#GirlBoss is The Social Butterfly Gal’s monthly Q&A series that introduces some of the amazing female bloggers/business women that encourage and motivate me on a daily basis. This month, I’m excited to feature Melanie Mendez-Gonzales of Que Means What.
Melanie Mendez-Gonzales is an online media entrepreneur and the creator of ¿Qué Means What? – a leading Latina lifestyle blog. ¿Qué Means What? began as a platform for Melanie to share about the re-discovery of her Mexican-American heritage. Today, it has grown into an online community for news in entertainment, resources for STEM education and candid stories about family life in her beloved state of Tejas. She is the co-founder of the online community Texas Latino Bloggers. Melanie also serves on the TEDxSanAntonio Women Organizing Committee and is a member of San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists. This past week, Melanie was able to find time to sit down with us for a quick Q&A session.
1. Tell me all about yourself and what you do. ¡Hola Queridos! Professionally, I’m an online media entrepreneur and founder of ¿Qué Means What? – a leading Latina education and entertainment blog. I’m a speaker, a writer and a content creator for online platforms. I’m also a consultant for brands and organizations who want to connect to other online influencers. Personally, I’m a wife, a mom and an advocate for education and diversity in technology.
2. Why did you want to become an entrepreneur and how did you get started? I didn’t know that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. This was not a dream that I’ve had since I was a little girl. Right after college, I found myself in a retail management position earning a great income. However, I was only in it for the money. Naturally, I quickly grew tired of that lifestyle. I then began a career in direct sales to earn a discount on some of my favorite beauty products. In a short time, I was able to leave my management position to work full time in direct sales. Again, it was something that I was doing for the money and grew tired of that work, too. The best lesson that I took away from the experience was that I learned that I wanted to be my own boss. Direct sales lead to a lot of networking and I had met people from all walks of life who were living out their dream of successfully running their own businesses. I wanted to be just like them.
I remember listening to a motivational speaker at a direct sales event, Julius Henderson, who was painting a vision of what it’s like to be the CEO of your own business and your own life. The phrase that stuck with me was, “CEO’s go to the movies during the day.” He was implying that these CEO’s call all the shots in their life including avoiding long lines at the movies because they can go to the movies during the day. Who would have guessed that, today, I would get to avoid most long lines at the movies because I get to see them at press events before they are in theaters? And when I don’t go to those, I go to the movies during the day.
3. Tell us about Que Means What and its purpose. Originally, ¿Qué Means What? started out as a personal blog where I shared insights on leadership (a lot of what I learned in my direct sales career); our family life in San Antonio; and my cultural identity crisis of not believing I was ‘Mexican enough’. Today, ¿Qué Means What? has grown into on online community where education and entertainment news meet cultura y familia storytelling. As many learn, writing is cathartic. Thankfully, I have resolved that cultural identity crisis. As the population of Latino Americans continues to grow, I understand that one’s personal cultural identity is crucial for many to grasp. My dream for QueMeansWhat.com is to always be a place for others to gain insight on appreciating and celebrating one’s own culture.
4. What has been your most challenging yet rewarding part about being a blogger/ solopreneuer? Believing in myself. Prior to working for myself, reaching big goals had little to do with believing in myself. Goals like being the first in my family to graduate from college and landing a well-paid job were met out of necessity. Reaching goals as a solopreneur hasn’t been about necessity as much as it’s been about whether or not I could believe that I deserved the success. As a solopreneur, you have to create your own board of directors. This group of people should be those who you can trust, will tell you the truth and believe in you even when you don’t. I’ve not always chosen my board wisely but I think I’ve found them now. It makes all the difference.
5. What advice would you give those who want to become a full time blogger? You must diversify your income streams. Even though blogging has been around a while, there is no single blue print for success. I don’t know two bloggers who make a living blogging by doing the exact same thing as each other. There are various ways to monetize your blog and you will go through trial and error until you find what works best for you and your audience. More importantly than making money is to not blog just for the money. A blogger who writes for a purpose and does it consistently will create a way for success.
Keep up with Melanie on her blog Que Means What and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!
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