Ask For What You Want: The Woman Who Knows How to Make A Deal
Hello, friends! It really is a pleasure to connect with you through the Generation Si! newsletter. 👋👋🏿👋🏽 I meet so many interesting and successful Latino business owners. That’s why I’m so eager to tell your stories. This week’s featured entrepreneur is no exception.
Samí Haiman-Marrero is the woman behind the communications agency, Urbander. She’s one smart businesswoman who knows how to get what she wants. And now I’m sharing some of her advice.
Today, you’ll learn the following:
🌴Get what you want by making sure the other person feels like they’re getting something valuable, as well
🌴Why it’s important to identify the value you bring to the table, as well as your other talents
🌴An example of how you should always be on the lookout for anyone who might be able to help you advance your goals
🌴Now, I’d like you to meet the founder and president of Urbander, Samí Haiman-Marrero - a woman who knows how to make a deal…
“So this remote thing, I’ve been doing it for 19 years now, right? The first four years from my home in Orlando…”
Most of us didn’t think about remote work as a realistic option till COVID. But Samí Haiman-Marrero was way ahead, asking for it a long time ago.
THE TIP JAR (Tips provided by Samí Haiman-Marrero)
STARTING OUT: “It doesn’t matter if you’re straight out of college, if you’re 12 years old, you know, and you’re starting your YouTube channel… get a good accountant. That’s it. That’s the #1 advice I give everybody.”
STEEPED IN SKILLS (mid-career): Samí Haiman-Marrero says this tip applies to folks wanting to start a business mid-career, as well as those in other stages.
“Really know… what your value is. What you bring to the table and the solutions, you know? Because starting a business is about providing solutions. So you need to connect those dots…”
STARTING OVER: “Always improve what you’re doing or… surround yourself with trusted individuals that you can lean in on that are not going to judge you when you lose it…”
She says to look for people “that are always gonna be in your corner and that are gonna bring up your name when you’re not in the room…”
BEST ADVICE FROM “LA CASA”/BEST “HOUSE” ADVICE: “Dicen en Puerto Rico que ‘no hay mal que dure cien años, ni cuerpo se lo resista,’ meaning this, too, shall pass.”
“So just know that you have the resilience, right? Build the resiliency and the fortitude to push through because, as dire as the situation may be, there’s always hope.”
OPPORTUNITIES COME UP; FIND A WAY TO MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOU
She has a way of knowing how to ask for what she wants – and getting it.
In this case, it started when Haiman-Marrero found out through a co-worker that the New York Post had no luck in finding someone with her expertise in ad sales and marketing, specifically, for the Hispanic market.
But there was one big problem; Haiman-Marrero and her husband had already planned to leave New York because they’d bought a house in Orlando.
She decided she’d approach the hiring manager, anyway, and make him an offer – an offer that worked for her and her family.
Haiman-Marrero told him she was the person for the job.
PRESENT YOUR POSITION IN A WAY WHERE THE OTHER PERSON STILL FEELS LIKE THEY BENEFIT
“But there’s a catch. I’m moving to Orlando. And, so, if you’re willing to facilitate me working from home, right, for the Post, and I could travel from there all over the country, which you want… And I come to New York once a month, then give me a call. Here’s my resume.”
(Note: Haiman-Marrero provided a copy of her original letter so you can see how she made her pitch 👇)
The hiring manager called her.
And that’s how she negotiated her remote work arrangement making New York money while based out of Orlando.
EVEN WHEN IT’S BAD NEWS, THERE STILL MAY BE SOMETHING GOOD TO COME OUT OF IT
When the Great Recession hit in 2008, her boss told her he was coming down to Orlando to visit her. Haiman-Marrero saw the writing on the wall.
She knew this could only mean one thing; she was about to get laid off from her job.
Her boss showed up with a representative from Human Resources and told it to her straight.
According to Haiman-Marrero, he said to her, “You need to move back to New York because I have to let at least five people go. And they’re looking at you because you’re the only one working from home out of state in the entire South…”
“And I said, ‘I’m not moving back. I wouldn’t have this lifestyle. I mean, the house that I own here, which was why we moved down to Orlando. I mean, I couldn’t own something like this in New York…”
She continued, “I know I’m going to be overburdened picking up the slack for the five people you need to let go. I’m not doing this. What’s my severance? And let’s just call it a night. So I was able to negotiate a decent severance package… They were good to me.”
TAKE STOCK OF YOUR OTHER TALENTS AND SKILLS
Even when Haiman-Marrero was younger, she knew how to advocate for herself to get what she wanted.
