas and helping people achieve their goals. Francis is also an aspiring writer. Thanx for joining us today Francis.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it
provide?
I currently work for Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc, a medium sized mortgage bank and community lender headquartered in Astoria, Queens that offers mortgages for the purchase and refinance of 1-4 unit residential properties, Condos, Co-ops, Multifamily homes and Mixed Use properties, as well as for the purchase of commercial or other investment properties; Lyons even offers construction loans. Other loan programs that are unique and quite often sought after include our 40 year fixed rate mortgage and our competitive no income verification loan programs. The best part is that I am working for a company whose mission is, “to make homeownership an affordable and sustainable reality for all people” and a company that services the majority of its loans. Therefore, should you or anyone you know be purchasing or refinancing a property in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut and think you may need our services or if you would like for me to set up a seminar, please feel free to email me at FLora@elyons.com or to give me a call at the office at (718) 267- 2000 or at (917) 690-8726. We would be more than happy to help.
What role do you play in your organization?
As a Business Development Manager and Mortgage Banker at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc, I am finally doing more of what I enjoy: I spend part of my time marketing and part educating people on the home buying process and originating mortgages. I build relationships with realtors and the community and dedicate my time to creating a dynamic where everyone benefits from our programs and services. I even get to enjoy my passion for writing producing articles to educate the community and am currently working on a children’s book to teach about mortgages and the home buying process aimed and young Latino / Hispanic children. My job allows me the flexibility to be creative and help my community as well as the support to accomplish my goals.
As a successful person, how did you get started?
Like most successful people, I started with ambition, curiosity, and several dreams; I started off with a lot of drive, but too many directions. If you were to look at my resume, you would see the evolution of my dreams and aspirations as well as my transition from living with “hand-me-down” values to living life according to my beliefs. The one constant thread and theme that has followed me from one pursuit to the next has been my passion for writing. My ability to write has been a gift and a skill I have always tried to put to good use wherever I go. In everything I have ever done, I have always incorporated some element of my writing; in fact, I continue to do so to this very day and will certainly continue to do so for years to come. Writing has served me well on both my professional and personal journey:
When I was younger, I always wanted to work, so I started as soon as I could. At the age of 14, I was a Library Assistant and a Spanish tutor at my school. I still think my resume and cover letter were the keys to get me the job (even though it did not hurt that I spent a lot of time in the library as part of my community service). In any case, working in the library, I learned to pay close attention to details, and I had access to a wealth of knowledge in the volumes of books I helped organize. Being in a library, I spent most of my free time reading. I particularly liked the Psychology books, the Motivational books, the Business books, and the Self-Improvement books.
Then, because my family always thought that I would be a lawyer, I interned at a couple of law firms. However, my time there made me realize that I did not want to pursue law. Being a lawyer was not as exciting a job as they made it seem on television. I was a big “Matlock” and “Law and Order” fan, but those summers made me realize that being a lawyer and practicing law required more and was about more than they let on about on those shows. Being a lawyer involved a lot of writing, but most of it was writing briefs and “legalese” for contracts and that was not quite how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.
Next, I tried business and Wall Street: I spent a summer working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and a summer interning at Goldman Sachs. I liked business very much, especially working for Goldman Sachs. In fact, I thought that I wanted to pursue business all the way through graduation. But when I did not get the position at Goldman Sachs that I wanted, even after having been a Goldman Sachs Scholar, I changed my plans yet again. I guess working at Goldman was something that was not written in the stars for me.
So the summer right before graduation, I went to work with my cousin, a top producing loan officer, in South Jersey. It was then, working as her assistant, that I realized that I wanted to pursue real estate. I guess I should have known that real estate was in my blood; after all, my father is a Building Manager for Newmark and Co. and my Cousin is a top producing loan officer. But more than that, I had been eyeing real estate with dreams of owning and fixing up buildings ever since I was a young boy. Now I have
finally come to realize and accept my love for real estate.
