Orleans Embroidery & Promo Ad

 

No matter how well one prepares their business internally, external forces can still disrupt a business. Juan Barreto, the owner of two local businesses-- Orleans Embroidery, a customizable clothing company, and Promo Ad, a full-service product sourcing and merchandising firm-- knows this all too well. Both companies have many large, national clients and Promo Ad exports fifty percent of their products to Latin America. 

 

After Katrina, Juan had to work extra hard to cater to his national and international clients that were not slowed by the storm. Juan ended up working out of a coffee shop for a month because he needed Internet to keep up with his clients.

 

Juan's contingency plans for his businesses not only include preparing for environmental disasters, but also equipping for market changes, especially in Latin America. Juan describes the Latin American market as a “moving target” that is constantly evolving. Promo Ad lost one of its largest customers due to the “tequila crisis” when Mexico’s currency lost significant value.  “That’s business. You start doing something and then for some unexpected reason everything stops,” said Juan.

 

In order to safeguard one’s business, Juan says it is important to have savings and insurance. Most of all, he says, “You need to be resilient. You have to be strong. You have to think in the long term. What I am doing know I started planning three years ago. Everything takes a lot of time,” advises Juan.

 

He continued, “You have to reinvent yourself. I like to find needs that people do not pay too much attention to. I don’t like to follow somebody. I am trying to do something that nobody is doing.”