Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rosana Lima. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rosana, 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?
Resilience is a word that I wasn’t familiar with until I had to face it. When everything happened in my life back in 2007, I had no idea that being strong would be my only choice to overcome the challenges that were ahead of me.
I had to deal with many different issues like potential bankruptcy, regaining employee trust, controlling inventory, family being torn apart, depression, IRS issues and many more.
In fact, I had to reinvent myself. Divorce was something I wasn’t prepared for. Nobody is ever prepared for such a disaster, especially when you’re not in your native country where you can count on having a family close by.
I started by looking for information everywhere: books, self-healing, coaching, experts in different areas, close friends, courses, and the list goes on. Some of the advice was: “Go back to Brazil because you will go bankrupt here.” Well, I didn’t! And the main reason for this was my faith, not in myself, but in God. Yes, God.
There must have been a reason for everything to happen and my response was always: “Please show me your way for all of this. Make me see things through and understand the reason why.” I didn’t have time to fear anything because I had to go after answers.
And that’s exactly what happened. I learned accounting through QuickBooks, I learned how to do my own taxes because I had to deal with a major IRS audit. By doing that, I realized that I had to be more focused and organized with my business.
It was a time of learning, mainly because of the economic crisis that started in 2007. Our business: ‘Minas Grill & Emporium’ (Named after Minas- a state in Brazil where the food is globally recognized and regarded as being delicious) was facing the biggest challenges that a small family business can face.
In essence, that’s how I learned to be resilient and to always look forward.
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?
In 1997, our family was transferred to Atlanta through my husband’s occupation at the time, The Coca-Cola Company. We have two wonderful children, and they were very young when we moved. There was a big responsibility when moving from Brazil and I’d say a lot of that fell on me.
I started the Minas Grill & Emporium business to focus on the growing Brazilian community and fulfill their unmet needs. That community has a strong love and dedication to Brazilian food and culture, and today, Minas Grill & Emporium is a one stop shop for all things Brazil.
I am deeply passionate about sharing the Brazilian culture. Not just for native Brazilians, I meet thousands of people a year that are connected to Brazil in one way or another, after having traveled there or are simply curious about the cuisine. It motivates me to be a presence in the community for this type of engagement.
It’s important for me to help people in different areas. It has always been like this for me. Throughout the years, we have had several businesses: an English school to help folks that needed it, a cheese bread distribution facility, a radio show, and a boutique fashion clothing store. We were growing fast.
From a single store, we grew up to 15 others all over the US. We held a partnership which taught me many lessons.
Today, we have Minas Grill & Emporium in a 5,000 square feet space, which is solid and growing for nearly 25 years.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Beyond any doubt, faith and resilience and focus are three of my most important qualities.
After everything I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my life changing challenges. I persist and insist in doing what is right and what fulfills me the most is to see how well Minas Grill & Emporium represents a piece of my country in United States.
Every time I notice the positive impact we have on an employee and their family; I feel like my mission is being accomplished.
One important piece of advice to those starting their business, I would say to never ever give up. It’s a familiar saying, but it’s not that easy when you are facing challenges or difficulties in life.
Giving up is the easy way out, but once you believe, once you find the purpose, you just go forward no matter what.
This is the biggest piece of advice I can give. I had a dream, and our dream came true. My life today is much better because I’ve been through all those challenges that God put in my life. I am so grateful for what I am today and the lessons I learned.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
In the beginning of this interview, I mentioned that I was lost when I had to face the difficulties and one of the options that I had was to go after knowledge and wisdom.
There was one book that played an important role in my life, and this book is The E Myth revisited by Michael Gerber. This book tells exactly what every business owner faces. All the ups and downs, and I identified myself in those moments.
In the middle of a big mess trying to do it all at once and losing control of everything.
The lesson I learned was about creating a process for every single activity. Starting a business with having a mindset to sell it in the future. If you don’t have a process, you don’t have a business… you have a job, and no one wants to buy a job.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Minas-Grill.com
- Instagram: @minasgrillbrf
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinasGrillBRF/
Image Credits
Minas Grill team Alvaro Lima Caio Lima Brazilian Embassy in Atlanta SBA (Small Business Administration ) North Point Community Church
