We were lucky to catch up with Olga Sanchez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Olga, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

This journey started in 1997, but since I was little, I’ve always felt inspired by the infinite potential that handcrafted materials can do. My father used to be a Carpenter and a great furniture maker, so I’ve always been exposed to fine and intrinsic artistry.

I started this company from scratch. I had in my team a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a finisher, and that was it. Scaling up started when we began to export our products, from Tijuana, Baja California, to various companies in southern California in the US. Then we started rising when we got our first UL certification, which positioned us in the eyesight of our competitors; this meant the world to us because it denoted that we were doing something right. The next big step was the environmentally friendly certification, along with the packaging adaptation. We were sailing smoothly, until the big hit in 2001.

I remember feeling that I couldn’t believe my eyes. The line was closed for 30 days, such as all ports – causing confusion and multi-millionaire losses in less than 24 hours. We were living in collective anxiety of not knowing what was going to happen, and I ended up with $5 dollars in my Givenchy purse. I felt lost but never lost hope.

After 22+ years, 2 recessions, 2 global pandemics, and many more challenges later, today I feel more confident than ever. Nothing makes a soul flourish more than time, abundance, and adversity. We’ve come a long way.

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?

I’m Olga Sanchez, founder, and owner of TREM Lighting, a decorative custom lighting manufacturer a family-owned company located in Tijuana, Mx, for 25 years.

Our powerful sales representative’s offices can be found from National City, Del Mar, Irvine, L.A., Las Vegas, Atlanta, to Florida, so far.

We cater to all interior designers, architects, developers, purchasing companies, hotels, casinos, restaurants, and private residences.
I’m very proud of our culture, talent, craftsmanship, and teamwork from everything that encompasses my work and family environment. I take all of this with me everywhere I go.

It’s incredible how far we have come in the last few years. You can see our completed projects in most of the hotels, resorts, and casinos all over the USA, Canada, Caribbean, and Mexico.

For the team at Trem Lighting, the continued evolution of materials, textures, and finishes is what matters the most. The greatest factor is that we are a unified vision in these quintessential moments of inspiration, to meet our client’s expectations.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

During the high of the recession in 2010, most of our clients in the USA, went chapter 11 without notice. Leaving us strapped for cash, and with our hands tight. That’s where I found myself with a deadline for payrolls, and I was left with no option but to sell and let go of my personal jewelry. Everything I owned I sold. With mixed feelings, due to the sentimental value, I knew that what I was doing there was more important than my material belongings.

“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is taking care of those in your charge”. – Simon Sinek

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Being grateful is the most powerful motivator there is. Appreciate always the outstanding work, for real, and that same energy you project will come back to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-sanchez-53311214/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tremlighting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tremlighting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-sanchez-53311214/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgwq90eljj01VISvcjDrDA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trem-lighting-san-diego
• Other: https://mx.linkedin.com/company/tremlighting

Image Credits
Photography credits: Audiovisual team of Trem lighting, and Creative direction by Scarleth Vazquez.