We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lena May a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s one of the most important lessons you learned in school?
It is important to explore new cultures and learn a second language while you are in grade school. In Upstate New York, I started to learn Spanish as a second language in middle school. Our teachers required us to read, write and speak several times a week. There were times where students in my class weren’t interested in learning another language. By the time I finished middle school, I was ready to take a trip to a Spanish speaking country to practice.
I am glad that I stuck with the coursework, as it has proved to be a very good investment of time. As a freshmen in college, I worked in restaurants where Spanish became a valuable communication tool while trying to speak to coworkers. In the professional world, having Spanish speaking capabilities has made visits to Guatemala much easier!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello! My name is Lena and I am a co-founder of Inspire Me Latin America, an online marketplace dedicated to creating economic access and changing the lives of women in Latin American countries.Inspire Me Latin America was born from my personal experience as a female business entrepreneur, and set into motion after a trip to Guatemala in 2019.
Through my experience in Guatemala, I learned that not all markets are created equal. Unique technology and trade barriers prevent talented Central American artisan entrepreneurs from doing business with the U.S. Business owners face IP address restrictions, highly regulated electronic payment systems, and little-to-no access to startup funding, technology, or shipping. As a result, generational and indigenous handicrafts are becoming more and more rare.
Central American crafts and culture is beautiful, and our artisan partners are the core of our business.
The mission of Inspire Me Latin America is to celebrate Latin American culture, strengthen communities, and provide economic independence by addressing these challenges. We are not just a marketplace, but an innovative solution addressing trade and banking restrictions, creating economic access, and changing the lives of female and indigenous artisan entrepreneurs in Central America
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
For two years, we setup in open air markets across cities in Texas, including Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi & Rockport. We listened to our customers to understand what products they wanted to see more of. We also worked with Ana Galvin, co-owner of G&G Sign Company for branded print materials and tags. Each of our artisan partners story and cultural backgrounds are printed on a card and provided with each purchase so our customers know exactly where the items came from.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
New clients an always be found at open air market, however we are exploring new opportunities by partnering with retail stores and a virtual affiliate marketing program. Word of mouth is a great way to spread the word about our growing business!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inspiremelatinamerica.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/inspiremelatinamerica
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/inspiremelatinamerica
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCfXhlyxKpr7hEsZuKB0htTg
Image Credits
None . I took all the photos