Language Services and Business Success: A Business Journey with Brenda Arbeláez

Welcome to another inspiring episode of Spark and Ignite Your Marketing! Brenda Arbeláez, President of PALS International, is joining us in this episode. Brenda’s journey from teaching Spanish to leading a successful language services company is remarkable. Learn how her language services are breaking down barriers and fostering global communication. Brenda’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact of language services in bridging cultural gaps.

Brenda’s ability to adapt, innovate, and maintain strong relationships is a lesson that can benefit anyone looking to succeed in business.

Key Topics:

1. Starting Small, Dreaming Big: Brenda began teaching Spanish to automotive executives at her kitchen table. Her dedication and vision transformed PALS International into a global language services provider.
2. Adapting to Market Needs: Facing industry downturns, Brenda pivoted from automotive to healthcare, ensuring her company’s survival and growth.
3. Leveraging Networking: Brenda’s success is heavily rooted in her ability to build and maintain strong relationships, demonstrating the value of in-person networking.

Brenda's Favorite Tool:

LinkedIn

Follow Brenda:

PALS INTERNATIONAL

Brenda Arbeláez | LinkedIn

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Transcript

Beverly: 0:09

Did you know that global language services industry recently reached over fifty six billion dollars language services are crucial in today's interconnected world, breaking down barriers and fostering communication across cultures. Welcome to the Spark and Ignite Your Marketing Podcast I'm Beverly Cornell. And joining us today is Brenda Arbelaez, the President of PALS INTERNATIONAL. Brenda's journey began in 1983 when she started teaching Spanish to automotive executives. Since then, Pals International has grown to offer a wide range of language services, including English and other foreign languages, cross cultural programs, translations, and interpretation services. When she's not working, Brenda enjoys exploring her teaching roots and connecting with people from different cultures. Brenda, I am so excited to have you here today. Thank you for joining us. Thank you Beverly for having me. I have known you for, I think I started working with you in four? I did some sales and marketing for you. And I love your story. I think it's amazing. You literally started at your kitchen table. That's where you began, right? Yes. Did you begin, like, how did you, I know you came here from Columbia, came to Detroit, Michigan. How did you arrive and begin the business?

Brenda: 1:23

First, I had a need to do something and to help my family because when we came, we didn't have much, and we didn't speak English, and it was very much a struggle. And coming with two children and I had to move my children to a Catholic school, so I needed to pay the school, we needed extra money for all of that. I decided to put around an ad in the church paper, an Assumption Grado paper, and put Brenda, I can, I am willing to teach Spanish, who is interested in learning Spanish. And a lady from NBD came right away and said she wanted to start learning Spanish, and she came to my house, and I will charge five dollars.

Beverly: 2:11

For a lesson, five dollars?

Brenda: 2:14

Yeah. So that was the beginning of the beginning, but starting like this, then people told me, oh, you can go to Wayne County Community College and teach there. I had a degree from my country, but not here. So I went to Wayne County and they gave me groups of seniors that they wanted to learn Spanish, maybe to go to Mexico on vacation. So I started teaching there as well. And I went to Dominica High to teach Spanish as well. So you get to know people and people tell you things. And then they told me about Berlitz School of Languages, so I went and asked, and they told me that I didn't need to speak English in the classes, only Spanish. So I was in cloud nine. To teach my language and not to speak English was just a miracle. It was just perfect, because that's what they required. So that's how I started going to the Renaissance Center. and dress up and go there to teach. And that was amazing. That experience was incredible teaching executives that knew other languages. They had traveled to Europe, to South America. So that was an opening like a window for me to see that there is people in Detroit that needed my services. I did that for five years with Berlitz, and then later on my students say, Brenda, why don't you open your own company? And I say, of course not. I don't have a business degree. I cannot do it. I have two children. So no, until one day, Berlitz told me not to call them anymore for the scheduling. So that was, but I wanted to share that also the company sent me to teach to Ford Motor company employees and they were fantastic groups in the classes used to be one on one, but then we start teaching groups and you were so afraid of groups, but you find out that there is so much fun. Because they help each other and you just have to watch them do it and enjoy the class. And that was incredible experience. I opened my company in 1983, like you say, from my kitchen table. But then I moved to a house with the full basement where we conduct business and classes. And then later on, I opened in a strip mall for three years, I was there from 1990 to 1993, and then I decided that I needed a corporate image, and I was able to move to a beautiful building at 900 Wilshire, and I was there for thirty years. I went there yesterday and it was a wonderful thing that I did because I wanted that image and the building is still very beautiful. And I used to conduct in Christmas holiday parties at the lobby with Maria.

