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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeAlright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yuval Ofir. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yuval, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My mission is to create a world where artists feel connected and supported by a community that truly values their contributions, by serving as the bridge between them and facilitating the growth of new ecosystems.
Throughout elementary school I was in all the musicals, performed in piano recitals, and loved arts and crafts projects of all kinds. Like most of us, I was more in touch with that creative side in myself back then, but as I got older my focus shifted to the world of business. I started working for my grandpa at his perfume company when I was 15, and stayed on that track for the next seventeen years, feeling pressure to be responsible and do the financially smart thing. Unbeknownst to me, I’d buried away that creative side with only occasional outlets sneaking in over the years. In 2009, after graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in Entrepreneurship, I moved to Edgewater to be closer to our warehouse in Wynwood. That was the beginning of my journey to reconnect with my authentic and creative self.
I began meeting and working with creative professionals of all types, which led me to create my company, Yo Miami, in 2011. I ran the business for many years in parallel to running the perfume company, finding outlets to explore my passions. Having that initial financial stability allowed me to focus on opportunities to foster relationships and develop partnerships without overly emphasizing the profitability of each one. Over the years, I began to realize that the subtle driving force behind the entire business was my desire to recognize and prioritize the need for creative outlets in all areas of our lives.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m born and raised in Miami, and it’s always felt like home regardless of the places I’ve visited throughout my life. Through my early experiences, I’m uniquely positioned to have a firm grasp of how high-level business works, while maintaining a love and respect for the creative expression that gives our lives meaning. I provide my clients with Strategic Consulting focused primarily for Creative Projects, including project management and event services. I also advise and mentor many of the artists and other creative professionals within my network. I excel at making connections in unique and impactful ways that help to get clients from the earliest kernel of an idea, all the way through coming up with solutions and implementing them.
I mainly work with Cultural Institutions, Property Owners and Real Estate Developers, Business Owners, and Municipalities, but have serviced many other types of clients over the last thirteen years. I make impactful connections through a holistic understanding of diverse verticals, based on extensive successful past experience. Some of the specific services I offer include: Discovery, Marketing, Mural Production, Product Development, and Event Design. We also have capabilities to handle PR, Production Services, Fabrication, and Art Curation.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Like many of us, the pandemic served as a forced period of introspection and analysis of my business. In the year leading up to 2020, I was producing anywhere from 6-10 monthly recurring events, both for client venues and at our HQ in Little Haiti, Yo Space Gallery & Studios. As the lockdowns started, all of those events went on indefinite hold. It happened that the timing also overlapped with my decision in 2019 to shift my focus from the family business completely onto Yo Miami. I’m grateful that I had the luxury of being in a position where I could take some time to coast a little bit and “build the plane while it was in the air” as it were. I took the time to consult with key advisors and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the business and add some of the much needed administrative structure that had been lacking.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
In the early years, I would take on almost every opportunity that landed in front of me. Many times that meant scrambling to find solutions to problems, with tight or nonexistent budgets, lack of resources and other challenges. In the past handful of years, I started gaining a better appreciation for the fact that not everything that seems like an opportunity is one. I began to understand the opportunity costs that came with each project or commitment I took on, and started to approach things with more discernment.
It’s extremely important to take the time to really explore and clarify what the mission of your business is, and then consider with each opportunity you’re presented whether it will take you closer to that goal or only distract you from it.
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