I Felt More Connected to Them as Individuals Rather than Just Their Business
My team learned a couple of weeks ago that we were assigned to help the Alum Rock business Licia Imports. I was very excited to get to sit down with both business owners, Licia and Sergio, to discuss the future of their business and any ideas or concerns they had. I briefly got to speak to Sergio at the lunch with all of the business owners but had yet to talk to Licia. Licia Imports is a Portuguese imports store which also carries fine gold and silver jewelry as well as gifts for occasions such as anniversaries and baptisms.
Last Wednesday, my team had the opportunity to sit down with Licia, Sergio, and the couple’s nine-year-old daughter and have dinner with them in their place of business. It was a great and informal way to get to know more about them as a family, their history, and how they became entrepreneurs. We were met with open arms and hearts as they told us stories about their family and their immigration to the U.S. Leaving the dinner, I felt more connected to them as individuals rather than just their business.
Licia and Sergio are very open to my team’s ideas and are excited about what we can bring to the table. I am just as excited to learn from them as they are to learn from us. The next step will be to shadow their business in order to get more of a feel for how the business runs and who their customers are. The more we can learn about their customers, the better we can design a marketing scheme to attract more customers as well as a more diverse group of customers: two of Licia and Sergio’s main concerns.