In college, she figured out a way to make extra money. After all, she’d been sewing since she was 12 years old.
So she decided she would offer the clothes she had made to people in the communications department where she’d been studying.
“And I would show up with bags of clothing. And we would go into the bathroom, and they would try on the stuff and pay me there on the spot, right? And it was great…”
She was able to “set up shop,” if you will, because she asked for help.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE WHO CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
“I asked the janitor of the faculty of the building, ‘If I bring you a mirror, will you install it in the bathroom?”
Years later, when she was in business for herself, she perfected the art of asking for help and advocating for herself.
In Part Two, you’ll find out how Haiman-Marrero recommends you go about asking for help, the invaluable advice she got from one of her mentors.
INDUSTRY: Communications (Marketing, Content Development, Language Services, Workforce Training)
STARTED BUSINESS: July 14, 2008
LATINO CONNECTION: Both parents are Puerto Rican
EDUCATION:
Universidad de Puerto Rico – Master’s degree in Communications
Universidad de Puerto Rico – Bachelor’s degree in Public Communication
DREAM JOB AS A KID: “Oh my goodness! A fashion designer. I wanted to be a fashion designer. And my friends tell me I still can be because Carolina Herrera started in her 40s, I hear. I’m going to be 53 in May later this month. And, so… who knows?”
BIGGEST GOAL YET: “I want to be the Latina Tyler Perry. I want to have a studio – a studio, yes, where we can harness the power of storytelling to unearth all of those stories, right, that are hidden and that need to be told, here in Florida and from a Latino perspective.”
NO NEED TO GO IT ALONE
HELP ON THE OUTSIDE...because we can all use a helping hand:
The Next Level
To take your business to the next level, you need to have the systems in place to help you scale and grow. This FREE webinar will focus on structure, taxes and cash flow to help set the foundation for growth. Here’s more:
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
“4 Things you Need to Take Your Business to The Next Level”
Thursday, May 18, 2023
1:00 p.m. EDT - 2:00 p.m. EDT
Online webinar
FREE
https://www.score.org/event/4-things-you-need-take-your-business-next-level
WORKING ON THE INSIDE...because we know our culture has a hard time asking for help:
The Organized Life
Most of us could use a little more organization (and energy) in our lives. In this Coffee with a Leader webinar, you’ll learn how to organize to help reduce stress, improve productivity and create the energy to tackle life’s challenges. Speaker and business owner, Andrea Hancock will guide you through her Dexterous Organizing system for transforming your life.
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
“Coffee with a Leader - Living Your Dexterous Life Through Energy Awareness”
Thursday, May 11, 2023
8:00 a.m. EDT - 9:30 a.m. EDT
Virtual Webinar
FREE
https://www.score.org/spacecoast/event/living-your-dexterous-life-through-energy-awareness
INSPIRATION FOR THIS ISSUE:
Some people have a gift for storytelling.
You may be asking why I’d bring this up in a business-related newsletter, but it’s important.
Think about the hopeful contestants on Shark Tank.
You bond with them and start rooting for them after hearing their personal stories.
The same idea applies if you’re trying to get someone to fund your project or business.
Weave your story into your pitch for maximum impact.
It makes you memorable.
Make no mistake. The financials have to make sense.
But we all have a story about us, our background and our struggles that makes us interesting.
Your story is part of your sales pitch.
It can definitely get you noticed and help sell your idea.
And that’s something I noticed about Samí Haiman-Marrero; this woman knows how to tell a story. Many stories.
They’re engaging.
But beyond that, she knows what she’s talking about.
As I was interviewing her, I found she had a wealth of advice that really made sense.
I can’t wait to share some specific pointers she was taught that have guided her and can help you. They’ll be in Part Two.
In the meantime, remember that your story is unlike anyone else’s.
Be proud of it and think about that as a selling tool.
People will connect to a story that resonates with them.
That story is your story.
So don’t be shy about telling it. #theskyisNOTthelimit
🌴 If this newsletter has been helpful for you, kindly share it. We’re a sharing community!
🌴 If you look forward to reading about inspiring Latino entrepreneurs and can’t wait to read our issues, please subscribe.
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🌴Your stories matter to me! I’m happy to profile the best in our community and thank you for your support! 😺
Note: It’s purely coincidental and I had no idea until she mentioned it. But since I believe in full disclosure, I freelance for a subsidiary of the company that Samí Haiman-Marrero worked for remotely.