Hi Santiago , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My mother was a very strong and resilient person. She was left to raise both my brother and me and had to do it all while holding a full time job. Even though she had to do so much for us, she was always in good spirits and made sure to provide a happy and healthy household for us. She never complained or let us know just how much she had to do to provide for us. It was a big learning experience for me when I started working. Before finally ending up in a situation where I was able to establish my own business and have my dream job, I had to work in all types of industries that where not necessarily the best jobs. However, I always put my head down, got to work and kept my spirit up knowing, if I worked hard, good things would happen. Thanks to this mindset, I am blessed to be in the position I am at today.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I run a food trailer in Los Angeles, CA serving up South American inspired dishes. I’m from Bogota, Colombia where I was raised eating Arepas. I moved to Los Angeles in 1987 and have been living here ever since. I was never able to find a place where I could find someone making Arepas. It was around 2015 that I decided to start my own business making Arepas. I figured, if I can’t find them, I will make them myself. It has been an amazing journey and the reception has been incredible. I get so much joy out of introducing people to a dish they have never tried in their lives and see them. come back again and again. We are currently in the process of opening a space in a food hall and in the future we hope to open up a brick and mortar
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I was lucky to have been raised making Arepas and was able to use this knowledge to open up my business. Taking something so simple, like your mom’s recipe that you grew up with, and turning it into a successful business is an incredible gratifying feeling. While I was not a very skilled cook, I was lucky enough to find my wife who is an amazing cook. We took both of our skills and combined them together to fulfill our dream. Our work ethics and skills combined together have made it possible for us to succeed.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Dealing with all the different financial hats you have to wear as a business owner has been the hardest thing to overcome. As easy as making Arepas comes to me, dealing with the financial aspect of the business, was not something I was prepared for. I had to take financial courses and learned a lot by making mistakes. As we grow more and more, we have to spend as much time cooking as we do dealing with finances. I wish I had come into it with a little more knowledge but I am doing all I can to tackle all these obstacles.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.susarepas.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/susarerpas
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/susarepas
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/susarepas
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sus-arepas-los-angeles-2
