The days of Juan Alonso (33) were very different. He spent his weeks preparing the big social, corporate and institutional events in one of the most recognized venues in Buenos Aires: La Herencia.
Until the pandemic hit. Everything changed. The world was another, and the festivities were on pause.
Juan was born and raised in San Isidro. He had free time due to lack of activity, perhaps too much, although he took advantage of it. “The first weeks of total confinement were complex, uncertain and paralyzing”, he tells Infobae, then he understood that it would not be something temporary and he preferred to nourish himself. He read self-help referents: 'Start with why' by Simon Sinek. '12 Rules for Living' by Jordan Peterson, 'Think Like a Monk' by Jay Shetty, 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho and 'Mindset' by Carol Dweck'. among other titles.
That led him down the path of personal growth, which later took shape in a space unknown to him until then: the textile industry. A fan of the fitness world, he decided to unite both areas to give life to "a digital store with a collection of garments to train and motivate at the same time" which he called Focus, he explains.
Her look is a reflection of her brand: she dresses in black with noble and timeless garments, she says. “Identity is simple, no frills. Because it doesn't matter if you wear it if you don't come to do it ”, he reinforces.
Juan is enthusiastic, he takes risks, he doesn't stop. “I needed to relight a flame. At first I had little idea of the path I wanted to take. The pandemic taught me that, you can't have all your eggs in one basket.”
An inspiring family
Juan's mother is part of Fundación Más Humanidad, which fights to eradicate child malnutrition in Argentina. In fact, for every sale he makes, Juan commits to allocate a plate of food to those who need.
Her sister, Victoria, is a chef, and runs a caterer. It was she who proposed the idea of exploring the universe of events. “He invited me to join, I did. Years later, in a very natural way, I had the possibility of the event hall project”.
Events continue, although different
Although La Herencia reopened its doors, nothing is as it once was. There is a reduced schedule to celebrate, as well as the capacity. The most complex rule to implement is the non-existence of the dance floor. “Most clients decide to schedule for when the pandemic is over,” he clarifies.
During downtime, he took the opportunity to carry out maintenance and expansion tasks. “The Heritage will survive, and we will return to continue flying. I am looking forward to the revival."
The key is what it's called
A name can be as important as the product itself. "I already had everything ready, we were about to go out to make the prints but there was something that didn't work for me, and I stopped it," says Juan.
Some time later she remembered a comment that a friend had made to her, who mentioned that basically she must transmit the values of entrepreneurship: determination, focus... focus. “I borrowed it from her, and she said yes.”
Juan was already convinced. “I fell in love with the name,” he recalls. However, when he decided to go to register it, it was already taken. Unstoppable, he went out looking for the owners. “I did not want to give up, it was not easy to find them because they lived in Mendoza. I managed to do it, I write to them, and they told me that they had the brand in disuse. I was lucky, they sold me Focus at an affordable price”, he recalls. What came next was cumbersome due to the bureaucracy of the procedures. Finally, in March he launched his brand.
In pure expansion
Currently, it has eight products from the first collection for sale, and the second collection is coming soon with another six that follow the same concept: long leggings, sports shoes, thermal shirts, in black, gray, and dark blue tones. He has 35 shipments a month, and he intends to reach 50 in a few weeks.
-What was the biggest challenge of starting a business?
-Oneself for their fears. Also a pandemic. Nobody expected it. In turn, an unstable country economically although with tools. I never imagined emigrating, doing this in another country. I love Argentina with all its problems.
-What was the best decision?
-Change my mentality. When the pandemic started, I felt like a victim for not being able to work, and losing my business. I understood that there was nothing I could do, so I chose to see what tools I had. The world pushed me to do it.
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