Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina M Perez.
Gina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When my parents migrated to this country in the early 60s from Cuba, they knew that it would not be easy. They didn’t know the language and had two small children to look after, but were determined to give us a better way of life.
I was six years old and only spoke Spanish, but I loved to learn (and still do). My parents’ always placed great emphasis on education. On my first day at school, I was seated at the back of the class. At the front of the class sat the students who knew English and were more advanced. Determined to move up, I studied hard, read everything that crossed my path and quickly picked up the English language. By the time the school year ended, I was sitting at the front of the class.
In college, my plan was to study psychology; but, numbers and I have never gotten along. I don’t even want to tell you how many times I enrolled and dropped pre-algebra before passing it; I squeezed by statistics. Then one day I spoke with a professor who suggested I take a marketing course — I loved it. The writing, creating something from an idea, communicating with people. It felt right; so I graduated with a degree in marketing and public relations.
After graduation, I joined a public relations agency writing press releases, brochures, and promoting local events. An opportunity came along to write direct mail copy and to travel, so I took it. I was part of the creative team at Avanti Press in Miami. The retail clients I wrote for were based in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. Then another great opportunity came around again, and I moved to Houston as the fashion writer for Foley’s, the hometown store.
A few years later, I moved back to Miami and took a detour from writing. Wanting to grow and expand, I joined the Marriott Vacation Club, Villas at Doral, as a marketing manager. I still got to write a little; and learned a lot. Continuing to grow with Marriott, I accepted a position selling golf memberships at the Doral Golf Resort where I created my promotions; so I still got to write and have a creative input on the promotional materials.
Then life happened… there were changes at the golf club and it was time for me to re-invent myself. But what did I want to do was the pressing question. I had other responsibilities now, and I did not want to do sales. So I went back to my roots. To where I have always felt the most comfortable — writing.
Has it been a smooth road?
Going solo can be scary. It has been, and is, a road that is smooth, sometimes bumpy, other times littered with potholes. But a road filled with opportunity to learn and grow — challenging and frustrating; but rewarding. Countless friends can be found along the road offering their support and encouragement if you just know where to look.
It had been several years since I had written professionally, and the times had changed. My portfolio was outdated, and I needed to catch up with the times so I took courses to bring myself current and started to amass my portfolio — again. It is difficult trying to get a copywriting project if you have nothing current to show you can write. And that is where your friends come in. I am very fortunate to have met Nick Silverio, the founder of The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation 501(C) 3, A Safe Haven for Newborns, several years ago. He (Nick) gave me the opportunity to build my portfolio. I had been volunteering at the Foundation on-and-off for a while, then one day I asked him if I could write a press release to generate interest in an upcoming event. Well, that led to another that led to a monthly E-newsletter and before I knew it, I had some samples. I will forever be thankful and grateful to him for believing in me and trusting me to help him spread the message of Safe Haven.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I built Miami Writing Services based on four principles that speak to who I am — professionalism, fairness, truthfulness, and integrity. You can be the best writer but if you don’t conduct yourself professionally, treat your clients with respect, are honest, and deliver your best, then you are just wasting everyone’s time and your clients’ money. I wanted to take what I had learned in my marketing and sales capacity, combine it with my writing, and apply it to my clients’ projects. To help them grow their business, connect with their market, increase brand recognition, and add to their bottom line. My proudest moment is always when I have surpassed my clients’ expectations.
I like to begin each project by meeting with my future client to define the project to lay the groundwork for positive results. This will allow us to get to know each other; and for me to learn about their business, their goals and objectives for the project. By understanding their business and marketing approach, it will enable me to write in a tone that matches their company’s brand. I believe in building a professional relationship with my clients. Hence, my tagline – Building relationships one word at a time.
I consider myself a generalist. Meaning, I can write across different industries, such as the insurance industry, real estate, financial institution, or for the arts community. I enjoy writing magazine articles or blog posts and gathering the information and conducting interviews to get the information to create the piece. Or strategizing and drafting a series of emails for a sales campaign or sales letters, designing and writing E-newsletters, writing professional bios, or real estate descriptions.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I feel that Miami is a great city because of its diversity and its entrepreneurial spirit. In reality, for my type of business, as long as you have a computer and a good internet connection you can work from anywhere in the world. I have clients that, although we are in the same city, we conduct all our business online. Although there’s nothing like face-to-face, sometimes it is best to do things electronically. The work gets done faster.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.miamiwritingservices.com
- Email: info@miamiwritingservices.com
Image Credit:
PhotographybyLuigi
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