Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in language education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Irma Cedeno Verdon, Founder of Diáfano, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Diáfano is an award-winning, woman- and minority-owned language learning hub that creates language cohorts within organizations in order to help them improve their work culture, champion DEIA in a way that's low risk but high impact, support limited English proficient employees, and support other staff with professional development opportunities. We do all this through the lens of language. We also work with schools that want to build out or expand a competitive language program and with individuals that want to create meaningful change in their lives through language. We deliver our work via online language classes, 1:1 personalized programming, and a self-paced video program subscription.

Tell us about yourself

I'm a linguist and educator, and my experience expands over 15 years and three continents. I was teaching English in Japan when I realized that the government there invested heavily in bringing people like me from across the world to teach their citizens English. However, we in the USA were not trying to learn their language. This wasn't encouraged by the government or our schools. We also have over 19 million limited English proficient people in the workforce who we're also not fully invested in. I wanted to do something about it, and that's how my company came about. The Diáfano Method fuses old and tried methods (that work) with our modern twist to maximize language retention while emphasizing cultural competence. We have a bespoke approach that guarantees success in building multilingual workforces that are better prepared to compete in the global marketplace.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Improving cultural and language equity at organizations while bringing happiness and success to corporate culture through language.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

It can be a very hard and lonely road: hiring, managing, making decisions, driving profit, pricing, negotiating, handling contracts, getting in front of top decision-makers, and convincing them that they should go with your product when perhaps they didn't even know they needed it prior to meeting you! The days are long, and sometimes the nights also. If you're a solo founder, there is a lot of trial and error. I've realized that the more I learn in business, the more I stop to ask myself if I really have all the information I need to make the right decision. I second-guess myself on some things, and now I think it's a sign of maturity.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Look into the Japanese concept of ikigai and ask yourself: Am I passionate about this? Am I good at it? Does the world need it? And can I actually get paid to do it? If you have all four components, then you're probably going to be successful at it. Most importantly, love what you do because it's a long road ahead.
  2. Unless you're a serial entrepreneur, only go into a business in an industry where you are a credible expert or a business you're so passionate about that you're willing to become one.
  3. Keep an eye on those numbers and keep them healthy. If you don't love finance, start loving it. I learned from my husband that the "money handling" component is the last thing you delegate in a business, and that's because not knowing your numbers can get you into a lot of trouble. It also makes you look a little clueless in front of lenders and investors. Know how to do your own payroll, set your pricing, and negotiate (and never against yourself!). There is nothing worse than an entrepreneur who can't tell you her burn rate, profit margins, and cost of goods sold. If you had zero customers from now on, for how long could you keep your business running? Is it a month, or is it 12 months?

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://diafanomethod.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diafanomethod/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diafano_method/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diafanomethod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/diafanomethod/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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