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

Vanessa , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

There’s a saying in Spanish: “Quien habla dos idiomas, vale por dos,” which translates to “He who speaks two languages is worth two people.” Both in my personal and professional life, bilingualism has opened doors for me and granted me some incredible opportunities. When I became a mother, it was very important to me that my kids be able to communicate with their Spanish-speaking family members (as well as lots of different types of people from all over the world!). But as a new mom, my desperate search for consistently amazing Spanish children’s books to read at home led nowhere.

So I decided to fix that. I left corporate America to launch Sol Book Box, the Spanish children’s book subscription service. Sol Book Box was born from a desire to help my community’s babies feel rooted in their heritage, in the language of their families. And because learning Spanish is a gift for all children, not just those from Latine families, we quickly welcomed diverse subscribers of all backgrounds that understand the value of learning a new language and being able to communicate with people from different cultures.

Because what I understand now, more clearly than ever, is that bilingualism is the key that opens doors to relationships with people that we wouldn’t have known otherwise. And in our fractured world, that type of bridge-building is exactly what we need more of.

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 an entrepreneur & educator, a communications pro, and mamá to four little bilingual Mexican-Ecuadorian-American kids. I’m passionate about helping other parents raise our little future leaders to stand strong and rooted in their language and heritage.

Growing up in Mexico, my family always spoke two languages at home– by choice and by necessity, because some of our extended family members didn’t speak much English, and others didn’t speak much Spanish! When I moved to the U.S. for college, I understood how valuable that upbringing had been, as I was able to navigate between two cultures and languages– and take advantage of twice the opportunities.

I’ve been interested in how language impacts our identity for years. I have worked as a publicist and marketer, as a writer, as an entrepreneur and educator. Through it all, the thread that has tied my work together is my love for the Latine community and my passion for work at the intersection of communication and migration.

When I started Sol Book Box, my first business, it came from a desire to help children reap the cognitive and professional benefits of bilingualism, and to appreciate and experience the beauty of our world’s diverse cultures and languages. Just as I was raising my own kids this way, I wanted the same for other families raising our future leaders.

And the work keeps expanding, from a Spanish children’s book subscription service to my newer venture, a program for Spanish-speaking parents who also want to raise bilingual kids, but don’t know where to start (or have a hard time staying motivated).

It makes me so proud to spend my time helping parents connect with the fun and joy of raising bilingual kids!

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

One thing that I’m proud of is the way I hustle for my own opportunities. I’ve emailed the person, entered the contest, pitched the idea, and applied for the opportunity hundreds of times. It doesn’t always work out, but sometimes it does!

When I first thought up the idea of Sol Book Box, I had zero e-commerce experience. I had a one-year-old baby and would soon be pregnant with my second child. But in a stars-align moment, I realized that my local Univision station would be holding a contest called “Véndeme tu Sueño,” (“pitch me your dream”), where aspiring entrepreneurs could pitch a business idea and possibly win mentoring, capital and media exposure.

I ended up moving through three rounds of the contest and winning it in the end. I was terrified to even enter, let alone pitch this idea in front of judges–it was so far out of my comfort zone!–but that experience ended up being the catalyst that birthed my business.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I know that social media feels like the thing to do as far as connecting with clients, and there’s no denying that these platforms are powerful! But one of my favorite things is to communicate with clients via good, old-fashioned email.

We all receive so much email from brands and businesses, and it’s a challenge to create emails people will actually open and read. But I’ve found that if you treat this communication as if you’re writing to friends– which is how we really feel about our subscribers, especially the ones that have been with us for years– your emails will get read. Sometimes even replied to (which makes my day every time)!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://solbookbox.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa.ni.mo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolBookBox/

Image Credits
Laura Waugh