We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jafet Martinez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jafet, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

As a Latino, seeing myself represented in Marketing and Advertisement tends to happen during “Hispanic Heritage Month”. Despite the Latinx/Hispanic population growing 6 times faster than non-Latinx in the United States, based on the 2020 Census, it is still underrepresented and underserved. In addition, there is an immense diversity of identities and intersectionality within the Hispanic/Latinx population that “complicates” things for businesses serving our communities.

The typical approach for businesses and organizations serving the Hispanic/Latinx community is superficial and minimal. When advertising grants, business, and education opportunities we typically see what I call Hispandering, the pandering to the Hispanic community, typically by politicians or organizations looking to attract the Hispanic audience without understanding the multicultural background of the Hispanic/Latinx community. Municipalities, Organizations and Businesses will create poorly researched, non-compelling, pandering materials that includes some “Hispanic/Latinx element” and call it a day.

Simply adding a sombrero, typical Hispanic food or a Spanish word in your messaging does not create an authentic appeal to our community.

In order to effectively serve our communities, it is necessary to get to know us, learning about our cultural backgrounds, and common interests. There is no “one size fits all” strategy. Hispanics/Latinx are not “all the same”, but as a community we have shared experiences, traditions and culture. We are complex individuals with intersectionality that plays a part in our day-to-day decision-making, how we gather information, and who we trust to serve our communities.

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

Originally from Puerto Rico, I have been residing in Massachusetts since 2009. I started my journey as a Graphic Designer but soon after got certified as an IT Technician and Computer Manufacturer, It was this interest in technology that led me to study Data Analytics and ultimately fueled my “design meets data” framework.

I am the owner of Red Beard Media & Marketing, a Latino father, and son-owned small business focused on helping trailblazing social entrepreneurs amplify their impact, strengthen their presence in the community, and turn their clients into champions. Through an anti-racist, multicultural approach we elevate an organization’s mission and message, providing solutions that leverage technology, marketing, and communication strategies to increase business exposure, improve automation, and reduce administrative costs. We are passionate about working and supporting groups that often have the most financial strain and struggle to gain exposure. Latinx entrepreneurs, small businesses, and small non-profits with an emphasis on social impact work are our main focus.

My knowledge of brand identity and graphic design merged with an understanding of marketing data analysis allows me to position and elevate clients presence through all forms of media. This approach allows me to inform data-based decisions fueling marketing campaigns, website designs, content creation efforts, and visual branding projects. In addition, my understanding of the technical and graphic-based elements of what goes into a business’s brand allows for turnaround times and cost efficiencies often desired by those with restricted budgets and tight timelines.

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

“If we open a hat business, babies will be born without heads.”

This was a typical saying in my family. I always found it strange that my grandmother used this saying so often as her father was the owner of a small local convenience store in Ponce, Puerto Rico. My grandmother herself was constantly selling her knitting projects, baby blankets, shows, clothes, etc. But somehow, she firmly believed that our family had the “worst luck in business.”

Growing up with this negative view of owning a business had an impact on me. I never thought I could make it as a business owner. Whenever I thought of possibly starting a business I could hear my grandmother’s voice in my head. Even when I launched my business, I had the certainty of failure based solely on my negative thoughts stemming from this preconceived notion that my family was not built for business.

Through the years and with the support of my wife and mentors, I have been able to break free of these thoughts, to rebuild my confidence in myself, in business and, most importantly, to pass this on to my son and daughter.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I am an avid reader. There is much noise and regurgitated ideas in business books out there but here are some of the most influential books in my entrepreneurial journey.

“This is Marketing” by Seth Godin. This book helped me understand the importance of focusing on your customers needs. We do not use our customers to solve our business problems, we use our marketing to solve our customers problems, “powerful marketing is grounded in empathy, generosity, and emotional labor.”

“Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. The Golden Circle framework presented by Sinek is a central aspect of my approach to creating marketing strategy and messaging.

“Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller.. Paired with the Golden Circle framework, the lessons I learned from Donald Miller’s book allow me to build marketing messaging that cuts through the noise and emphasizes the value you bring to the table.

“Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss. It never occurred to me that Negotiation has such a deep link to Marketing. Still, the points of view, techniques, and methods this ex-FBI Negotiator presents in his book are not only helpful but easily relatable in my marketing work. Simple enough to understand and deep enough to cause you to find more information and dig deeper into implementing them in your marketing strategies. I recommend this book to deal with sales, marketing, customer service, or even strategizing for customer-facing platforms.

“Jefa in Training” by Ashley K. Stoyanov. This book is a step-by-step guide to launching and growing your business, written in Spanglish. It covers everything from conducting market research to creating a financial plan, from how to grow your community to developing your thought leadership, a pre-launch checklist, what to expect after launch – and so much more. Although focused on Latinas, this book is a blueprint for any solopreneur launching their business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.redbeardmediallc.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jafet-martinez/