Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Z Ramirez.
Hi Leslie Z, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am proud of myself in my journey and I am humbled at the same time. I come from two parents that faced many barriers to cross the border illegally, hoping to live a better life. I was born the oldest of three in Hill County, Texas in a very tiny town. My biological parents were new to this country and quickly fell victims to racism 35 years ago. They later decided the racism in Texas was too great to live through, that they would migrate to Florida when I was one year old. After relocating, a year and then four years later my brothers were born. We lived a life of humility and struggle. Racism didn’t seem to be something that my parents could have simply walked away from, as we understand today racism is still very much real. My biological parents moved slightly north to Florida, up to the state of Georgia, to find a better environment to thrive in. When we moved here to Atlanta, Georgia we took refuge in a family’s house where the wife hated that we were all there in her home. She was so angry everyday she would do or say something hurtful. For example, she would label milk cartons, cereal, water bottles and even toilet paper packs with her name on it so we did not touch it. She one day asked and made a deal about someone taking a granola bar from her stash of labeled and counted snacks. We all came to find out it was her son that was far less younger than my siblings and I (could not read), took and ate his own mother’s snack. She never apologized for that. It was awful. I learned to never fight people for food, you never know what people are going through. From those years of living with the family and still learning English while coming home to teach my mom English. We upgraded to a more (transient) lifestyle. From motels to apartments, we hopped around a lot. I went to four elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Unbeknownst to me all through a nerd and a quiet one at that, due to experiencing domestic violence and molestation at home, I would one day use my ability to mingle new crowds of friends everywhere I went to my advantage later in life. Life was not easy, from a household that was rigid with religion to the physical and mental abuse at home. Not having food on the table sometimes, nor hot water in the winter, no lights at times, all these things built character. I learned throughout time that we all get hit with pain and obstacles, it’s up to us to get back up and keep fighting for life and pure existence. When you are able to sustain knowing you are worthy of being alive and enduring all, you then focus on healing and then expanding/ growing as an individual in life. My journey has allowed me to not judge people due to their circumstances. My journey has allowed me to find my gift: the ability to speak to anyone, anywhere. My gift has allowed me to build a platform where I can uplift others. I began my Marketing Company so that I may Empower Support and Promote Entrepreneurs doing cool things in their neighborhoods. And that is a bit of who I am as a proud first-generation Mexican – American and a now renowned Atlanta Georgia brand.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Honestly, my journey has been far from smooth. I didn’t know back then I would be where I am now, but I did know I would come out of it in one piece. Even in the most difficult of times. I grew up very poor and humbled by it for so long. You may already know that as a child, you want everything you cannot have and everything you see on TV. There is this movie called the little princess, where she would imagine feasts and banquets with music, dancing in sophisticated clothing. Up in the attic alone and struggling to hold on to a dream. That movie ends with her being found and living the life she deserves. I remember that being my fave movie growing up. I felt all through my struggle and suffering my day would come where I would triumph. Triumph to me may seem different to you. To me, it is not wearing the most expensive clothing or driving the most recent car on the market. Triumph to me is being able to survive all obstacles put before you to fail and then turn around and help others in the situations you were once in. Life truly has not been kind, but my outlook and my spirit has always kept me grounded and focused on the light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about House of Ramirez?
Coming from an immigrant family that didn’t have anything was a struggle all in its own, but to bet on yourself day in and day out was what helped me and continues to drive me as an entrepreneur. Guys, I am a real nerd and square. I pride myself in that. Real quick: I love both my siblings and one of my brothers become well respected and street affiliated, due to life circumstances he is now serving life in prison. And I always heard him say my name is so and so, but the streets know me as blank. And the more I worked in the community, the more the people became familiar with who I am. And for that reason, I pride myself in my work ethic and what I do. I am not the coolest in the game or the toughest but I am a real survivor that uses my voice to uplift others. Now I tell folks, “my name is Leslie, but the streets know me as HOUSE OF RAMIREZ”. When I told my brother in prison about that he cried happy tears and was so proud that one of us kept pushing and did not let circumstances make us or break us. I say that to say that no matter where you come from or what you been through, you can and YOU WILL succeed. be the one that is the blueprint for others, and endure keep your eyes on your goals, and goals only, no distractions, and you will accomplish anything!! About me, I am President CEO of HOUSE OF RAMIREZ. HOR is a marketing firm. The firm is a leading provider for Community Marketing & Outreach Coordination to Businesses and Organizations in the Social Justice Field. I am a multimedia journalist for two black-owned magazines and a successful podcaster. I do not mind rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty. I have started my own community clean-up efforts in partnership with City of Atlanta Public Works and Atlanta Department of Transportation. I am excited to announce that I have the honor to serve on the board of Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention and Research Center Community Coalition Board. Along with the rest of the fellow members of the board, we are all passionate about giving back to the community. HOR has recently signed its biggest contract with MARTA Army, and HOR is the new glue to the community as their Community Outreach Coordinator. Besides advocating for the people in regards to infrastructure, I also have been kindly asked to speak in front of a middle school in regards to entrepreneurship.