Beverly: 5:24

The atrium there was so pretty.

Brenda: 5:25

So I just moved to a co working space. And it's a nine, it's eight, eight, eight West Big Beaver in Troy. And I am very happy. It's a lot business going, but it's the atmosphere and we get everything for free. If I need something, I just go to the reception and ask. So I used to have to do everything. Now I don't.

Beverly: 5:51

Yes. that's that because of Covid? like

Brenda: 5:54

COVID did. A lot of things, I think, were very positive, others not so much, but a lot of positive things. Because people can work from home. But we were trying to get, we are working with health companies now, and that is different and they needed to become HIPAA compliant. And I had to find the right resources and the people to train us and help us through the evaluation of what all the things you need to do to be conformed with HIPAA compliant in order to work with health companies. We did it and we have to have not desktops, but laptop and brand new ones. We. doing all of that for HIPAA and we couldn't believe it. We were ready, not only for HIPAA, but for the pandemic because when the pandemic started, we were able in three weeks, we were working from home and we never stopped working.

Beverly: 6:58

I had started remotely and then the COVID hit and everybody was able to work from home and it was everyone trying to figure out how to do it and like we were already doing it and successful at it. So just some new tools but it really didn't affect us in that way. Although many of our customers were not considered essential services. So they really struggled during the time, which was really hard for them. COVID was a whole nother beast.

Brenda: 7:25

For so many economical recession, but then here it was nothing to do with that. It was something totally new and it's scary because pretty much closed the whole planet.

Beverly: 7:38

So strange to live through that. Talk about a little bit about who your customers are and what problems you solve for them.

Brenda: 7:44

Mainly now we have health companies, because I don't know if you remember, but with the automotive, one year, two years, three years, we're totally fine. And then something happens and my name and my company name disappears. So you have to start all over again. That's what you have to do. Everywhere, but here in the Detroit metropolitan area, because of the auto model industry that happens every three, four years, there is a downturn. And then the company decide they don't want to train the employees anymore. They don't want cross cultural training. They stopped. When they stopped, that was happened in 2007. I was selected to be the company for General Motors and for Chrysler. But after the recession, I disappeared. But I didn't stop. We had an account. Bosch is a German company. We were teaching English to the employees of Bosch. Not only the employees, but their wives and their children. So that kept us alive during the recession. But the recession in 2007, it was scary. Very difficult.

Beverly: 8:59

Housing crisis, and it really affected Detroit so dramatically compared to other parts of the world, but General Motors went

Brenda: 9:06

into bankruptcy, Chrysler, Ford Thank God, family business they were able to survive, but it was very difficult for Detroit. It really was. Very sad. And it's can we make it again? So we did make it and things came back and things return. And now Detroit is booming. And so very happy because I do feel this is my second home. I chose Detroit twice. I like the, Downtown, and I like Detroit, and I am very happy for what is happening there.

Beverly: 9:46

I feel the same way. When I left, I was, working on some boards and different things, helping to bring the city back, and it's so great. To see that, and I have a lot of love for the D. There's no question. It'll always be my home in many ways. So what really frustrates you about the industry and how do you, or would you fix it?

Brenda: 10:07

We were working with the main three automotive companies and with the recession that kind of disappeared. So we decided that we need to do something to target other sections of the business. We decided to go into health because we believe Help business need us and they never stop even in a recession. They have to keep working. Two major companies in the health industry and they keep us busy. I started with teaching foreign languages and then English as a second languages, and then we did cross cultural programs for everyone who was going abroad or coming to the United States. And they love those. Those to me was a highlight in the company's life, but then we decided that translation. And you remember, somebody advised me, I brought Gina Saylor, and we started doing translation, and translation has kept us alive. Because it's not just translation, it's interpretation, it's voice overs, it's ASL, and we do, so many different aspects of the translation services that we do.