However, with most of my family living in New York City, I realized that it was not going to be feasible to live in South Jersey and commute to the city every weekend. Therefore, I left my job in South Jersey to return to the city. While I was in between jobs looking for the right company to work for, I became a published Writing Entrepreneur ("Freelance Writer") featured in several publications: I was featured in such publications as Urban Latino Magazine; Sofrito, an insert in El Diario, a Spanish language newspaper; in Latino Leaders Magazine, a magazine that runs profiles of successful Latinos; and the Manhattan Times, a community newspaper serving Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and Spanish Harlem.
The son of Dominican parents who immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic in 1969 and the first in our family to be born and raised here and to attend and graduate from college here, failure has not been an option for me, especially not after attending and graduating from Columbia University. Finally, now at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., I have found a place where I can combine my two strongest driving forces: my passion for writing, with my love for real estate which is in my blood. Today, I consider myself fortunate to have found my way to Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., a community lending institution with a pleasant work environment that provides the members of its staff with the opportunity to do what they love everyday and the support that they need to succeed in business and in life.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I cannot say how I first learned to succeed or from whom. Probably the first time I learned the lesson was when I fell as I was learning to walk and I got up and tried again until I got it; so, I guess you could say that I have learned from life. However, learning to succeed is a lesson that is learned over and over throughout your life because there is no one route to success or any “cookie-cutter” formula either. Most recently, I have learned to succeed from George Sophocleous, one of the partners and owners of Lyons Mortgage
Services, Inc. He has been very much a role model to me and to countless others in the company by taking time out from his busy schedule to help every single one of us strive towards our full potential. He sat with us on various occasions during our training, he invites us to visit with him and to bring him our questions and concerns, and he is a constant motivating force.
Perhaps what I love and respect the most about him is that he constantly reminds us that we must be flexible and be able to think outside the box in this business because as he puts it, “the way we did business yesterday is not the same way we do business today and will not be the same way we will do business tomorrow.” But more importantly, by keeping Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc on the cutting edge with proprietary technology that helps us provide better costumer service, he helps us achieve our mission “to make
homeownership an affordable and sustainable reality for all people,” and to stay ahead of the trends. His other contribution to making himself, me, and Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., so successful is his effort to create an atmosphere at the company where people can, as he says quoting Aristotle, “find pleasure in what they do in life.” I, for one, find a lot of pleasure in what I do at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc, and I am not the only one. In fact, it is that same atmosphere and commitment to making our experience and those of our clients “pleasurable” that brings us clients and then brings them back to do business with us again and again.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I enjoy writing in my journal, helping my little brother and sister with their homework, and spending time with my friends.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a
person?
When I was younger my parents were very overprotective, so that made me less than popular; in fact, I had very few, select friends because of their standards. They scrutinized all of them and hand picked only the ones they thought would be good for me and criticized the rest. Having been kind of an outsider, some what of a “nerd,” and seemingly socially challenged when I was younger had a tremendous impact on my life. It led me to working even harder on my social skills and focusing on creating more positive social interactions. Also, I think feeling as if I were not accepted has helped me
become a more sensitive person and to be someone who is more aware of other people’s feelings. In short, I am glad that I have had to work at my relationships because doing so and working on my interpersonal skills from a young age has made me even more of a success today. I am grateful to my parents.
What are your concerns about the world today?
I have two main concerns about the world today: the lack of adequate public education and the fact that people have for the most part a low quality of life. I do not think that in the United States in general, and in New York State and New York City specifically, we invest enough in our public education system. Also, with most people suffering from the lack of a good work-life balance or living in debt and with many people living in near poverty conditions, I feel more should be done to improve everyone’s quality of life.
The goal should be to improve education amongst everyone and improve everyone’s quality of life.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things
would you do? Consider money as no object.
