Want a Successful Startup? Adopt the Silicon Valley Culture

Summary

Colombian native Tanya Zapata, a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, shares her journey from working in radio to creating an online platform connecting voice actors with clients. Over 13 years, her company evolved into a creative services website called Tor, offering voiceovers, writing, and translation services. Zapata reflects on the importance of teamwork and mentorship, especially in Silicon Valley's collaborative culture, contrasting it with the individualistic mindset she encountered in Latin America. Passionate about giving back, she mentors startups and created an incubator to help developing-country entrepreneurs avoid common mistakes and succeed.

Takeaways

• 😀 Tanya Zapata, a Colombian native, is a success story in Silicon Valley, having built a tech company from the ground up.
• 😀 Tanya transitioned from working in radio to launching her own business as a voice actress, eventually realizing the difficulties in connecting with clients offline.
• 😀 Tanya and her husband created an online platform 13 years ago to connect voice actors with clients, which has evolved into the company Tor.
• 😀 Tor started as a voiceover service and has expanded to offer creative services like writing and translation in multiple languages.
• 😀 Building a successful company is a team effort, and Tanya emphasizes the importance of asking for help and working collaboratively to avoid mistakes.
• 😀 Silicon Valley's unique culture of openness, sharing, and networking has helped many startups thrive, a mentality Tanya believes is rare in her native Colombia and other Latin American countries.
• 😀 Tanya highlights that many people in Latin America don't ask for help due to fear of rejection, which can hinder progress.
• 😀 She mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and has established an incubator to provide seed funding to startups from developing countries.
• 😀 The incubator Tanya created aims to help startups by providing experience, knowledge, and connections to avoid common entrepreneurial mistakes.
• 😀 Tanya finds meaning in life by giving back and helping others, aiming to have a positive impact on people's lives through her work and mentorship.

Q & A

What inspired Tanya Zapata to start her own business?

Tanya Zapata was inspired to start her own business after working in radio and realizing how difficult it was to connect with clients who needed her voice as a voice actress.

How did Tanya Zapata and her husband create their business?

Tanya and her husband created their business by addressing the cumbersome and broken process of connecting voice actors with clients. They started an online business that facilitated these connections, which eventually evolved into a creative services platform.

What is the name of the business Tanya Zapata co-founded?

The business that Tanya Zapata co-founded is called 'Tor,' a creative services website that helps clients find voice actors, writers, and translators in multiple languages.

How did Tanya Zapata's company evolve over time?

Originally focused on voiceovers, the business grew to offer a wider range of creative services, including writers and translators in various languages, evolving into a more comprehensive platform for creative work.

What challenges did Tanya Zapata face when building her company?

Tanya faced challenges such as making mistakes early on by trying to build the company alone and not asking for help. This made the process difficult, and she later recognized the importance of teamwork.

What does Tanya Zapata think about Silicon Valley's culture?

Tanya Zapata appreciates the unique culture of Silicon Valley, where sharing, networking, and cooperation among people and startups help companies improve and succeed.

How does Tanya Zapata contrast Silicon Valley's culture with that of her native Colombia?

Tanya observes that in Colombia and other Latin American countries, people tend not to ask for help, fearing rejection, which she believes is a problematic attitude that prevents many from succeeding.

What does Tanya Zapata do to support entrepreneurs in developing countries?

Tanya Zapata mentors entrepreneurs and created an incubator that provides seed funding for startups from developing countries, helping them avoid the mistakes she made by connecting them with experienced professionals.

What is Tanya Zapata's approach to helping others in business?

Tanya believes in giving back by helping others avoid the same mistakes she made. She offers her experience, knowledge, and connections to support companies in their growth.

What is the most meaningful part of Tanya Zapata's life, according to her?

According to Tanya Zapata, life is most meaningful when she can give back to others and make a positive impact in their lives, especially through mentoring and helping entrepreneurs.