We were lucky to catch up with Belqui Ortiz-Millili recently and have shared our conversation below.
Belqui, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t know if I would call it an unexpected “problem/issue”, but more of an unexpected result of what is usually a normal and beautiful life event. That was the birth of my premature son and death of his twin sister. Then, my son’s subsequent autism diagnosis. Today he is 13, non-verbal and cognitively impaired. This situation has not been resolved. I have grown into it accepting it. Eventually finding opportunity in it.
You see, I left my dream career right as I was doing the best I ever had. In the years at home, caring for my child, sitting through therapies is where I found the opportunity to start my next chapter. That was in cooking. Something I had been doing since I was 12 years old to help my immigrant parents out while they worked long hours at their jobs.
I became immersed and very passionate about learning to cook more than I already knew, which was 100% Dominican cooking. Expanding my horizons, I began experimenting with recipes I would find. Changing ingredients and making them my own. I even made my own version of my mother-in-law’s amazing meatballs that I always craved. Now very critically acclaimed by our family members and dare I say, my own mother-in-law. My inspiration.
Eventually, I decided to start a website and an IG account because I had so many friends and family wanting the recipes that I shared or cooked for them. Slowly but surely, it became a thing and I felt like starting a YouTube Channel and a legitimate business was next. And that is how the new me was born.
Belqui, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am likely nothing like the other entrepreneurs you’ve interviewed before because I have had the blessing of following every passion I have ever had. Ones I had as a child and others due to how my life has shifted and, again, finding opportunity in the situations I found myself in.
As a young girl I always wanted to be an actress. That was my thing, my passion. I always visualized it and even did theater in HS. But when reality set in and I had to choose a career, that was not a choice. My parents were immigrants, they worked in factories and wanted more for their first US generation children. Acting was not a career to them. I had no choice but to choose a major. And I chose well, I went for advertising and marketing communications. I worked while in college in very large advertising agencies. The more time went by, the more I knew that I was good at my job but it wasn’t fulfilling my creative, artist side.
I graduated and instead of waiting for my earned promotion, I quit to pursue an acting career. One that went quite well for 10 years until I had to quit to care for my preemie son. This eventually let me to my cooking career and also becoming a Senior Brand Manager for Spanglish Asadero. A job that I also hold today.
In this new phase of my career, I feel that I am able to contribute to our company in so many ways. I use my skills to create brand awareness, that includes creating our marketing campaigns, and literally creating our visuals and the creative for my own food blog business.
I am a people person. And when I say a people person, I really mean it. I will be your friend the minute I meet you. That really helps when building relationships with connections because it is real and it is felt. I have formed so many friendships with clients of my blog business and in my marketing job, that you’d be surprised. There is no stranger I ever come across.
A thing about me that anyone who works with me knows, is that I go above and beyond for those who put their trust in me.
How did you build your audience on social media?
At this time, I am not just building my own cooking blog business but also the business for Spanglish Asadero. The best advice that I can give when it comes to your individual business as a creator is to be authentic, be yourself. People can tell when it’s all an act. At the same time, have boundaries and don’t burn yourself out by working more than you can to compete with other creators. You will never be them. Do what you can do and leave the rest to the almighty algorithm, because it really is the one who determines your efforts fate.
When it comes to my marketing job at Spanglish Asadero, it’s all about great content. Show off what the product is best at. Find influencers that truly believe in your product. In our case it’s been those influencers that find us first, tag us that becomes the perfect match because it is truly organic. We partner and magic ensues.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I am a huge Mel Robbins fan. I came across her on a Ted Talk YouTube video and it literally became the beginning of my no fear of change attitude. Since then I have read every single one of her books and of course, highly recommend them. Her 5 second rule is what made me start my food blogging business and accepting the job I hold in marketing today. Both are jobs I am so happy to be doing today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://belquistwist.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belquistwist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/belquistwist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belqui-ortiz-millili/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/belquistwist
- Other: TikTok: @belquistwist My awesome marketing job: https://www.spanglishasadero.com/
Image Credits
all shot and edited by Belqui Ortiz-Millili