If I had all the money I needed, I would donate even more to the various charities and organizations that I believe in; I would invest a significant amount in Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. to have the company help me distribute my money to the community. I would also purchase several properties, some of which I would dedicate to affordable housing and educational communities and community centers. In addition, I would establish my own school to serve as a model for all of the other schools and a library dedicated to the Hispanic / Latino community, its history and diverse culture. Lastly, I would settle down to continue to teach our community and to write and publish several books I have in mind, not all of which have to do with real estate. Of course, I would
take my summers off to travel the world and rest (I would not want to burn out after all, and I would need to have new experiences to write about and new sources of inspiration to share).
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Although it will sound a little clichéd, I would advise people as George Sophocleus, one of the partners and owners of Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. has advised me quoting Aristotle, “You must find pleasure in everything that you do in life.” I think it is excellent advice and one of the best pieces of advice I have found repeated often throughout my career and throughout my life. In fact, I think it is advice that has achieved the status of “age-old wisdom.”
Are people more interesting than product stories?
Of course people are more interesting than product stories; they are without a doubt the foundation of all of our businesses.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I see a long future with Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. ahead of me, and I would like to one day own several of my own properties. At some point, I would also like to settle down and write and publish various books that I have in mind, some of which have nothing to do with real estate. Also, I would love to leave a school, a library, or some other learning institution in our community as part of my legacy.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
The three obstacles that I must overcome repeatedly are people’s negativity, skepticism, and cynicism. Some people just cannot bear to see some one other than themselves succeed, even if the reason those people are succeeding is by helping their community. Also, when I first approach them, most people are very cynical about my intentions and skeptical about my ability to deliver on my promises. I have to be careful not to let all of the negativity out in the world get me down. I have to keep up my enthusiasm by focusing on all of the good that I and my company have helped to accomplish. Luckily, I have a strong support at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc.; everyone in the company helps me keep a positive thought, because as I learned from an organization called CityKids, “a positive thought cannot be denied!”
Which people have been role models to you?
I have had various role models in several areas throughout my life; however, I do not have adequate time or space to share with you who they are and to honor them with the praise and thanks that they deserve. I will, however, mention two that I feel have had the most impact in the direction that my life has been taking most recently: my cousin, Madelynn Tejeda, a top producing loan officer, and George Sophocleus, one of the partners and owners of Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., and one of the people that I most admire. I am grateful to my cousin, Madelynn, for introducing me to the industry and
showing me what it is possible to accomplish within it. And, I am grateful to George for the guidance and hope that he has given me for what I can accomplish at Lyons Mortgage Services, both personally and professionally; by hiring me as a Business Development Manager for Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc., he has empowered me to do a lot of good in my community and to “find pleasure in what I do in life.”
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
My two favorite books are The Road Less Traveled by Dr. M. Scott Peck and Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. I love The Road Less Traveled by Dr. M. Scott Peck that I have made it a ritual to re-read it every New Years, and I love Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within that I refer back to various sections of the book almost daily. I think both of these works and several others have had a significant impact on the course of my life.
What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest
enjoyment in life?
What I am most passionate about and what gives me the greatest enjoyment in life is real estate and writing. I am passionate about real estate because it is in my blood and because fixing and owning buildings has been a part of my greatest dreams ever since I can remember. And I am passionate about writing because it is an art of creation, recreation, and communication as well as a gift and skill that has helped me to succeed in most of my endeavors to date and I am sure for years to come. Together, like “Yin and Yang,” real estate and writing help make me balanced, make me whole.
Donald Kingston, CEO & Publisher of LiVIT Magazine
It's 4 minutes past the hour. Be yourself in any situation. People will respect you more for it.