In 2018, I was at work and I felt that I was not going to keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I seriously felt like I was meant for something greater than to clock in and out of an office. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, please don’t get me wrong. That’s where I started three jobs, a full-time, a part-time, and a side gig. Try adding entrepreneurship to that. What a hot mess. So, in the fall of 2018, I began to save for my LLC license. It’s $120 in the state of Georgia, but a single mom no child support at that time from either father (2 if you may ask), with three jobs and three children man $120 was a lot to whop out. I wanted to do one thing slightly different towards the end of the year and see what I can add to it in the following new year. The rest is history. Unbeknownst to me, my future started at that moment. I decided to save. I became hungry for more info, how to, where to go, how can I, what are my pros and cons, what are other routes for what I wanted to do. Well I’ll say this much, It’s not how you started but how you finish. I started as a clothing line. I wanted to be this big-time fashion nova before fashion nova was really a thing. I was calling myself Ramirez Clothing Line. It was all good and gravy, until one day a serious friend of mines cousin in Chicago – Shout out to him! He got on a call with me while with his mentor. And ran through what a real clothing brand Intel’s. man was I completely off. The whole, you have to have minimum of one year of design and inventory in advance to market drop, and you have to have a target audience and most times you will not be selling items you would wear but what your audience favors THREW ME ALL THE WAY OFF. I was like no, no, no, and no thank you. Lol! I wanted to sell cute pink and colorful items and people would have to just gravitate with time, like it or not and that’s not how it goes. That was short-lived. Year 2019 was the plot twist. Come 2019, I was pumped and half deterred after clothing convo with friend. So I would be at work telling my colleagues “I am going to be someone”, “I am not supposed to be here”.
What a joke I seemed, but get this everyone that laughed when I said that and claimed my LLC and business idea, well now they are my highest audiences on LinkedIn, analytics do not lie. I would be at work and just wanted an opportunity. I was online and a small owned biz asked for folks that wanted to do a weekend gig. I was like IDK, that means I won’t work at my usual joint, cleaning dishes at a restaurant for extra change. Hmmm, I said BEEP it! Lol If I was betting on myself the year prior why stop now, let’s crank it up a notch, I called out my side gig to work another gig, that new gig taught me something valuable and it allowed me to connect with other entrepreneurs, it opened doors!! The thing the first gig taught me was don’t trust everyone with a smile, the person I worked for lied that I’d get paid x amount per two days. After working like a dog for two days and making her tons of money, I was given a third of what was promised to me. I did speak to her about it, she told me to let it be a lesson, to not trust people’s word and to always have agreements in writing because people will lie to get what they want. Well that didn’t go as plan, but I learned. The great thing is, I was able to make connections that to this day are still standing. I love good people. I returned to work the following week and was ready for the next time I could be in that free form space again just not selling vegan lip gloss, again, lol. So I connected with the other entrepreneurs and they needed help. WHEN YOU BET ON YOURSELF MORE DOORS OPEN FOR YOU, the wrong doors close for you. (Still 2019) After a few events, I realized I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to rebrand to a Marketing and Promo firm. I was selling water to a whale every time I was in a free space. I found my gift, the gift of gab.
Then the more I thought about it, with seasons slowing down from event to event, I asked myself “how can I use my gift to uplift others?”. That’s when everything started clicking and shortly after, I started my own Podcast. Let’s rewind a bit – in 2016 – my x fiancé left me and my three children. That year I lost it all and gained it back doubled, I started my healing journey that same year too. I was so closed to the world while wrapped up in mine. I say that to say, I was always home when I was not working. It was so bad that my x fiancé’s mom demanded I get dressed go out and find something to do, and she would watch my children. I was so opposed. I did it anyways, I went out after work with a friend. I asked to sit outside on the patio to avoid all the commotion in the restaurant. We are talking and here comes this stunning couple, both tall, fresh, and sophisticated. And I was like thats what success looks like, walked over to the couple and said: “Hey, my name is Leslie. I have a clothing business. and I’d love to invite you to download my app”. They looked at each other and smiled kindly, the husband said I’m going in to grab us some drinks I’ll be right back, that’s when his wife and I spoke. She is a renowned branding maven! Little ole me pitching to an expert, well fast forward she really was who I needed to meet to pivot and become who I am today. She and I spoke over lunch and she became the number one person who helped with my rebranding.
Forever thankful and humbled, I was real transparent with her, God bless her soul. I tend to be long-winded. Anywho, 2019 I was given the opportunity to work under three major umbrellas: Essence, BET Her, and The Village Market. When I say BET ON YOURSELF!!!!!! I mean it. From there, I was able to branch off into other aspects of branding and marketing. I never turned down an opportunity to learn and or work and that gave me the space to grow. Work hard at what you feel is right and everything will work out for you. I’ve made sure I distance myself from people that are not in alignment with my purpose work, they mean well but ultimately are distractions. I pride myself in not having a personal life, work is life for me. I left corporate ‘merica in 2020 and do not regret it one bit. Mom said I was burning myself out too thin and that I needed to come home. She didn’t understand what I was doing entrepreneurship-wise but supported me. AND SHE ONLY HAD TO TELL ME ONE TIME TO COME BACK HOME, lol. I am a full-time entrepreneur and I am thankful that my family and community support me. Without them, I am not able to work this hard.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
DONT GIVE UP FOR SH*T! Make sure you always bet on yourself when all others laugh at you or bring you down, get back up and GO HARDER!
Trust in the process, nothing happens overnight. YOU GOT THIS!
Pricing:
- Community work has such a higher value than what money equals to. Your community is what builds and sustains you, treat it well and in turn it will treat you well. Sweat equity speaks more than words at times.
- $750 for an Exclusive Interview – 5 hrs of editing and production
Contact Info:
- Email: Leslie@houseoframirez.com
- Website: https://www.houseoframirez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseoframirez.3/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Houseoframirez.3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BRAND_HOR
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y5gsoVnT5gF1Kkx8x3BjQ
- Other: https://solo.to/houseoframirez.3
Image Credits
x HOUSE OF RAMIREZ
