Today, we are interviewing Sara Navarro, a female entrepreneur. She owns a sales and marketing firm where she has reached out to Fortune 100 & 500 companies.
Please tell us something about yourself.
I was born and raised in Mexico until I was 16 yrs old when I moved to Chicago. I taught myself to adjust to a new culture and a new language. Studied International Business when I decided to drop out to pursue a sales and marketing career going door to door.
How did you get into what you do right now? Please tell us more about your journey?
I intended to join the United States Marines when I was told by my recruiter that I had some speeding tickets to pay before joining. I was a reckless driver when I was 20, so I gave myself plenty of speeding tickets. I had to search for a job and pay that off, and I came across a Sales job opportunity. I had no idea about sales nor the product I was given to sell, but I had an excellent coach and became good at it. After a month in, I discovered that it was a passion for me. Not only because of the selling aspect but also because of constant human interaction and being able to train and develop others to become successful.
Who are your role models?
My family, I came from a family of entrepreneurs. My dad owns his own business, and I grew up watching him build it every day, among other family members that are hustlers, including my grandma, who is 70 yrs old and still finds ways to sell her products which she learned from my great-grandpa who own a bar in Mexico. He ran it until he was 93 yrs old.
What inspires you?
Frida Kahlo. I really do not have one specific role model. However, I respect plenty of female entrepreneurs and take advice from many mentors. But Frida Kahlo’s mindset and her will to push forward despite every challenge she had to overcome her whole life give me goosebumps on how much she endured and always looked at the brights side of life.
Please tell us about your company.
We specialize in acquiring quality customers for them with a well-trained team of sales representatives.
What’s your most memorable experience?
I remember my first couple of months into the business and attending a conference where all top coaches, sales office managers, and CEOs were on stage talking about their experiences and how they made their first millions. I thought it would be really cool to be up there, and there was no way I could be there. 3 years later, I was Rookie Manager of the year. I made almost a million dollars in revenue in my first year open as a sales manager and CEO. I was part of an organization of high performing, female promoting owners made to inspire other females. So whatever I was thinking that day in my head, I made it come true.
Which social media channels work best for promoting your work? What exactly do you do on the social media channel that makes it work for you?
Instagram and Facebook. We just promote pictures of our corporate culture, because we cannot mention the clients we represent on our social platforms. We just promote our excitement and positivism and our philanthropy.
What’s your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is not being able to help everyone. I know, and I understand that it is not realistic. But watching so much about world starvation, poverty, animal cruelty, domestic violence, and children been taking advantage of makes me so anxious. I wish I can help all of them to feel better and save everyone. However, I do give back a lot to people in need. I feed the homeless, support cancer and children’s organizations, and fly to Mexico at least once a year to feed needy families.
Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood better before you ever got started?
Financials, I wish I understood how to manage my money during my first year of business. A 25-year-old making a six-figure income can be very dangerous. I could have started investing back then.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Being humble. Many people are not willing to knock on doors for various reasons, and I agree its not for everyone. But I learned all my skills by reading people, talking to them, connecting, listening to what they need where and understanding them. Also, work ethic, focus, having a vision where I wanted to go and do, most importantly, my mentality. I never let the “no’s” get to me, or rude people ruin my day while I was doing door to door sales.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
What keeps me going is the fact that I know I am an inspiration to my family and many females out there. I want to keep pushing every day to inspire others to do so. If an immigrant who could barely speak English was able to get through the obstacles, anyone can as long as they put in the work. Inspiring and helping women is my main goal.
Any message for our readers.
Everything happens for a reason, and everything happens at the right time, but do not just sit there waiting for it. You have to have a vision and take action. Things worth having never come easy. We need more female entrepreneurs and leaders. We can achieve greatness by working together and supporting each other.
How can people connect with you?
I have an e-mail where everyone can send me any questions or comments, and I always respond promptly and through social media as well. You can check my Instagram and Facebook.