Many people think having a business has all the perks until
you meet the wrong people.
I was presented with an opportunity to start a security
company in the Caribbean and then expanded my vision to add yet another company
which would be considered an international investment company. I immediately reached out to a few close
friends and asked them to join me in pursuing this great opportunity. This would also give them the chance to
experience the business world.
I was very excited to own a business with two of my closest
friends and was determined to make this new venture profitable for us. Our business plan was put into action and we
immediately started working together to make our new business a success. Within a few months, we signed our first
official distributor in Puerto Rico. This
great accomplishment gave each of us the confidence to continue to press
forward. In a matter of a few months, I started traveling
frequently to Puerto Rico to continue to grow our business.
A couple weeks later, we noticed our suppliers were not very
responsive and my business partners were becoming less cooperative and less
involved. It was during a phone conversation
when it was brought to my attention that my two partners may have betrayed my
trust. I was immediately crushed and
flew back to Orlando to address the situation.
I was heartbroken when I learned the rumors were true. At that moment our partnership and friendship
ended. I was betrayed by people that I
loved dearly and had invested many years of sharing my life with them. It was one of the trips to Puerto Rico where
I discovered our “New Distributor” was conducting bad business and the federal
government was now involved. It was
devastating.
The next few months were very uneasy and proved challenging having
to deal with legal matters. There was an
investigation that went on for a few months.
As the company CEO and President I found myself close to being
prosecuted for dishonest actions conducted by others. My business was officially bankrupt and my prosecution
in question. I had no choice but to shut
down. Thanks to the support of my family and sound legal representation I was able
to walk away a free woman but, I found myself with a bankrupt business and in
debt with legal fees. That’s when I decided to take three months off to weigh out
my options. I came to realize that bad
people do exist and there are very few people you can trust.
After carefully evaluating my options, I decided to do it
all over again but, this time alone. I
remember walking into my mother’s house saying “I’m leaving to Puerto Rico
tomorrow to build a new business.” My
mother said, “You just won’t give up…” It
had been nine months since I closed the original business but I flew to Puerto
Rico and started knocking on doors all over again with new business ideas and
plans. I hired an incredible team and brought an investor on board. In a matter of six months, we created
alliances with the Puerto Rican government and an engineering firm and signed a
contract to provide security and technology services in Barbados, St Lucia,
Nevis, St Kitts and Dominican Republic. That’s when I realized failure brings you
closer to your goals. Never give up on
your dreams!
True Story. J
This is GOALYGO!
Yanira ALY Nazario :))
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