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

Alright, Janie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

She served her generation. I want to leave a legacy of inclusivity, creativity, positivity. The work that I do in the community to elevate others, to provide information, knowledge, education so that entrepreneurs have the tools to help them survive the difficult moments and come out ahead, gives me great satisfaction. Seeing the people that I have helped as they succeed beyond their imagination shows me that I am fulfilling my purpose here on earth. I want to demonstrate that doing good has a direct correlation to being profitable as a business owner.

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

I am a social entrepreneur and a business strategist, in that order. Doing good for my community and contributing to the economy led me to become the Founder and CEO of Buena Vida Media, a multimedia company harnessing the power of the media, communications, and public relations to position clients for success. I have always been passionate about elevating others and developing strategies that will lead them to accomplish goals and dreams. As a multicultural entrepreneur I am familiar with the challenges we face in starting, surviving and growing our businesses and I am continually creating initiatives to close the information, knowledge, and digital skills gaps so prevalent in our communities. I have organized free conferences in Spanish like “Future of Work”, “Social Media University”, digital marketing for business, become certified to do business with the county, all designed to provide practical tools for the micro and small business owners.

Five years ago I launched a radio show called ‘Janie Flores Live’ to highlight the great contributions made by multicultural entrepreneurs in South Florida and across the nation. To date I have interviewed over 350 entrepreneurs, thought leaders, political leaders, and influencers. Despite losing 80% of my business during the pandemic, Buena Vida Media pivoted to online digital training programs for small business owners in Spanish and partnered with companies like Google to bring the best and most relevant training free of charge to these businesses. We also continued to air the Janie Flores Live Show and amplified our reach from just traditional over the air radio to streaming on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube where we were able to support major companies by sharing their public service announcements free of charge. We gave away over $35,000 of free radio time to companies who were helping the community. We created strategic partnerships with local and national organizations and were able to impact over 20,000 families in South Florida by providing them with much needed personal care products and food items. I received the Hispanic Woman of Distinction Award in 2020 for the work I did in the community.

Buena Vida Media has adopted three of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) established by the United Nations which align with the culture of our company: #1 Eliminate poverty, #5 Gender Equality, and #8 Decent work and economic growth. My motto is “let’s transform the world together!”

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Despite losing 80% of my business during the pandemic, Buena Vida Media pivoted to online digital training programs for small business owners in Spanish and partnered with companies like Google to bring the best and most relevant training free of charge to these businesses. We also continued to air the Janie Flores Live Show and amplified our reach from just traditional over the air radio to streaming on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube where we were able to support major companies by sharing their public service announcements free of charge. We gave away over $35,000 of free radio time to companies who were helping the community. We created strategic partnerships with local and national organizations and were able to impact over 20,000 families in South Florida by providing them with much needed personal care products and food items.

The pandemic revealed the power of online media and platforms to impact communities regardless of the size of your company, it revealed with greater acuity the challenges faced by multicultural entrepreneurs, and it revealed the lack of multicultural voices sharing their entrepreneurial challenges and experiences. This has led Buena Vida Media to expand the media production pillar of the company by launching the online BizRadioTV Network, “the voice of the multicultural entrepreneur in the US.” We are slowly building the infrastructure now as funds become available to purchase the equipment, hardware, software, connectivity, and marketing to six major cities in the US: New York, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC to connect with our listeners and viewers, and more importantly to help train and encourage multicultural entrepreneurs to not only listen but to launch their own podcasts and online shows.

What started out as a negative gave me the insight to create and launch the BizRadioTV Network, another division of Buena Vida Media that will have lasting impact and will shape generations of multicultural entrepreneurs and provide a platform for them to learn, grow and connect.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My yes is yes, and my no is no. From the start ten years ago, incorporating ethical business practices has been a part of the company culture. Even if that meant that I had to turn down a lucrative contract or lose money on a business deal.

I am intentionally inclusive of microbusiness owners in all that I do. I know what it is like to be left out and overlooked because you are new or small, and giving others an opportunity to sit at the table has been part of my modus operandi as an entrepreneur. Over the long run this has created good will within my community, and has given me a reputation for being inclusive, fair and trustworthy. Being considered trustworthy is one of the greatest intangible assets to have as a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BuenaVidaMedia.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/BuenaVidaMedia
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/BuenaVidaMedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buena-vida-media
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuenaVidaMedia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRT06Rqi894SfTrpElg_vQ

Image Credits
Tony Lesesne Carlos Aristizabal