Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Carolina Salazar.
Ana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a Hispanic immigrant in the U.S., I have always connected to my roots through community service, work, and the like. My impact within the Hispanic community came from my experience working for various local, Hispanic media outlets, and nonprofit organizations, as well as, producing musical events and leading other organizations in this market.
I began to see a need within the Hispanic market while running a “Color de Vida” campaign for the “American Cancer Society” while working for Univision Orlando. During that time, I realized that many Hispanic women were not aware of the support this organization could provide due to the lack of outreach to this segment.
After graduating from UCF in 2010, I worked for various companies and organizations, but in 2016 I decided to take the adventure of a lifetime and pursue my graduate studies in Barcelona, Spain. After struggling to find remote work, I decided to return to the U.S., and that’s when it hit me! Why not start a remote business of my own?
With $295 in my pocket, I started my own digital marketing consulting business. Shortly after that, I founded BOLD. A fully remote digital marketing company that helps companies connect with the U.S. Hispanic market.
One of the things that I have always been very self-conscious about since I moved to the U.S. was my accent. I felt like it was such a weakness. After my mother passed away at age 15, I did whatever I could to avoid speaking English, until I did a presentation in college. I decided then to be myself, and the professor said it was the best presentation in the class.
After founding BOLD, the turning point for me came from a business coach who asked: What does BOLD offer that is unique? What does BOLD offer that stands out from other agencies?
That’s when I discovered that what I thought was my weakness actually ended up being my most treasured asset. And what was it? My accent, where I come from, my roots, and my vast knowledge of the Hispanic market in the U.S.
This amazing journey has led me to realize that there was a great need to connect others with the Hispanic market, and I have always been willing to help and collaborate with my community.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no, while the path has been rough, and filled with many highs and lows, I have always seemed to find a way to persevere and move forward. The life of an entrepreneur is a challenging and lonely one, especially when you work fully remotely. Working from home has a way of creeping up on you and getting into your head, causing you to overthink everything. On the other hand, it is incredibly rewarding, and that is what helps us grow and succeed in the business world.
The one thing in my life that has remained constant and helped me overcome those challenges is my support system, most specifically, my family. When COVID hit, I began to question whether I should have kept the business going, but every time I thought about giving up, something kept pushing me to keep going, and I haven’t looked back since thanks to them.
During COVID, I also lost several clients due to the impact it made on their industries, and it became difficult to cover my own costs, as much of the revenue generated was paid out to my team for the work they were doing for our existing clients. For three months, I didn’t pay myself a salary, and any income that came in was paid to my team. For those three months, we decided to give it our all. We volunteered to help other businesses, offered free consultations, offered and participated in webinars, etc. This allowed us to stay relevant and present. I also became involved in special initiatives outside my business, which included becoming Co-founder of “Más”, an alliance created between various marketing agencies where we brought together our talents & resources to help benefit the community.
Since then, BOLD has received various accolades for its work and since inception, I managed to transform my business by providing services to over 50 small businesses and entrepreneurs, experiencing 84% growth in revenue, I also tripled my staff, and provided internship opportunities to students both locally and abroad.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bold Digital Marketing Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
BOLD is a fully remote Hispanic digital marketing company. Our team guides and helps companies, regardless of size, establish a relevant brand online presence, create strategic content that connects people with products and services, capture leads, and increase sales. We help companies and non-profit organizations establish meaningful connections between their brands and the U.S. Hispanic market using culturally relevant digital marketing strategies.
We solve the problem of U.S. brands connecting with the Hispanic market by bridging the gap to allow companies to engage better with this market through digital marketing tactics tailored to their needs. We provide:
*A Unique Perspective: Local to the Orlando, Florida area, with a unique professional and dedicated team that serves customers globally, from the U.S., Spain, and South America.
* A Full-Service Agency offering an array of marketing services under one roof
* Fully bilingual and multicultural in English and Spanish
* Experience with the U.S. Hispanic market
* Commitment to growing and always at the forefront of emerging marketing trends and technologies.
* Specialized in creating marketing strategies that improve a company’s online presence.
* Access to specialized, skilled subcontractors with graduate studies in Digital Marketing
Our strategy mix combines analytics with emotions to tell stories that bring you closer and connect you with different audiences in the Hispanic community. The data gives us the power to understand the customs and behavior of each group that make up the vast Hispanic population.
Today, BOLD has a team of professionals in all parts of the world, comprised of talented people who, like me, had to emigrate and start from scratch. We understand what it is to be Hispanic. We are more than just a demographic in the U.S., we are multicultural and we are proud of it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bolddmstudio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bolddmstudio
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bolddmstudio
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bolddmstudio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTAh4_RWEum31BDnKFgSq2Q
