Call Summary: Spanish Business Strategy, Talent Agency Vision, and Leaving Special Ed

Overview

Strategic session with Tamara as she transitions out of her special education substitute position back to independent Spanish/English teaching. Gary helped her think bigger about positioning herself as a cultural strategist for talent agencies and celebrities wanting to reach Latin American markets. Tamara shared she just got a manager for brand deals and received her first paid public speaking engagement. Discussion ranged from education system critique to geopolitical opportunities (Venezuela) to philosophy on addiction and self-love.

Key Topics Discussed

Leaving Special Education Position

• Decision: Definitively leaving the substitute special education role
• Frustration: Lack of compassion from staff - "It is what it is" to crying parents about their children's learning disabilities
• Personal Connection: Nephew is special needs, made her take it personally
• Insight Gained: "It helped me understand better, like, to have more empathy for my brother... I understand his frustration with the school system now"
• System Assessment: "The plans are designed to create the best situation for the kids... the intentions are good, it's just because people are involved, the system is always going to be a little bit flawed"
• Simplification Needed: "It could be simplified and more effective. The simpler, the better."

Return to Entrepreneurial Spanish Teaching

• Previous Success: Was making $10k/month on her own without overhead or degree
• New Clients: Just got a group of clients this week
• Philosophy: "I'd rather just do my own thing and not have to deal with listening to other people"
• Intrinsic Motivation Preference: "I prefer to work with people that have intrinsic motivation" - adults who seek out and pay for lessons vs. obligated students

New Manager for Brand Deals

• Timing: Got manager "yesterday" (January 6)
• Process: Interviewed two people, both young but savvy about brands and conversion rates
• Mindset Shift: Previously felt influencer work had stigma; now recognizing she should capitalize more
• Services: Manager also doing website redesign
• First Client via Manager: Kappa fraternity local chapter wants group training before a trip abroad

First Paid Public Speaking Event

• Amount: $5 for 10 minutes of poetry
• Venue: Up Stage Comedy
• Milestone: "That was a big feat, because before they would be like, 'you're privileged to be on the stage'"
• Previous Pattern: Would perform unpaid while others got paid

Gary's Talent Agency Strategy

• Core Insight: Position yourself as essential for talent/artists wanting to reach Latin American markets
• Bad Bunny Super Bowl Example: Western marketers recognizing Latin America as important market
• Justin Bieber Despacito Reference: Reaching demographics that don't speak English
• Value Proposition: Not just Spanish, but cultural understanding - "This is why you say it this way, but these are also other things that come into effective engagement"
• Strategic Role: Almost like a "Spanish coach" plus cultural strategist for interviews, local news appearances, viral moments
• Network Asset: Tamara has connections overseas that could facilitate expansion

Venezuela Geopolitical Opportunity

• Gary's Update: "We just conquered Venezuela... we basically took over Venezuela. That's the TLDR."
• Suggestion: Could be opportunity to return to military translation work
• Tamara's Response: Skeptical - doesn't want to go back to government intel work
• Past Experience: 13 years military, worked for government intel in Texas vs Maryland (preferred Maryland)
• Concern: "You have to be invested... it doesn't really have much to have your own creative interests"

Philosophy on Addiction and Self-Love

• Tamara's Framework: "Anything that we do that's harmful to ourselves will stop when we've had enough... comes from a lack of self-love and purpose"
• Root Cause: "Guilt, shame... that you think you don't deserve better"
• Application: Whether drugs, relationships, or other patterns - "We inflict things upon ourselves in order to punish ourselves"
• Breaking Cycles: "People have to see different and then truly believe that they deserve better"

Why Leaving the School

• Mediocrity Concern: "I feel like everybody's happy with being mediocre. Like, not arriving at their full potential."
• Environmental Influence: "If we come in this environment every day and all we see is this, it's gonna become more difficult for us to see outside of this"
• Comparison: "My high school is better than this" - worker got mad but Tamara sees room for growth
• Texas vs Elsewhere: "Since I came from somewhere else, I know that this doesn't have to be the reality"

Vision for Spanish Teaching Business

• Hybrid Model: Online and in-person training
• Event-Based Learning: Partner with restaurants/clubs for immersive experiences
• Psychology: "We associate... we're gonna remember the lessons that we learn during good times"
• Win-Win: Restaurant gets customers, students get memorable learning environment
• Poetry Scene Connection: Already connected to clubs and restaurants in San Antonio

Personality and Human Value in AI Age

• Gary's Observation: "Human personality is... the value of it is going up in the age of AI"
• Education Apps Proliferation: Countless apps, but people still want personal connection
• Tamara's Differentiators: Skill level, accent authenticity, Caribbean Spanish knowledge, cultural diversity, demographic relatability (Black people wanting to learn from someone who's been to Puerto Rico, DR)

Key Quotes

On Special Ed System:

"I'm like, you have to be a little bit more compassionate when you're telling somebody's parent that their child is special needs... Today in the meeting, they're like, 'it is what it is.' I was like, Mom's crying 'cause their son can't read."

On Entrepreneurial Freedom:

"The more that I try to pour into other people's visions, I keep getting pushback. So I'm like, I'd rather just do my own thing."

On Intrinsic Motivation:

"Kids are obligated to go to school, so a majority of the people that I would work with in the past, they're coming because they have some type of motivation already... They're spending money 'cause there's no certificate or anything."

On Addiction and Self-Love:

"Anything that we do that's harmful to ourselves will stop when we've had enough... comes from a lack of self-love and purpose... We inflict things upon ourselves in order to punish ourselves, because we're not happy with who we are as people."

On Leaving Mediocre Environments:

"Even though I do believe that you can be a light in a dark place, I think over time, if all you see is this... it's gonna become more difficult for us to see outside of this."

On Entertainment and Influence:

"Donald Trump was entertainment. And then he went into political... I think entertainment's how you influence people."

Context Notes

• They were trying to charge Tamara's laptop to access her resume
• Charging port issues with outlet
• Gary attended church that day, brought guests who prayed for addiction
• Recording was a "voice recording" session

Action Items / Takeaways

• Tamara to work with new manager on brand deals and website
• Consider positioning as cultural strategist for talent agencies (Gary's suggestion)
• Focus on Spanish teaching as the God-given gift
• Explore combining Spanish lessons with social/restaurant events
• Gary to potentially help think through geopolitical opportunities
• Tamara definitively moving away from substitute teaching back to independent work