Yamilette Cano, founder of LOUDER Global, is a pentalingual entrepreneur with a background of 20 years in the entertainment industry and more than 10 years of global communication and speaking experience. LOUDER Global, a communications firm, uses color, creativity, and confidence to give clients the tools to create impactful and assertive communication. Through personalized coaching, speaking services, corporate branding, or event consulting, they offer brands, corporations, and individuals the power to convey their message into a full-blown narrative.

What does “entrepreneurship” mean to you?
Yamilette Cano: Being an entrepreneur means to build a strong bridge between your dreams and your actions. Be able to see the rewards far ahead and be bold to take the leap forward. Be unapologetic of the decisions you make, but always with kindness and positive intentions. Be true to your ideals and work with passion and love towards the wonderful journey ahead.

How did your company come to be? 
YC: I have always been interested in the soft skills side of communication. At a young age, I started dancing classical ballet at a professional level after which, I decided to study International Relations to better understand global perspectives and cultures. After graduating, in the search for something to make me feel passion and joy the way my dancing career did, I started working as a public speaker and events MC. The journey was always colorful and my path directed me to the event management industry. This is when I truly became an entrepreneur. Alongside my partner, we established and built our event management company finally selling it to a larger corporation. At this moment, having to transition and find another path, my aha moment happened. I wanted to combine my love for the stage, the development of soft skills, my knowledge of movement and assertive communication, and my experience with events. LOUDER Global was then born, with the intention to help others to build their confidence and learn techniques that will help them showcase their powerful presence and positive impact.

How has your business changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
YC: The current world situation has empowered our team and strengthened our mission and vision to offer our clients a platform where they can develop must needed soft skills. Suddenly the world of communication became virtual and the need and expectations to communicate assertively, in this virtual world, has made our business more relevant. People are now understanding and starting to see the necessity of working on a communication style that can be interesting, engaging and impactful no matter the platform they use. And in order to deliver world class content, we have had to adapt and be flexible with our approach and perspectives. We have developed different programs that allow us to deliver virtual training as well as hybrid style of content (face to face and virtual) We upgraded our online systems and refreshed our branding to showcase the new capabilities and potential of the business. We partnered with organizations and corporations around the world, which has allowed us to become a global training platform with no online boundaries.

What is your proudest and darkest moment so far? Share a key high and a key low from your journey if you can.
YC: I have always been very proud of being fearless and trying different options to fulfill my vision and Ideas. Not being afraid to build a strong network and reach out to them for help or advice is one of my key highs. On the other hand, as many entrepreneurs may have experienced, I sometimes feel lonely and impatient when the strategies do not work or the outcome depends more on others than me and my team.

How is your company changing the landscape?
YC: Whether it is on a face-to-face interaction, or the virtual reality we are all experiencing these days, we are teaching individuals and teams to not be afraid to speak up with a confident approach that includes all elements of their communication. Their voice, movements, content, intention, attire, surroundings, personal brand. We want to show our clients that the world is full of color and passion. Building strong relationships with an emotional value is more effective than the traditional transactional business ways. Be LOUD AND CLEAR without apologies connecting actions and words.

What do you wish you knew when you started? Is there anything you would do differently?
YC: I wouldn’t do anything differently at this stage. I have been quite blessed with the relationships and connections that I have, who have helped me along the way.

What advice/credo do you live by as you grow the business / what is your professional and personal mission statement?
YC: Always communicate with love, passion and kindness. Be transparent, honest and true to what I believe and the way I approach myself and others. Build a brand that inspires others because they can see the spark in my eyes and voice when I talk about it. Be LOUD, COLORFUL and INTENTIONAL all day long.

Where do you find inspiration when faced with challenges?
YC: Talking to my love ones, mentors and teachers. Looking around and challenging the status quo. Showing a smile as much as I can.

What does “success” look like for you? What do you think will help you achieve it?
YC: Success is the opportunity we have every single day to be better, to grow and to love what we do and who do we surround ourselves with. Achieving success is a lifelong journey because once we attain something there will always be extras we can do and work on. Being successful to me is being what we decide to be at the moment in time and situation we are experiencing.

Has personal or professional “success” changed for you since the COVID-19 pandemic?
YC: It has given me and my team an extra platform to explore and be creative with the virtual world of communication.

What’s it like to work alone or with your partners? What advice do you have for fellow entrepreneurs about building and leading teams?
YC: Allow yourself to feel the emotions, process them and then give them meaning and structure so you can use them to your advantage. If you feel lonely or misunderstood, feel it, experience it, digest it, do not disregard it, but don’t stay static in the drama stage. Once you have analyzed your feelings and given them meaning, use them to make a plan and build a strategy. To be creative and look at different options and perspectives. But most importantly, use your feelings to fuel your passion, care and intention.

Many entrepreneurs continue to perfect their daily routines to support their work and greater vision; would you mind sharing your morning routine or a regular ritual that grounds your work each day? How has it changed in recent months?
YC: I have always been a strong believer in getting fully ready for work. Even when working from home, I never stop grooming myself and arranging my environment before starting work. I get dressed up as if I had a meeting every day and this approach has helped me not to lose perspective and motivation. It makes me smile and gives me the energy that I need to start my day.

What keeps you motivated during this time?
YC: The idea to connect with people no matter what. To build relationships and support each other when possible. the opportunity to build a global community that can last for a long time.

What kind of an entrepreneur do you want to be known as, as in, what do you want your legacy to be?
YC: I would like to be known as The Colorful and Elegant CONFIDENCE MAKER. An impactful communicator that cares about others’ development and learning.

What is a quote or some words of wisdom that help get you through the tough days?
YC: “At the end of the day people will not remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Who are the people who have mentored or influenced you in your life or career? How has their influence changed the trajectory of your entrepreneurial journey?
YC: First of all, my mum has always been an inspiration for me. She taught me how to spread my wings and fly very high. She has pushed me to be better every day and to not be afraid of take the first step because she has made me understood that we can always learn to fly.
The second person is my Dad, he has shown me not to give up and despite adversity and to always be positive and find another alternative. He has supported me to be open and use my emotional strength to accomplish meaningful results.

This article has been edited for clarity.

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