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Consultant Tucks Culture Into Cards

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 30, 2007

RIVERVIEW - Like the greeting cards she's now marketing, Ivette Mayo's career evolved through fate rather than design.

"I was a corporate trainer in the airline industry when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred and shook up the entire industry," she said. "There were thousands of layoffs. It was really dismal. Even those of us who weren't laid off were affected. My heart just wasn't in it anymore. I needed to redefine myself."

Among the parts of her job she enjoyed most was cultural training: teaching people to relate to others of different cultures and ethnicities.

With America becoming more multicultural and the business world becoming more global, she began to explore the idea of helping people in all industries, large and small, better relate to people of diverse cultures.

The result is Yo Soy I Am. Opened in April 2006, the business offers private consulting and workshops to help businesspeople better understand customers and employees of different cultures, build good relationships and improve effectiveness when dealing with people of different ethnicities.

How To Treat People

"My goal is to make people think differently about the way they treat others and how it affects their business," Mayo said. "Even though people may share the same core values, they might express them differently, so without realizing it, you may be offending someone. So it's helpful to be informed and understand some of the cultural nuances. Sometimes the differences are so slight, they're not even apparent. It can be something as simple as a tone of voice or the greetings you use the first time you meet a person. It can even vary from one part of the United States to the next."

Mayo said she has been a consultant for many businesses that have seen a slide in revenue because of not being able to communicate with customers.

"You don't have to speak the same language," she said. "But you do have to practice patience and respect. You owe it to yourself to extend that hand."

Her clients range from lawyers, physicians and small restaurants to large staffing and payroll companies.

It was while learning and teaching others about Muslim, Asian, European, Indian and Hispanic cultures that Mayo became aware of voids in her own culture in America.

Born in Puerto Rico but raised in the United States, Mayo wanted to find a way to acknowledge and encourage the accomplishments of fellow Latina businesswomen.

"We're American by choice and Latino by heritage," she said. "My mother kept us rooted in our culture, but wanted us to embrace the country where we were living, wanted us to be bicultural."
Greeting Cards Developed

An artist in her spare time, Mayo began working on a series of greeting cards that, although written in Spanish, have sentiments that can be easily interpreted and given to any woman. The retro 1950s-style designs include empowering sentiments such as Yo Creo En Ti (I Believe in You), Yo Te Aprecio (I Appreciate You), Tu Tienes Poder (You Have Power) and No Existen Limites (No Limits Exist).

There's even a card inviting friends to catch up on the latest chisme, or gossip.

"We spend so much time on e-mail, I just think it's nice to get something in the mail from a friend," Mayo said.

Mayo had no idea how to go about mass-producing and marketing her cards. Once again, fate stepped in.

She was on a plane in July and struck up a conversation with the woman seated next to her, Jane Albanese of New Jersey, a graphic artist. She volunteered to design the cards from Mayo's hand sketches in exchange for donations of some of the proceeds to Giants of Generosity, a nonprofit organization for families in need that Albanese founded in Cresskill, N.J.

Mayo was able to find a printer closer to home who had a special place in her heart for Mayo's project. Damaris Zamora-Vazquez of Brandon, owner of JPR Printing Services, related to the Latina sentiments and the struggles of female business owners.

With the two women's help, Mayo launched her line of greeting cards, Yo Soy Expressions, on Oct. 19, with a focus on online sales. Her cards, sold in packets of four cards and envelopes for $6, are being purchased nationwide.

"I'm getting inquiries from all over the country," she said. "It's wonderful when a dream comes to your heart and you can make it a reality."

To contact Mayo, e-mail ivette.mayo@yosoy-iam.com or visit www.yosoy-iam.com or www.yosoyexpressions .com.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

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