We are joined in our studio today with an outstanding individual named Donald Kingston. He is an extraordinary person who publishes a very different newsletter that encourages people to think about how they should really live life. Donald also coordinates events that actually creates an atmosphere for people to interact and make their dreams a reality. I have attended events sponsored by Donald's organzation and the energy with the people he brings together is electric. Everyone wins at each LiVIT event. We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule Donald to join us today.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
The name of my company is LiVIT LLC. Our tagline is “don’t just dream it. LiVIT”. We provide various forms of support to business start-ups. We also assist existing businesses through network events so they can continue to develop and grow. We believe that through a group effort that anything becomes easier and that much more attainable. Visit our current website at www.LiVITmagazine.com or contact me at DKingston@LiVITmagazine.com. Where you can learn more about us and to sign-up for our weekly newsletter which provides you with daily operating tips for your business, the latest deals to help save you some money, available funding options that could help you grow business and other business topics.
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the founder, marketing director and the voice of LiVIT.
As a successful business person, how did you get started?
That’s an interesting question. Based on what I’ve defined as “success” for myself, I wouldn’t characterize myself as a “successful” business person. LiVIT is one of many business ventures that I have embarked on. To date it is the only one that drives me. I started LiVIT because I saw a need. I have so many friends and associates that have expressed a need to take control of their lives by starting a business, but lacked the knowledge. So I decided, if access to information is their only deterrent, why not help them by providing the information for them and creating a network of people who can support each other and share the knowledge? So that’s how LiVIT came into being.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I think I learned with it takes to succeed from my mother and father. They of course had different lessons. My father said education, knowledge and consistency is what it takes to succeed. My mother said patience, passion and a kindness was the way to go. I’ve tried to embody both philosophies and so far it’s been a really interesting and exciting journey.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
LiVIT is my enjoyment. Outside of LiVIT, going to parties, socializing, going to the movies and traveling are some of my favorite ways to pass the time. Also just hanging-out with my family and laughing up a storm is a great way to see the minutes tick by.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
There are so many. But the one that comes to mind first are the many late nights spent talking with my grandmother. She made life simple for me. We talk about everything, more when I was younger than I am now, and she helped me realize that there really is no road map that you have to follow. That I can choose to do whatever I wanted and if I decided that tomorrow I wanted to do the complete opposite that I could do that too. She showed me that I have complete freedom in my choices. She taught me that we are only bounded by ourselves. She helped to free me.
What are your concerns about the world today?
I think my main concern of the world today is that hopefully it’s not the world of our future. I hope that when future societies look back at us 30, 40, 80 years from now, that they will wonder how we were able to kill each other so easily. That they will wonder how we were able to justify giving marriage rights to one part of our population while advocating taking it away from another? That they will try to understand how we sat by and let so many people starve and die because they were poor, and made special provisions for those who had everything in abundance.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
Make dreams come true.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Well if you are interested in starting a business or currently have a business, to visit the LiVIT website at www.LiVITmagazine.com and become a subscriber and get tips every week.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
I think people have to become the product so they are about as equally interesting.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I would like LiVIT to be the premiere online community for entrepreneurs young and old, novice and veteran. I want anyone who hears about LiVIT to also know of the companies that we helped to become successful. I want our brand to be the “can do” brand. Everyone should know that by becoming a part of the LiVIT network that you are almost guaranteed success in your business endeavor.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Me. I’m usually the biggest thing in my way.
Which people have been role models to you?
There are many. And they all share one commonality. They obtained their goal not against the greatest odds. They obtained their goals by not being too concerned with the fruit, but by making sure that the seed they were planting was strong and that it was planted in fertile soil.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
Well I read, but I don’t really have a favorite book, but I do have a favorite movie, “The Color Purple”. My favorite forms of entertainment are dance clubs, stage performances and movies.
What time of the day are you at your best?
I think I’m at my best before 1pm and after 6pm. Something happens to me between the hours of 1:00PM and 5:00PM. I can’t explain it, but it might have something to do with how much I eat.
We are joined in our studio today with an outstanding individual named Donald Kingston. He is an extraordinary person who publishes a very different newsletter that encourages people to think about how they should really live life. Donald also coordinates events that actually creates an atmosphere for people to interact and make their dreams a reality. I have attended events sponsored by Donald's organzation and the energy with the people he brings together is electric. Everyone wins at each LiVIT event. We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule Donald to join us today.
