Hispanic PR Leader profile with Fabian Ramirez, youth motivational speaker and publisher of Debt Free Hispanic

This week’s Hispanic PR Leader Profile is with youth motivational speaker Fabian Ramirez based out of Dallas, TX. Fabian has worked with at-risk youth for over ten years and continues to be a driving force in motivating students to finish high school and continue on to college. Ramirez is also founder and publisher of the blog, Debt Free Hispanic.

HPRB: What was your childhood ambition?

I always wanted to own a business. Everyone in my immediate family has owned a business. Today, I own several businesses online which include online marketing, online advertising and an online membership site. Several years ago I had an eBay storefront which led me to become a powerseller, which is an award given to sellers who sell a minimum a $2,000 for two consecutive months. My offline efforts include a motivational speaking business.

HPRB: Tell us about three people you admire and why?

1. My Dad. My dad is a stable person who will do whatever it takes to provide for his family. My dad has owned a barbershop in Houston, TX for 25 years. He is one of those dads that can fix just about anything. My dad has a six grade education from Mexico but his unfailing determination to succeed cannot be taught even at the doctorate level.

2. Dr. Gus Reyes. Gus is my father-in-law and he holds a Phd, so I call him Dr. Fil. I admire Dr. Fil because he is my mentor and everytime we have a conversation I am left having to make decisions that impact my life. He showed me the importance of education and the steps I need to take to attain my degree(s).

3. My wife. Andrea Reyes Ramirez. My wife Andrea has a dream of one day being a part of Congress and one day she will. She also has a dream of attaining a Phd like her father. Andrea just finished her first year of doctoral work and has scored A’s on almost all her assignments. I admire Andrea because she saw potential in me when I was in junior college and through her motivation I earned a Masters degree with her by my side every step of the way.

HPRB: What is your favorite life or business quote?

This is a quote that I learned from my dad, it’s a spanish one, “se puede hacer” meaning that it can be done. I remember when I thought college was too hard and that I couldn’t do it, my dad would tell me, “se puede hacer”. I now use those words to land new clients who want to customize my services, those words are pleasing to hear. Everybody in business wants to hear that their idea/proposal can be done.

HPRB: What are you really passionate about outside of work?

I’m really passionate about encouraging young people to live out their dreams. When I’m asked, what is it I love to do that I would be willing to do for free? My answer is always helping, motivating, inspiring young people to do their best and to never give up on their dreams.

HPRB: Tell us about your educational background.

After high school I enrolled at San Jacinto College in the Houston, TX area. After three years of taking courses part-time I transferred to Dallas Baptist University (DBU) and studies Christian Studies and Business. After receiving a bachelors I entered into the graduate program at DBU and after two and half years I finished with a 3.85 GPA and Masters degree in Management.

HPRB: What is one of the best lessons your parents taught you about life?

My parents taught me to always treat people with respect. Respect will break down barriers that may arise between two people.

HPRB: What is the most important business habit you have?

Diversification. I continue to build multiple streams of income. In my online business of owning several websites, one site generates revenue during the summer while other sites generate income during the winter. This helps me make money online all year long.

HPRB: What is the best book you’ve recently read and why?

The best book I’ve read recently is Patrick Lencioni’s book called Getting Naked. The book is about a consulting firm that is completely transparent with its clients. The firms method lands contracts over competitors while charging higher fees because they are able to build trust and loyalty through being vulnerable, which Lencioni suggests is like, Getting Naked. It left me asking how vulnerable I am with clients and I can see how repeated business occurs with those that trust my vulnerability.

HPRB: Why did you decide to start a career in motivational speaking?

Influence. No other driving force has motivated me more to start speaking than influence. I’m blown away that for thirty minutes to an hour I can move a room toward action. I can inspire students to finish high school and continue on to college. I can teach adults about reducing debt and show them what debt free living looks like. I can influence the lives of people and everytime I speak my circle of influence increases by the number of people who are in the audience and the number of people represented by the audience. There is no telling how far the message I speak will go. It’s exciting!

HPRB: What advice would you have for young people exploring Hispanic or multicultural careers?

I tell young people wherever I go that if they help people first, the money will come. Every business or service that is for profit or non-profit generates revenue through helping people. A non-profit gets donations from people who know their money will go towards helping others. A business makes money through helping people make their lives easier through products or services. Hispanics who are deciding what career to go into should ask themselves what kind of work brings satisfaction and how can they help people through their work.

HPRB: Tell us something about you that would surprise even many of your closest friends.

My senior year of high school I was prom king. I went to a big high school in Houston, TX and even though I wasn’t a popular student, I consistently treated people with kindness and respect and so students not only nominated me but also voted for me. Nobody ever believes me but it’s true, and not to brag but I was also Homecoming Prince my junior year. Sigo siendo el rey.

HPRB: Tell us about your most recent motivational speaking engagement.

I recently spoke to a group of third through fifth graders at a school in Grand Prairie, TX. They were about to take the standardized test in Texas called TAKS. I used an electric grill to represent that the state of Texas was about to grill them with questions. In addition to a grill, I used 2 lbs of seasoned beef fajita meat to represent students. The punch line was that in order to be ready to get grilled, one must be a seasoned student. Being a seasoned student means that you do everything your teachers want you to do throughout the year because their job is to prepare you or get you seasoned for the grill or in their case to pass the TAKS test.

HPRB: What’s in the works at your company to continue to grow its Hispanic related business/opportunities?

Money is the leading factor of why students do not start or continue college. Although there are scholarship opportunities for Hispanics, many do not take advantage or bother applying. I created a blog a couple years ago called Debt Free Hispanic and this has become a part of my speaking business. I inspire people with my own story of how I got out of debt and how I can now use my income to save money and to help others.

HPRB: What is the biggest challenge that you see facing Hispanic students today?

Getting Hispanic students to believe in themselves has been challenging. It’s like their defeated before they even try. I feel my job is to speak to students in a way where they can disregard the negative input they may have in thier minds. Breaking an unhealthy cycle is not easy and thats the case for many Hispanic students. That is why we need to celebrate students who are the first in their family to finish high school and the first to not only attend college but earn a degree because that represents a victory for that family but more importantly, a new cycle is created. It only takes one person to change a family tree forever.

HPRB: Do you use social media in marketing yourself and your business?

My online business model involves using WordPress blogging software. I create blog sites for small businesses, churches and individuals who cannot afford to pay a company thousands of dollars to create a website. I also train people to update their own site so they no longer have to pay a company monthly fees for making edits. Plus blogging lets one create an audience or a readership. The more readers you have, the more potential clients you have. I use Twitter alongside my blog so every blog post gets tweeted automatically. I also use RSS feeds to funnel my posts to my LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. I like for my business to be as automated as possible. My membership site runs on scripts so I did all the hard work on the front end and now it runs by itself.

HPRB: What are your three favorite sources to find out what is going on in the US Hispanic world and what do you look for in these resources?

http://juantornoe.blogs.com/ Hispanic Trending
I look for news stories related to Hispanic Businesses or how companies are maketing to Hispanics. So many stories are posted you can spend all day reading about how companies are reaching out to Hispanics.

http://adage.com/hispanic/ Advertising Age
I often visit this website to read about Hispanic advertising. Anything with Hispanic marketing gets my attention.

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/entrepreneur/ Hispanic Business
As an entrepreneur I like to stay on top of trends that are hitting the market. Whether it’s a product or a service I want to know about it as soon as information is made available. This website helps me know what other Hispanics are doing in business.

For more information about Fabian visit his website at http://www.fabianramirez.com.