Today we’d like to introduce you to Paola Mendez.
Paola is a serial entrepreneur, the founder of South Florida Bloggers and the kind spirit behind The Blogger Union.
Paola’s talent for creating communities began in 2007 when she founded Pinkghost, a designer toy store, gallery, and haven for local and international artists. Pinkghost artist products, a collaboration between Paola and her favorite artists, were sold at stores around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Gothernburg Museum, Kidrobot and Fab.com.
Today, Paola continues to run an eclectic portfolio of online businesses, including Coral Gables Love —the most influential online hub in Coral Gables — Dapper Animals, and Cool Gifting.
Previous to life online, she was a web developer in the finance and media industry. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Miami and a Masters in Information Systems, where she graduated as the valedictorian of her class at Florida International University.
On her downtime, you can catch Paola snuggling with her Yorkie, Pancho.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. When I started, I didn’t know anyone in the industry and I’ve learned everything as I go.
My advice is – don’t be afraid to fail. I’ve learned more from my past mistakes than from my biggest successes. Each time something goes wrong or unexpected, you are humbled into looking at what went wrong and fixing it the next time around.
We’d love to hear more about The Blogger Union, South Florida Bloggers, Coral Gables Love.
I am the founder of The Blogger Union and I run a blog called: Coral Gables Love. I love what I do because I help people grow. My goal is to empower the members of The Blogger Union by providing education through workshops, panels, networking and opportunities to work with brands.
Which women have inspired you in your life?
My mom is my inspiration. She was the most caring person I have ever met. Every day, she strived to help people with whatever she had to offer – even if it was just a giving a crying stranger a hug at a gas station. I strive to be as good a person as she was and to lift others as she did.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://thebloggerunion.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/thebloggerunion
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/thebloggerunion
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/thebloggerunion
- Other: http://coralgableslove.com
Image Credit:
Nabila Verushka, Andrea Mendez
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
