Meet Chelo Mercado

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelo Mercado. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelo below.

Chelo, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I grew up in a humble single parent household, second youngest to a mother of 5. Having so many siblings meant I had to compete to get anything in a home where there was little to be shared. My mother, a driven-tenacious woman who worked away from home for long hours, labored hard to keep us together. Over the years, she recruited each of us to help navigate our families’ daily needs. I had to grow up fast in order to keep up in that a fast-paced environment.
Since I couldn’t be left home alone while my family was out, I would accompany my mom to her various jobs. At 8 years old I was helping her clean bank facilities and corporate office buildings. At 9 years she would drive me door to door to sell authentic homemade Puerto Rican delicacies I would help prepare. By the time I reached 11 years old I was recruited to be a sort of ‘jack of all trades’ administrative assistant.
Developing in an environment of radical self-reliance, mixed in with a bunch of intimidating adult-like tasks, ultimately made me a pliable capable person. You build a lot of resilience when your childhood is cut short because of grown-up tasks needed for everyday survival. I’m grateful for all the experiences that helped mold, and shape me into the balanced being I am today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Chelo Mercado has organized a number of community outreach and family programs since 1998. Always a civic-minded community member he has been a: YMCA Youth Director, Corporate Fitness Manager, Personal Coach, Group Fitness/Safety Instructor and a Boy Scouts District Executive. A natural connector, progressively he emerges as a skilled organizer with an entrepreneurial approach that guides him to explore ingenuity, imagination, community and business. As a leader, motivator, and creator his unique approach has led him to be considered an arts ambassador in his area. The motto universally infused in all of Chelo’s projects is, “Open your mind, be creative and leave your mark”.
He started his first venture in 2008 when he opened Grassroots Community Space, an establishment founded by artists and supporters of the arts to enrich his community’s quality of life. Grassroots, an artist/entrepreneur incubator, provides a meeting place for people who want to test their dreams/ideas in an established outreach and development community space. Along with included upstart business coaching the space has the potential to serve the community as an: instruction space, exercise room, holistic practice center, lecture hall, event space and much more.

Sirena + Chelo = SIRELO
Chelo and Sirena Mercado, a husband and wife team with 25+ years experience in the entertainment / music industry, planned their own wedding in 2008. While planning this unique joyous occasion they realized producing events was their true calling. That fateful day was the catapult for their company Sirelo Entertainment. Since then the couple have produced, and participated, in many local/international events where they recruit their artistic friends, family and community to perform alongside them in a wide variety of ecstatic celebrations.

Some of their hometown annual events included:
Bike JC’s Ward Tour, The Jersey City Pride Festival, The Caribbean Parade and The All About Downtown Festival. Their entertainment services range from private celebrations including Drum and Fire Flow Performances to full party production with all the bells and whistles.

Sirelo, and friends, sailed to the Bahamas on a cruise ship taking part in a Latin Music Festival for 3 consecutive years. They opened for the likes of international artists such as: Carlos Vives, Prince Royce and Silvestre Dangond.

Recently, Sirena and Chelo have been focusing on learning fresh skills and creating new business. Sirena has started a DJ career and Chelo has elevated his art leadership impact while creating his latest business endeavor, “Universal Harmony”.

Aimed at leaders, Universal Harmony is an intentionally curated shared practice/living/work space, focused on helping members discover, cultivate and achieve their truest level of belonging and productivity. Participants are taught and encouraged through specifics guidelines on intention, communication, productivity, rest, recovery and growth.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

In my opinion Communication is the foundation behind building any successful business or community. Expressing yourself clearly, is paramount to harmonious interactions and relationships which are necessary to a successful experience.

I find another important quality to have is adaptability. Staying present and not getting stuck when an idea doesn’t go according to plan will allow for spontaneous adjustment leading to productive redirection when needed. Be present, open and ready to adapt to any situation as it comes your way. This will lead to growth, peace and success in your endeavors.

A fundamental component when you are running your own business is financial literacy. Knowing how to spread your funds to cover costs is clutch when trying to grow a new business. Spreadsheet reports help focus intentions and separate ventures so you can learn where to focus your energy. Knowledge on how to properly track profit and loss is key to painting a clear picture of your efforts.

I recommend that any entrepreneur interested in starting a new venture do extensive research in their field and their community. Learning about your audiences needs will help you refine your approach to be more in line with your support group(s).

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I used to be a high-strung person, often impulsive and restless. Today when I feel overwhelmed, I turn to movement, music and meditation. Thanks to the use of these practices, I find myself making improved decisions, more peaceful and present. For heightened overall performance, I highly recommend participating in a centering practice that resonates with you.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Autum Perez, Jason Schafer, Jersey City HDSID, Zolazo Ocean Fest, Daniel Kodaq Morteh, Golden Hour Studios, Grassroots Community Space, Sirelo Entertainment.

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