“The idea with Acento Santandereano products is that words materialize and travel to different places. That the people who wear them on their t-shirts, hats and others pay homage to the oral tradition of Santander, inherited by the nonos and nonas (grandfathers and grandmothers) and as a contribution to the culture of Santander so that the new generations are aware of the typical phrases of the region”, this is how Nicolás Gigino describes the brand he created after wanting to rescue his oral traditions for new generations. In 23 questions for entrepreneurs and their businesses He tells us what he came up with and what he is targeting.
1. How old am I? That I studied?
My name is Nicolás Gigino Sánchez, I am 36 years old and I studied Social Communication at the University of Pamplona.
2. What was my idea and when was it born? What was it that I created?
Acento Santandereano initially arose in order to pay homage to the oral tradition of Santander, inherited by the nonos and nonas (grandfathers and grandmothers) and as a contribution to the culture of Santander so that the new generations are aware of the typical phrases of the region.
From this work an enterprise arose, in which souvenirs with typical phrases of the region are sold.
3. How did I manage to make it a reality and bring it to life?
I worked at Unipamplona and I got a part of my salary to buy shirts. After several months, when I had about 90 t-shirts, I invested another part of my salary to have them stamped with phrases like: “Calle la Jeta” “Mucho ser Pingo” and “Ole Mano”.
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4. Where did I get the money to start it up and how did I pay for it?
The money came from savings from my work and small loans from some friends. Then the need arose to buy caps and have them stamped, and little by little other objects were added.
5. What am I achieving with my business? What am I changing with my idea?
The idea with Acento Santandereano products is that words materialize and travel to different places. That the people who wear them on their t-shirts, caps and others are also promoters of the typical Santanderean expressions by telling their meaning and how their intonation sounds. In this sense, this project has created a trend around orality in the region, as evidenced in advertising for restaurants, events, shops, etc. This creates pride around words and accent.
6. Am I happy?
My Acento Santandereano has given me great satisfaction, it is the only project that works in this sense in the region, and although as an entrepreneur it is difficult due to the lack of resources for all the things I would like to do, it fills me with happiness, because it is like a baby I've seen grow up since it was just an idea.
7. Would I sell my enterprise, my company?
Some time ago I received purchase proposals, injection of money, but I saw that the intention was to move and stay with the project and I decided to stop. For me, Acento Santandereano is a serious and dedicated job, of a lot of effort, and I did not see from the counterparty other than the desire to want money in the short term and I knew that this was going to give me headaches, because I would become an employee of the person that he was going to put money into the project.
8. How hard was it for me to undertake?
This path of entrepreneurship has been hard, I have had many losses, problems with suppliers that burn or damage my garments, products that arrive damaged or split; long hours of work, late nights, washed, overheated, loaded with packages, long trips by motorcycle, by bus, in short. Undertaking without great resources and still persisting until you achieve what you want, is a heroic act and one of resilience, I would say.
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9. Did I fulfill my dream? What I'm I missing of?
I still have many dreams to fulfill, buying machinery to grow the business, new products and other things that I have in my plans. However, little by little, the consolidation and recognition of the brand, which is essential in any business, has been achieved.
10. Now what? Whats Next?
Keep working, I have ideas to develop in the short, medium and long term, we have to put more "the card" in it!
I have just launched the website www.miacentosantandereano.com, the winning project of the departmental stimulus plan, of the Government of Santander, whose resources were used to make a digital store, in which the products we sell are displayed, and also videos, podcasts, words, texts, all around the Santanderean Accent are evident. I invite you to meet her.
11. Is my business scalable?
Although this is a local enterprise, the business idea is scalable, since you can do Paisa Accent, Coastal Accent, Llanero Accent and also Chilango Accent, Mexican Accent, Argentine Accent etc. The word has too many uses, countless meanings and accents in the world such as clothing stores.
12. To grow, would you receive investment from a stranger? Would I give you part of my company?
Yes, it would receive investment, it is a good time to grow, as long as the conditions are clear, resources are welcome, hopefully from someone who identifies with the brand.
13. What would you never do again?
Each situation has been a path full of learning. I have done the entrepreneurship course from scratch; I have participated in village craft fairs, in which t-shirts are lowered with doodles; cache fairs, festivals, book fairs; loans, losses, months of doing nothing, months of high production; I have gone bankrupt, many times! And with little I have started again, I lost 30 thousand followers on social networks after my Fanpage was stolen and I started again until I reached the 35 thousand organic followers that I have today. The love I have for my Santanderean Accent is what has made me persist.
14. Who inspired me? Who would I like to follow?
I don't have a specific reference, but I have heard of great businessmen and businesswomen who have great brands made with their hearts and hard work, and that motivates me. The only one I follow is Christ, he sustains everything.
15. Did I fail at some point? Did I think about throwing in the towel?
I have gone bankrupt many times, I have come to have two or three T-shirts, some stickers and some key chains, because I had to use the reinvestment money to pay rent, food and banks. I've worked on other things, but I always come back to the project.
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16. Am I part of some type of community that helps me on this path of undertaking?
I do not belong to any entrepreneurial community, although on occasion I received advice from the Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce and I have given talks on entrepreneurship in organizations to which I have been invited. Associations of artisans exhibiting at fairs in San Gil and Barichara have opened their doors to me.
17. Does what I am doing transcend? Will it be able to impact new generations?
Undoubtedly, Acento Santandereano is a work that leaves its mark, since not only products are sold, but the oral tradition of the department is exalted so that the new generations know that intangible heritage and appropriate it.
18. How do I see myself in 10 years and how do I see my venture, my company, in the future?
As God permits, my dream is to have machinery to make some products in which I have production control. Also expanding this project to other departments is something I have thought about since I started.
19. What role have my family and friends played?
It has been fundamental, on many occasions I have fallen, but the motivation of my wife, friends and family has been decisive. Many followers of the project motivate me to release new products and their purchases are essential to continue production.
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20. I made it. Would you help other entrepreneurs to achieve it?
Of course it would help, there are many things that a new entrepreneur would save if someone with experience could help him. For example, the time one spends looking for good suppliers is part of this journey: visit, get to know, see, try, lose, it's magnificent! but if someone with experience manages to advise and help a new entrepreneur to trace a path, that time that is invested in falls and disappointments, can be used in the rapid execution of the enterprise.
21. What role did my team play? Who?
I don't have an established team as such, I have very good friends, with very good talents, who have helped and motivated me on this path.
22. What is my personal seal? What differentiates me from the rest?
There is a stamp, without a doubt, on many occasions they introduce me as: "he is Nicolás Gigino, the Santanderean Accent" and I like that because there is a stamp that identifies me as the creator of this work, which seeks to leave a mark on the Santanderean culture and in the collective memory of its inhabitants. That differentiates me from the rest of the ventures and projects that are carried out in the region.
23. What have I learned from all this?
I have learned to be persistent, to be resilient, to be honest, to have passion, to fight for what you want. I have had several ventures, and although I worked with a lot of love in all of them, none has given me so much satisfaction, so many tears, joys, friends and desire to move forward, as Mi Acento Santandereano has done.
If you know stories of entrepreneurs and their ventures, write to us at Edwin Bohórquez Aya ( ebohorquez@elespectador.com ) or Tatiana Gómez Fuentes ( tgomez@elespectador.com ).
