Local Hispanic-Owned Business Finds Comfort, Balance, in Indy Chamber Resources

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Last September, Hispanic designers Firany Marmol-Briceno and Marco Ladron de Guevara formed LG + Marmolé, LLC – a new Indianapolis-based international and bicultural urban and interior design firm. 

The two discovered that starting a design firm can be a challenge for anyone, but according to Firany, there are additional obstacles she faced as a female business owner. For Firany, she had to find a way to “break out of the residential and interiors game while finding some semblance of a work-family balance in a profession that frequently demands a 60-hour work week.”

While Firany and her partner are focused on bringing a new perspective to the Indiana design scene through innovative, simple, creative, elegant designs, she found it challenging to combine the demands of the work with family and volunteer work. Work-life balance is a goal of both of the partners. They are committed to the responsibilities essential to their business and to their families. Firany believes finding ways to devote time to both is key to truly achieving that elusive work-life balance.

Firany andMarco are getting help from a Business Coach and through resources offered through the Indy Chamber and the Hispanic Business Council (HBC). They connected with the Indy Chamber in the early stages of their business development. Gustavo Escalante, executive director for the Hispanic Business Council, has been instrumental in the successful start-up of their company, including providing one-on-one, personalized business coaching through Business Ownership Initiative (BOI), a program of the Indy Chamber.

BOI provides one-on-one, personalized business coaching free of charge. For LG + Marmolé, this tool has helped them determine where LG + Marmolé is and where – and what they want the company to be in the future. Support from The Clowes Fund allows BOI to provide business coaching in Spanish, which is important to Firany. “Even though we speak English, it is always more comfortable to speak in our native language,” shared Firany.

Firany and Marco take full advantage of the many opportunities offered through the Indy Chamber including attending many of the networking events. They are actively involved with the HBC and have an incredibly successful relationship with the Executive Director and Business Coach, Gustavo Escalante.

Any self-doubt Firany and Marco may have faced when starting their own business have been overcome through support from their Coach who has encouraged them throughout each stage or their business development. Six months after establishing LG + Marmolé, the two business owners are well on their way to achieving their dreams of effectively running Indy’s newest design firm.