Beverly: 11:26

If you were to go back on your journey, what is one aspect of your business or decision making process that you think has evolved?

Brenda: 11:35

Opening translation services in my company was a fantastic decision. I didn't believe in, I didn't know what translation business was really, but when we did it and we have the capabilities to do it, it opened a new avenue that was very positive. And then becoming HIPAA helped us for the pandemic because we kept working. We haven't stopped working, and now we do a lot of phone interpretation. And on top of that and video interpretation since that very new in the industry and we're doing all of that and that is very, was a very good decision and employee advised me and I listened and I did it. So that was an excellent decision because otherwise I don't think we will be open today.

Beverly: 12:30

So you've had to get creative. That's for sure over the years and figure out how to navigate the changes in the market, the changes in the needs. Video interpretation is really interesting because you can be anywhere. That has probably made their many ways because before I, when I worked for you, they had to show up at the courthouse or wherever it was and getting people to show up on time was a challenge and all the things. So this has probably made things a little bit easier to connect for situations.

Brenda: 12:59

Yeah, we're very happy and proud of that, it's always a new challenges, but so far after the pandemic, we're very happy. Everything is going smoothly. So until the next one, we don't know what it's going to be

Beverly: 13:12

welcome to entrepreneurship, right? Like just when you think you figured it all out, something changes. Talk about a story or memory where a customer kind of talked about the services you provided and how it helped them. Is there a particular story that you remember?

Brenda: 13:27

Not right now. I cannot think of anything, but what I can think is that I go to, Our marketing has been number one, networking. We are very good in networking and I belong to several chambers of commerce in the area. So that is a personal touch because you are in person, you go, you talk to people and then. I remember going to one event, and I sat down, one lady was sitting there, she stand up, she stood up, and then I sat down, and I talked to the person next to me that I couldn't hardly see his face, and I told him who I was, and he said, my company is in need for minority women owned business. So I said, oh! Really, that's me. Here is my card. I said, do you have a card? He had the last one in his wallet. It was very old very used business card, but I got it. And get, we got business we were able to teach Spanish classes again, which that had disappeared. We were able to do it, so we were so happy. And then because of that company. The other area is they have a plant in New Boston. We went there and now they want English classes for their employees. So it's, you never know. One connection brings you another and that's how you survive.

Beverly: 16:09

You taught me the power of the in person networking in many ways, that you need to go show your face, be part of the community, Talk to people and help people I just feel like that was something that was always really important to you and super interesting for me to go to a German Chamber of Commerce or to go to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce events. It was great. It was a really great experience. Is there a fun fact About the business or that maybe even your most dedicated customers might not know, like anything behind the scenes or details

Brenda: 16:38

I want to share this. I am had been a member of the German chamber of commerce for many years, and I don't speak German, but the people of the German company, know me extremely well. And last time I was there, they made a raffle for the Christmas party. And guess what? I put my business card there. It's what somebody took my business card. And I won two tickets, first class, to go to Europe in Delta.

Beverly: 17:15

And

Brenda: 17:15

you're

Beverly: 17:15

going on that trip soon,

Brenda: 17:16

I'm going to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark July 17th. Viking Ocean Cruise, yeah. And then in October, I'm going with a group of ladies from Oxford, and there is a restaurant called Victoria, and Victoria get people together for trips, so we're going to Italy. Nice. So I'm using the two tickets that I won in this raffle with the German Chamber. Beverly, the director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was one of my teachers when I started. And of course, see, having that relationship had make us so happy because I love him, he loves me, his employees, one of the marketing person from the chamber, she met me or told me when she came here. Pals relocated her, taught her English,

Restream recording Jun 27, 2024 • 03:13:11 PM: 18:16

and I didn't

Brenda: 18:17

know that. I didn't, because there was a moment that I had, we had so many clients that I couldn't meet everyone. So those moments are amazing. When you, the feeling that people, That you don't even remember, or maybe I never met, but as soon as I say PALS, you say, Oh, we did this with PALS. That is a beautiful thing.

