Small Business 101

Luis Vasquez-Ajmac -- President, MAYA Advertising & Communications Inc.

When Luis Vasquez-Ajmac decided to start his own company 15 years ago, he envisioned a communications firm with a strong brand name and the ability to foster social change within the Hispanic community.

Making it happen, however, would take time: He worked at a start-up radio promotions firm, running its creative services department, then helped a national public relations firm in its efforts to start a Hispanic division, before finally opening MAYA Advertising & Communications Inc. in Washington in 1990.

Striking out on his own, Vasquez-Ajmac worked free of charge for various for-profit and nonprofit organizations, which helped him build relationships with reporters and media outlets around the country.

Now MAYA has a staff of 14 and a list of clients including the U.S. Navy, Freddie Mac, Pepco and small businesses in the Washington area.

Why was it important for you to start this company?

I've always believed in the concept that words move mountains. I wanted to be able to utilize the same tactics that a beer company uses to sell beer, that cigarette makers use to sell cigarettes and drug manufacturers use to sell drugs -- but to use them for social change. Although Latinos are the largest ethnic minority group, we are still at the bottom of the ranks when it comes to being part of a solid middle-class and education levels.

When I started my business, it was really about using brand development tactics -- public relations, market research and advertising -- to improve Hispanic-Americans' health, to improve access to educational resources and to improve the image of the Latino in the media.

I guess that may not be what most communication firms initially set out to do, but that was my goal.

What were some obstacles you faced starting out?

I started out in my apartment in Adams Morgan with no experience, no client base -- nothing, so one of the biggest challenges was actually finding work.

What I tell a lot of young people who come to MAYA looking for internships or other entrepreneurs, is that the most important thing is getting the experience and building your portfolio. A good way to do that when you're starting out is through pro-bono work, which I did a lot of.

Why do you think it's important for more companies to start marketing to the Hispanic community?

As it relates to Hispanic-Americans, the reality is that the majority population -- which is huge -- is getting older and older. The majority of Hispanic-Americans now, are under five years of age. We're a very young group of Americans and we are the future of America. There are around 40 million Latin Americans in the U.S., and that's probably more than those living in Latin American countries in Central and South America.

In many respects, if clients want to continue their branding and increasing their sales, Hispanics are still an untapped consumer market. I started this company over a decade ago, and one of things that continues to blow my mind is that there is still only a fraction of Fortune 500 companies that are targeting Latinos.

If people want to grow their products and businesses and have an impact on social issues, they need to realize that Hispanic-Americans are going to be the key to a lot of people's financial success in the future.