I met my friend Alejandra Collarte almost 5 years ago in Miami while she was leading a government’s office in the city and was heading the Argentine’s tourism development efforts in the USA. She is one of Miami’s most influential Latinas and knows everyone in town.
She is a natural leaders and has been appointed to many important positions in different corporations and institutions, specially in the international affairs arena.
I am starting today a series of “interviews” to influential women in business – Latin Women – who are making a difference in their communities and at the same time, can give us a sense of what Networking means for the Hispanic and Latin American societies.
In my blog, you’ll find the complete text and content of the interview and next month (May) you’ll find a complete report in my column in Pink Magazine (Blogs From Abroad).
1.- When did you start your business / career? Do you feel there’s something different between the way in which you did business when you started and now? Which is the role of technology in your profession?
I started my own business when my first born child started school. I always thought that it was extremely important to have something of my own, be it a career, a business or a hobby, but to have an activity where I could accomplish all of my dreams as an individual.
Yes, definitely. A lot of things have changed and I would say for the better, in the sense that now thanks to the incredible advancements of technology the world has become smaller and connected. Today communication is so easy, you can connect anywhere in the world at such a speed from a small device held on the palm of your hand. Twenty five years ago you could have never imagined that it would be possible. It also gives you the incredible opportunity of being able to conduct business anywhere, you do not need to be sitting in front of a desk, you can be mobile and that gives you great freedom and even more opportunities.
2.- Do you do business with Latin America? What do you think about doing business with Latin America? Is there any characteristic that is really different from doing business with American Companies?
Yes, I do business with Latin America and I love it. Although they do have a different pace, they are all about relationships and I do like that very much. I like to build relationships and Latin American business people like to spend time knowing the people they do business with. There is more of a personal contact, they spend more time getting to know you and enjoy doing so.
3.- Do you relate with other Latin women in your work? Which do you consider to be the most important characteristics of the way Latinas do business?
In my work, I travel and I am not much around the office, however, I am involved in many associations, where I do relate to great professionals, who are Latin women. Many of them have excelled in their industries and dedicate just like me a lot of their personal time to volunteer work in the community. We all participate, because we firmly believe that it is a way to give back to the community. Some of the associations we are involved in also promote business development with Latin America and for us that is extremely important, because is a way to connect ourselves and the members of our community to our roots and our culture.
4.- Which is the importance of networking for you? In which associations do you participate?
I think networking is vital. You need to get out there and let people know who you are and what you can offer, at the same time you need to know them. Connecting with the rest of the world is imperative and the best way to do it is by meeting people and being referred by other people.
I am a member of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the World Trade Center Miami, Board Member of Gateway Florida and I am also involved in several other charitable organizations outside of Florida.
5.- Balance between family and life: can you tell us some experience that would show your incredible commitment to family and profession and that could be useful to other women?
I would say that my commitment to both has been 100%. As I mentioned earlier, I started my own business when my oldest daughter was three years old and began kindergarten. Then I continued all through my second pregnancy to the point that I had my second child on a Friday and was back home on Monday connected to my clients without them knowing I had given birth on the weekend. This was not planned of course, since mine where both natural childbirths. However, I strongly do believe that when you make a commitment to run a business, you need to deliver and there is no excuse, you have to do it. Therefore, I had every call transferred to my home and for three weeks I stayed at home with the baby and my staff would bring all the documents for me to sign, the rest I was able to control remotely and executed all of my contracts without anyone realizing I was not sitting in from of a desk but was at home taking care of my baby.
After the third week the baby and I started going to the office every day. I did that for the next 10 months; of course by the third month I had hired a nanny, who assisted me during the time we were at the office. But it was only after those 10 months that I decided to leave both the nanny and the baby at home, since I wanted to spend as much time with the baby as possible.
It was not easy and it took a lot of willpower to do both but I felt that it was the right thing to do and I was able to keep both home and business together. Now I look back and realize it was worth it. I have two beautiful, intelligent and independent young daughters, who know how important it is to have something of their own. Children grow very fast, husbands always have their own activities outside the house and women end up living everyone else’s life but their own and then they stay at home by themselves with nothing.
Having your own dreams makes you have hope in the future and gives you the vitality you need to get up every morning to live a day full of new experiences some good and others not so good, but they are all experiences you learn from and they make you a better and stronger person, capable of confronting life as it should be confronted with a smile and a positive attitude and that definitely keeps you young at heart.
6. - Can you share with our readers a phrase or experience that you believe to be useful to other women? Do you have a “leit motiv”?
Never ever give up on your dreams.
Alejandra Collarte is the Director of International and Corporate Affairs, Information Technology at the University of Miami, FL.
