How Irma Cedeno is Finding Success by Helping Entrepreneurs Tap Into the Spanish Market
As an entrepreneur, you’re busy thinking about where that next client will come from and what your next big move will be. So, when an opportunity arises that seems as like it may only be of benefit to you, it’s sometimes difficult to seize upon it. After all, your time is precious and it’s your business’s well-being that matters most. But what if there were something like Irma Cedeno’s Diáfano Method? Currently, this program provides businesses in the New York City area with Spanish language and culture competence courses. And the big business benefits to come out of this? Well, they may surprise you.
Why the Spanish Language Should Matter to Entrepreneurs
At first glance, you might think the Diáfano Method is no different than any Spanish language course offered at a local college. Despite Cedeno’s background as a professor, that’s really where the similarities end. Her goal in starting this company was to help businesses grow by bringing Spanish language and culture immersion right to their doorstep.
If you want to hear about Cedeno’s unique journey from academia to the Diáfano Method, check out our interview here:
Here are some of the benefits Cedeno sees entrepreneurs and their companies reaping from her program:
Reach a New Market
According to Cedeno, there are over 40 million native Spanish speakers in the United States, which is more than the number of Spanish speakers in Spain. In addition, the Spanish market in the U.S. continues to increase in value, with a projected consumer spend of $1.7 trillion this year.
For entrepreneurs wanting to tap into this growing market, investing in Spanish language and culture classes like the ones offered by Cedeno is a fantastic place to start.
Impress Clients
A solopreneur could use the skills and knowledge acquired from these courses to demonstrate their respect for a potential clients’ native language and culture. Consequently, this may also result in giving them an edge over the competition.
Improve Employee Loyalty
Larger companies could use these language and culture classes as a company perk. By providing employees with a diversion from the corporate world while also giving them a chance to acquire a new and useful skill (for free), businesses can do a better job at retaining employees in the long term.
According to Cedeno, every company is different which means there’s really no one-size-fits-all language program. That’s why her business offers a wide range of courses, including:
- Conversational Spanish
- Business Spanish
- Presentation skills
- Accent reduction
- Film and book clubs
- And more
Irma Cedeno’s Personal Tips for Success
While every program will look different from company to company, Cedeno assured me that every business gets more than their money’s worth:
“I always provide a service that I feel gives them a lot more benefits than they’re paying for.” Part of this is due to Cedeno’s dedication to perfection. Part of this is because she truly believes in her company’s mission and wants to give entrepreneurs an opportunity to grow their businesses by utilizing a highly valuable and easily acquirable skill.
“I always provide a service that I feel gives them a lot more benefits than they’re paying for.”
In addition to talking about what her program does, I also wanted to get a better sense from Cedeno on what’s going on behind the scenes that enables her to so efficiently run this company and offer classes all on her own. For starters, she told me, “I read a lot of books. And I continue to read every day.”
“I read a lot of books. And I continue to read every day.”
One of those books she’s found to be incredibly helpful is Think and Grow Rich. Of the lessons she was able to glean from the book, it was the suggestion that you need a mastermind group in order to succeed. And it’s had a lasting impact on her business. “I always rely on people who know more than I know about certain things, and those are the people who have helped me throughout this process,” she explained.
“I always rely on people who know more than I know about certain things, and those are the people who have helped me throughout this process.”
No matter how much the inner perfectionist in her would like to hold tight to the reins of her business, Cedeno understands that delegation is the key to her business’s long-term success. It’s also what’s enabled her to start thinking about the future of her company. “We definitely want to create a learning software,” she said, hinting at taking her current B2B business model to a B2C market. She also briefly touched on the idea of turning the Diáfano Method into a franchise, which would be awesome to see since I’m sure there are plenty of businesses outside NYC that would love to start reaping the benefits of her program.
“We definitely want to create a learning software.”
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