We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carolina Flores. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carolina below.

Carolina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I would hope my legacy would be the same instilled in me as a 3rd generation entrepreneur: honest hard work, unwavering integrity, and keeping people first in business.

Carolina, 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?

After years of working in the events industry and taking a break once I became a mom, Hi Hello originally started as a creative outlet for me personally by curating thoughtful gifts for friends and family on social occasions.

Later, a friend hosting a women’s conference invited me to curate the welcome bags for her event. With my experience in large-scale events and love for all things hospitality, I realized this was something I not only felt confident doing but had a deep passion for. Hi, Hello was officially established in February 2019, and it has been an incredible ride.

I am a third-generation entrepreneur. ⁠ I take after my father and grandfather, constantly thinking of new business ideas and how to grow them. ⁠I also inherited their love for people and the importance of valuing others and making them feel seen. ⁠I get to do all of that every day at Hi Hello. I come alive thinking of tangible ways to make others feel valued, special, and thought of.

Today, we provide tailored hospitality experiences in corporate gifting, elevated event swag, and branded merchandise.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I am naturally a people pleaser and found my worth was in how much and how well I performed. The combination of those behaviors led me to believe that saying “no” was a sign of weakness. I would say yes to pretty much anything, even if it were at the expense of my well-being. As a service-based entrepreneur, that was exceedingly hurtful in the long run for both business and myself. I over-committed, was a perfectionist, under-charged, and burned out. Learning that saying “no” is powerful and makes room for me to say “yes” to the things I want and are aligned with my values was a pivotal milestone for growth.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for our clientele has been a job well done and upholding excellence as a core value in every step of our client experience. Over 90% of our business comes from referrals from existing clients and word-of-mouth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hihelloco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hihello_co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hihelloco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinadiplanflores/

Image Credits
Ashley Maiso Sadie June Carlos Perez