Beverly: 18:43

You've had a lot of twists and turns. How do you plan to continue to evolve and adapt?

Brenda: 18:48

You just do it. My philosophy has been the turtle story. I don't know if you remember my turtle that I learned how the turtle function is step by step, day by day, do the right thing and keep going. I went to a party on last Saturday and the lady of the house. I saw in the bathroom some little turtles at decoration. And I asked her, I said, oh, do you like turtles too? And she said, yes, because the turtle stick her neck out. And that's what we have to do. Doing everything right day by day and not losing the race, but this is, you have to stick your neck out.

Beverly: 19:29

One of my questions I always ask everybody is if your business was part of the animal kingdom, what creature would it embody and why? The turtle is a perfect analogy for that. You have to be brave. You have to stick your neck out and you just have to do it step by step. Sometimes you're not going to get there like the bunny rabbit story but That's okay. You're moving forward and you're making progress and sometimes just letting yourself think that way too. it's powerful. You need that perspective for short in business. With all the chambers and the people you have maintained relationships with, like I said I feel like I really learned a lot from you How do you think that you create and maintain relationships on your journey? Like how what's the secret to those long term relationships?

Brenda: 20:11

Everybody tells me Brenda is that's they know that for me, it's easy that I don't have a problem meeting a person or being next to a person and establish a little conversation. It's part of me and I want to teach my grandchildren and I had two granddaughters now that they are learning marketing and working during the summer. They are in the university, but they doing internships in marketing and digital market. They are learning all of that now. And that is makes me so proud that they are doing that already.

Restream recording Jun 27, 2024 • 03:13:11 PM: 20:48

Huh.

Brenda: 20:48

But relationships the students that I taught in Canadian students in Ford Motor Company, my first group, we are still friends. We still talk. We are connected now. And I went to the hospital three times to see one of them with another one. As a group, we had been supporting this person that used to live in Mexico and now is back in Canada, but he comes to Detroit for all his medical needs. So we are able to go and see him, and we went to Windsor to visit him, but these were my very first students. So it's more than 50 years. I'm able to talk to people when I'm driving and talking, I don't listen to music anymore. I'm calling my friends, keep in touch with them. It's the best.

Beverly: 21:42

That is a skill. That's like a legit skill, I think constant reaching out, that constant following up, that constant checking in. We need more people like you. to do that, to keep us all connected, it's very easy not to stay connected. Life is so hard and busy. we get isolated in some ways. So it's good that you reach out. And I think that makes the relationships you've had last a lot longer. I have to say that

Brenda: 22:07

God and my parents, very good health. And because of that, I can do so many things. Last Sunday, I went to three different places, in three different parts of Detroit, and I did it. I wanted to be here, I wanted to be there, and I wanted to be over there, and I did it. I didn't know in the morning I could do everything, but I actually was able to. But I came back home, and I took a nap. Naps are wonderful. Because you can relax and get energy for the next hours. I

Beverly: 22:44

lived in Spain, they had the siesta and it was the best thing ever. And coming back here, I had a culture shock of not having the siesta time. Cause it is a total regrouping of your day and you're refreshed to do the next thing. Yeah, there's something really powerful about this siesta, for sure.

Brenda: 23:02

It is. You should take a 10 15 minutes nap during the day and you recharge and continue.

Beverly: 23:10

One of the questions I ask is if your business had a voice what word or emotion would resonate from its core?

Brenda: 23:13

relationships, connections with people that is is essential in my life? If I cannot do that, then I will not be happy.

Beverly: 23:24

I think that as we grow older, that becomes even more important. Like I think if in the day we were just talking yesterday, nobody wants to say I spent more time on Instagram. People say I wanted to spend more time with family and friends and the people that mattered and the team that I created.