What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
The name of my company is LiVIT LLC. Our tagline is “don’t just dream it. LiVIT”. We provide various forms of support to business start-ups. We also assist existing businesses through network events so they can continue to develop and grow. We believe that through a group effort that anything becomes easier and that much more attainable. Visit our current website at www.LiVITmagazine.com or contact me at DKingston@LiVITmagazine.com. Where you can learn more about us and to sign-up for our weekly newsletter which provides you with daily operating tips for your business, the latest deals to help save you some money, available funding options that could help you grow business and other business topics.
What role do you play in your organization?
I am the founder, marketing director and the voice of LiVIT.
As a successful business person, how did you get started?
That’s an interesting question. Based on what I’ve defined as “success” for myself, I wouldn’t characterize myself as a “successful” business person. LiVIT is one of many business ventures that I have embarked on. To date it is the only one that drives me. I started LiVIT because I saw a need. I have so many friends and associates that have expressed a need to take control of their lives by starting a business, but lacked the knowledge. So I decided, if access to information is their only deterrent, why not help them by providing the information for them and creating a network of people who can support each other and share the knowledge? So that’s how LiVIT came into being.
How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
I think I learned with it takes to succeed from my mother and father. They of course had different lessons. My father said education, knowledge and consistency is what it takes to succeed. My mother said patience, passion and a kindness was the way to go. I’ve tried to embody both philosophies and so far it’s been a really interesting and exciting journey.
What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
LiVIT is my enjoyment. Outside of LiVIT, going to parties, socializing, going to the movies and traveling are some of my favorite ways to pass the time. Also just hanging-out with my family and laughing up a storm is a great way to see the minutes tick by.
What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
There are so many. But the one that comes to mind first are the many late nights spent talking with my grandmother. She made life simple for me. We talk about everything, more when I was younger than I am now, and she helped me realize that there really is no road map that you have to follow. That I can choose to do whatever I wanted and if I decided that tomorrow I wanted to do the complete opposite that I could do that too. She showed me that I have complete freedom in my choices. She taught me that we are only bounded by ourselves. She helped to free me.
What are your concerns about the world today?
I think my main concern of the world today is that hopefully it’s not the world of our future. I hope that when future societies look back at us 30, 40, 80 years from now, that they will wonder how we were able to kill each other so easily. That they will wonder how we were able to justify giving marriage rights to one part of our population while advocating taking it away from another? That they will try to understand how we sat by and let so many people starve and die because they were poor, and made special provisions for those who had everything in abundance.
If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
Make dreams come true.
Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Well if you are interested in starting a business or currently have a business, to visit the LiVIT website at www.LiVITmagazine.com and become a subscriber and get tips every week.
Are people more interesting than product stories?
I think people have to become the product so they are about as equally interesting.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
I would like LiVIT to be the premiere online community for entrepreneurs young and old, novice and veteran. I want anyone who hears about LiVIT to also know of the companies that we helped to become successful. I want our brand to be the “can do” brand. Everyone should know that by becoming a part of the LiVIT network that you are almost guaranteed success in your business endeavor.
What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Me. I’m usually the biggest thing in my way.
Which people have been role models to you?
There are many. And they all share one commonality. They obtained their goal not against the greatest odds. They obtained their goals by not being too concerned with the fruit, but by making sure that the seed they were planting was strong and that it was planted in fertile soil.
What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
Well I read, but I don’t really have a favorite book, but I do have a favorite movie, “The Color Purple”. My favorite forms of entertainment are dance clubs, stage performances and movies.
What time of the day are you at your best?
I think I’m at my best before 1pm and after 6pm. Something happens to me between the hours of 1:00PM and 5:00PM. I can’t explain it, but it might have something to do with how much I eat.
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