We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Dorcius recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

A risk that I have taken is to initiate the YOUPI Creole TV. For many who does not know the background of our channel, when the story is shared, it leaves many inspired. As previously mentioned, this project was driven by my son and the passion to educate generations to come of their heritage language as well as leave a representational of their culture. I recall thinking this through for months, discussing it with my husband and my best friend which they thought was an original and amazing idea. I was in fear to go through with the thought as I realized I had no start up sponsors and this would depend solely on my finances. After six months of reflection, I reached out to a few close friends based on what I truly believe they can each offer individually to impact the project (they all have musical background). I was thrilled when they said yes. They, too, showed their enthusiasm with their dedication through their time and creativity. I was fortunate to kick off the first few sequences with a friend until I found a music producer to continue on the role. Sleepless nights came and went as I searched for animators, studio recordings and music producers to collaborate with. I have heard the costly expenses in the music industry, but it hit differently when I was faced with the finance roadblock. We truly believe that God has a plan for this project as we have been blessed with individuals who motivated us to proceed with YOUPI Creole TV. This project has impacted my finance greatly and we hope to seek for sponsorships to continue the great work that we started.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Stephanie Dorcius, Founder of YOUPI Creole TV. I was inspired by my newborn son to initiate this project. YOUPI Creole TV main goal is to teach all (children and adults) to familiarize themselves with their Haitian heritage language, Creole. Creating this channel captivated me for so many reasons as I thought about the generation now and those to come and how the language seems to be losing its touch. Learning any other language is encouraged, but why not your very own ancestors. Hence, why I strongly believe and love this initiative my team and I are projecting. I am proud of myself but most importantly of my team for sharing a common vision and recognizing the need for such project.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Work hard but keep it fun! No matter where one go, not everyone will be pleased. Maintain a positive morale with the feedbacks that are plausible to the team. Open communication at all times. If it works, continue motivating to maintain the desirable outcome. If anything needs work, revisit the plan together and hear the perspectives of your team.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

What makes working with my business partners so special is how I have gotten to know each individually for a long period of time, while attending the same parish. Who would have imagined down the road we would be in a partnership? We have individualized our talents and purpose, which is how it was easy for me to recognize their potential and I was beyond ecstatic when they were all onboard for this long-term project.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youpi_creoletv/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YOUPICREOLETV
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuwmsiB6216FIW9Kbm2gY0Q

Image Credits
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