Brenda: 23:40

I wrote my book already. I haven't published it yet. It's in the final stages, but I didn't dream my life. No, everything has been something. It just happened. And I. I remember going to the China wall and I heard all people, American people saying, Oh, I dreamed to come here. Oh, that was my dream. And I remember saying, no, I never could dream that. How come? A little girl or young woman in Colombia dreamed to be in China. That I didn't dream it, but I made it happen. But. It's a, that's it does happen, it happens, but I didn't dream it and I didn't plan it.

Beverly: 24:31

So there's not been anybody, any other business people who have influenced you in any way?

Brenda: 24:37

That's a good question, Beverly, I can say my parents were business people, so they did what they had to do the same way and doing it. My mother will go to different countries and different places and will buy merchandise that especially women and men, she will buy jewelry and everything for beauty products and glasses, TVs, and will come back and sell it. Yeah. And she will give credit to the people. But she knew where they were working. So she will go and collect her fees, payday. And my father was the same. He was always selling something and his technique was becoming extremely friendly back in those days with the secretary and taking, and then taking a bottle of scotch to the boss. And he told me he was the best person on the telephone and I'm still very good on the phone too. I don't have a problem calling people. My employees send emails all day. They don't talk to anybody. And I'm talking to people and I'm calling people. That's me.

Beverly: 25:54

You are so good at that. it's not as common to have that as a skill. Is there an app or a tool that is really super important to your workflow that you want to share and maybe another entrepreneur can hear about or learn about and maybe possibly use?

Brenda: 26:10

I love linkedIn. I had contact I met a wonderful guy in General Motors. He was the purchasing guy of General Motors years ago. And he was so good to me and he asked me, what program will you sell me? What will be your best program? And I say, China, and he wanted to do it. He couldn't. But we became friends to that and he came back afterwards to be the CEO of Yasaki, a Japanese company. And then after some years he resigned because the Japanese family wanted to take over and he was without a job in Birmingham. And I saw that in LinkedIn and I just sent him a message. I said oh, do you have time? Call me at this number. I haven't finished doing that. And he called me Beverly. I couldn't believe it. I love Facebook for my family and my friends and my traveling, but for business, LinkedIn is the one.

Beverly: 27:19

How do you keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive? How do you feed that?

Brenda: 27:24

Beverly, I live in a very nice condominium, and most of the people here knows me, they're my friends. I go to do exercise in a beautiful place. I go to church on Sundays. Ten of us have become very close, because we met in another country, through traveling with the church. So now this coming Saturday, all 10 of us are going to be to someone's home and she has a lake and everybody take something and then we have a padlock and it's wonderful. And this group. We support each other. We help each other. We're together. After church, we go to a restaurant to have lunch. I have friends, and I have my children, of course, and I visit them sometimes, but I have my friends, and I have my neighbors. Very important part of my life.

Beverly: 28:19

If you were to look back on the entrepreneurial journey and 50 years ago, before you gave that first lesson, when you came here, what advice would you give that Brenda now knowing what you know now, like from all these years of experience, what would have helped you then? Maybe overcome something or

Brenda: 28:40

just follow up, keep going because you cannot stop keep going and you have an opportunity. Oh, I don't want to call. Oh, I don't want to do this. I don't want to say you do what you have to do and keep going. What else? You do it and you are surprised of the result sometimes because you don't know what is going to happen. Today, I have lunch in Troy with a beautiful woman from Cordoba, Argentina. And she was a very important person when her husband was alive with huge business in Detroit. I don't know if you remember Facundo Bravo and his wife, Beverly. See, and he passed like a year ago, but she's here and she's meeting me for lunch. But when we are, she's not here, we talk on the phone, we keep up with each other. And she said, Oh my, she loves me and I love her back. And now I'm going to be with her and have lunch with her. So that is extremely important in my life. But everyone can do the same if you feel that way. Like I said those relationships feed you with a lot of love, and it's a fantastic thing to do, to have friends and family, and you do the best you can every day, and just, that helps your health, too. But like I said, I am very blessed with my health. That is a factor. That is, helps me do what I do.

