“There is no Prince Charming in your job.” “When you realize it, you can do it.” “There is no job that doesn’t train you to be an entrepreneur.”
Those were among the thoughts that Nely Galán – successful entrepreneur, real estate investor, television producer and the first Latina to lead a television network – shared with an audience filled mostly with women, many of them Cal State San Bernardino students, on how they can positively impact themselves and their communities.
Galán was the keynote speaker at the breakfast workshop, “Making an Impact,” on Feb. 25 at CSUSB and sponsored by the university’s College of Business and Public Administration and The Coca-Cola Co. The workshop was part of CSUSB’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration.
“Together we are united. We can’t be marginalized in our community,” said Galán of the growing impact of Latinas in the United States, who she said made up the number one emerging market in the world along with African American women, Middle Eastern women, Asian women and Indian women.
CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales said the economic power wielded by Latinas, who annually control $1 trillion in purchasing power, will not be fully realized until individuals discover they can work together as a community for the benefit of themselves and their families.
Morales said that Galán’s belief that there is room for more – many more – women to take control of their future through business ownership has found a receptive home at Cal State San Bernardino through the university’s graduate program in entrepreneurship – which is considered one of the nation’s best – and the CSUSB Inland Empire Women’s Business Center and Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center, whose primary goals include helping Latinas launch and grow their own businesses.
Galán founded The Adelante Movement (Move Forward!) in 2011, a grassroots movement to unite and empower Latinas both economically and entrepreneurially. She created Adelante to encourage Latinas to be a powerful voice in the community and play a leading role in American society, economics and politics. The Adelante Movement is presented by The Coca-Cola Co. and forms part of the company’s “5-by-20” global initiative to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2020.
In a wide-ranging, and often funny and insightful, talk about her life, her experiences, goals and beliefs, Galán urged audience members to believe in themselves, plan for their futures and set goals for what they want to accomplish in 20 years, not next week.
“Buy buildings, not shoes,” Galán said.
She talked about her experiences as a student at a Catholic high school. Though her parents were poor, they worked hard to be able to pay for her tuition. Galán, who wanted to earn money to help pay for her tuition, sold Avon beauty products for a neighborhood woman, splitting the profits 50-50.
“In that first week, I sold Avon out of my school locker and made $200,” said Galán, who added that in the first month she made $800 and paid down her tuition.After high school and several jobs, Galán got a job as a reporter at a Spanish-language television station in New Jersey then turned her sights to management by becoming a producer running the station for the owner, who saw it as a financial investment. One day an attorney for the owner informed her that that station had been sold for $75 million.
Galán said she felt betrayed by the sale and met with the owner, who told her that the station was his investment and to “get her own chips” to invest.
That inspired a determined Galán, who set high goals to achieve, with the dream to ultimately retire without relying on anyone else. She said she wanted to be in a position where “I work because I want to, not because I have to.”
She continued to work, but cut her spending and overhead expenses and began to save money, which she invested in properties and stocks, working toward financial independence. For several years she scrimped and saved, living in a cheap apartment and driving a 12-year-old car.
After four years, her life began turning a corner as her investments began to pay off. She began to make money, which she reinvested in buying properties, and became a successful entrepreneur.
And yet with all her successes, Galán is the first to admit there have been painful and fearful moments and plenty of failures. But she said she was determined not to let that stop her. As an example, she took up skydiving to deal with her fear of high places, “and I haven’t been afraid of heights since.”
She urged her audience to believe in themselves.
“When you finally realize you can do it, you’re all you’ve got and you’re the best thing you’ve got – that’s where it all begins. That’s your starting point,” Galán said.
Galán was the first Latina president of the Telemundo television network. She has also owned and operated her own media company since 1994. Galán Entertainment has launched 10 groundbreaking television channels in Latin America, and she has also produced a staggering 600 episodes of programming that cross all genres, from reality series to sitcoms and telenovelas to talk shows in English and Spanish.
Galán Entertainment was also responsible for creating and executive-producing the smash FOX reality hit “The Swan,” and as its in-house life coach, Galán wrote the bestselling companion book “The Swan Curriculum.” “The Swan” has aired in more than 70 countries around the world, and was famously spoofed by Tina Fey on “Saturday Night Live.”
In addition, the entrepreneur has owned her own real estate development and investment company in Santa Clara for 15 years. The company has commercial and residential real estate holdings in multiple states.
Visit the CSUSB Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship website and CSUSB College of Business and Public Administration website for more information on their programs.
Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually.
For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.