We were lucky to catch up with Ana Rosales recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I think it’s not so much about whether you have a job or a business of your own, but rather about the love of doing what you do. In every job we will always have challenging situations that will make us doubt and feel confused. But it’s a competition of you against you, of proving to yourself what you are capable of. You may think that in a normal 9 to 5 job your performance will be validated by your bosses and in the case of running your own business, the validation will come from your clients, but at the end of the day it is about you and if you love what you do you will be able to overcome any challenging situation, which ultimately is part of your growth. In my case, I feel like I live on the edge all the time. I’m unveiling the path as if I’m developing a photo.

Ana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an immigrant woman. I come from Venezuela and arrived in this great country 12 years ago. Like every immigrant, I started from scratch. Without mastering the language, without any family nearby, and in a country with a completely different culture than mine. In Venezuela, I graduated from Rafael Belloso Chacin University as a journalist and worked for many years in the media industry. When I arrived here in the United States the first thing I did was to buy a small professional camera and in each of the jobs I had to do (nanny, salesperson, cleaning, driver) I began to offer photography services, flyer design, professional copywriting for Hispanic companies and I got more and more work, until one day while cleaning an office one of the accountants who worked there told me: Ana, why don’t you open your company? I’ll help you. I was confused and honestly, I thought it was impossible until I saw AVR MEDIA GROUP registered as a company. That was in August 2013 and since then I have worked very hard through all these years, I can’t say it has been easy but believe me, everything has been worth it. It has been a wonderful adventure that makes me feel very proud of myself.

Currently, AVR MEDIA GROUP is a digital marketing agency that has helped hundreds of small and big companies not only in Florida but also in other states like Chicago, Atlanta, and New York and has worked with big brands like Sony Music, ESPN Sports, and many more.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Believing in yourself is key. I remember when I was working as a salesperson in a store, I had my planner with the things I had to do when I got home. I worked more than 12 hours a day. On weekends when I wasn’t working other jobs, I would try to go to networking events to drop off my business cards and meet potential clients. I did jobs for no pay or at very low prices just to show what I could offer and gain the trust of clients. Of course, I had moments where I wanted to quit everything and look for a job, but whenever that happened I would get a call with a project and I would tell myself Ana that’s a sign, don’t give up.

A lot of patience, determination, and perseverance is still my motto.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Honestly, I started with a professional camera that cost me no more than $500. From there I started to offer photography services for events, parties, weddings, etc. And the money I received I invested in the company: logo, website, business cards, advertising. But if I am honest with you, my best advertisement, and the one that still works for me, has been the referrals from my own clients. Believe me, a happy client always comes back and brings you other clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://avrmediagroup.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avrmediagroup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AVRMediaGroup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-veronica-rosales/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AVRMediaGroup
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaGyLauxAWCtMRpmZXNViHQ
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/avrmediagroup

Image Credits
Photo: Edward Perdomo