Beverly: 30:14

Is there one marketing Strategy or approach that you would recommend somebody that you think could make a real difference in their path today.

Brenda: 30:22

I had asked these questions, and it's funny how I always end up the same. That if you start your business, if you are a woman especially, don't include your husband in the business. Being independent, do it yourself, your way, and because you never know what can happen and you don't want to be dependent of somebody else. You do it yourself and do what you want to do the way you desire to do it.

Beverly: 30:53

Keep the turtle thought process right? Just one foot in front of the other. Brenda, tell people more about your business and where they can find more information about Pals International.

Brenda: 31:03

Thank you, Beverly, that's very nice. I have my website and you can go and look for us, the name is, Pan American Languages and Services, DBA, PALS International, because people love the name PALS, because you are friends and we're very friendly, so that, PALS stick, and I'm very happy. That name is the right name now, and you can contact us, you can email us, you can come, and we are there to help you in whatever you need, translation, interpretation. But if you want to learn a foreign language, I talked to a lawyer yesterday, and he say he has a daughter in Peru, and he wants to go, and because of her, he wants to learn Spanish, see? And I, we didn't go to sell anything, we needed lawyer advice and here he said, I said, okay, we can teach Spanish to you. He said, Oh, maybe I pay you, you pay me. I have to follow up, but that's what you have to do.

Beverly: 32:09

So you're on LinkedIn as well as Brenda Arbalaez And then when do you think your book is going to come out?

Brenda: 32:15

It could be in a year, but sometimes I think maybe I should pass, and then publish it. So nobody comes and asks you questions.

Beverly: 32:29

thank you so much, Brenda, for being on the show and really talking about your history, the expertise, I think people don't understand how complex it is and how, what the ways you can use it. It's always good. And then I think just sharing your journey, when you come to a foreign country and you don't speak the language naturally and you have to learn it, it's really hard, and I also think that language is so tied to culture and so many things and I really have a passion for culture and in the world around me, I think that it's so rich in diversity and it would be boring if we were all the same. I've met so many people who speak Spanish I'm a fan of the Colombian Spanish. But I just, I'm so grateful to have you as part of my journey and in my entrepreneurial journey. It's a full circle moment for me to have you here today and just my listeners about what your journey was. So thank you.

Brenda: 33:21

Beverly, one thing that is learned in English, Americans don't realize how difficult it is. It's one of the most difficult languages. And you have so many expressions and you don't have rules. And the few rules you have most exceptions. It's a very difficult language. You say you write something and you say something else. It's a very difficult language and people don't understand. And it's when you come older here, I already was raised, educated. I was married and I already was working when I came here. So I can learn English, but I cannot get rid of my accent even if I want to. It's not that I do it on purpose. It's just the way it is and it's very difficult. So to learn the English and get rid of your accent. We did a program you should not get rid of your accent. Just reduce your accent. If you can. So we were teaching classes just to do that. We have students that they came to reduce their accent. Not to lose it, to reduce it. It's different.

Beverly: 34:32

I taught a Japanese wife of a automotive English was so hard. It's a complex language and all the different like where and where, like all the different ways to say even a word and all those different things. It's a really hard language to learn. There's no question. I don't think people understand that is so challenging. And then to do business Which is something entirely different. I can go to the beach and speak Spanish, but to do business in Spanish would be an entirely different process.

Brenda: 35:02

No, but the beauty is that now I can go anywhere in the world. And then I can relate to those people or talk to those people in English, of course. The business language of the world. And the same as a tourist, I'm going to meet people from other countries, how are we going to communicate mostly in English?

Beverly: 35:22

So we're lucky in that. Thank you so much for your time, Brenda. I know you have a tight schedule. I hope you found this episode as enlightening as I did. Remember to implement any of the insights that Brenda has shared today into your small business. And don't hesitate to reach out to myself or to Brenda. If you have any further questions or need assistance. Remember to subscribe for more conversations and actionable tips to ignite your marketing and entrepreneurial journey on future episodes of the spark and ignite your marketing podcast and until then, Keep sparking and igniting.