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| Immigrant entrepreneur: | Camila Pachon Silva |
| Company: | Capella Immigration Law |
| Place of birth: | Columbia |
| Employees: | 3 |
| Age started business: | 30 |
Show notes
Camila and her family had to escape the intense drug war that was happening in Columbia. In this episode she explains how her mom would put tape on the windows to prevent the windows from crashing down during a bomb explosion.
There was violence every single day, people would get robbed and you knew what part of town to avoid, what not to wear and do certain things to live your life. She tells me that it was the norm, you had to adapt to that way of life and continue going about your way.
After seeking asylum from the United States and going through the immigration process with her parents, she knew she wanted to become an immigration attorney.
Her journey to entrepreneurship is absolutely amazing and extremely touching.
Quotes by Camila
The ability to offer paid maternity leave is huge for me.
You have to find people that are passionate about the work that you do.
If you donât love what you do, I think things can get very messy.
Even if youâre someone that perhaps doesnât come from an entrepreneurial family, youâve never been in the business environment, trust your instinct.
The American dream means to me, is the ability to do what you want and make a living out of it, and really have the life you have imagined.
The beauty about this country is that you can have a really good living doing something that you love.
Where to find Camila
Capella Immigration Law, PLLC | LinkedIn
Links mentioned
Prospera provides a business model that was created by Hispanic entrepreneurs, for Hispanic entrepreneurs, and has proven to be effective since 1991.
Mi Familia Vota – nonprofit organization helping the Latino communities.
[read more] Alina Warrick (1s):
Welcome to the Immigrant Entrepreneurs Podcast, Episode 30. My name is Alina Warrick, and I’m super excited to chat with Camila Pachon Silva about her journey today. Camila and her family were forced to flee from Columbia because of the intense drug wars that were happening during that time. They were able to seek asylum from the United States, and to their amazement, they received it. As a 16-year-old helping out her parents with the immigration process, she saw first hand what the process look like. Her journey to immigration led a spark in her heart to become an immigration attorney.
Alina Warrick (46s):
She’s now operated her firm for a little over three years now. She’s a new mom and she’s doing a fabulous job out there. You’re going to absolutely love her journey, so let’s dive right in. All right. Camila, thank you so much for coming on to the Immigrant Entrepreneurs podcast. I truly appreciate your time, and I am really excited to hear all about your journey. How are you doing today?
Camila Pachon Silva (1m 13s):
I’m doing well, Alina. Thank you so much for having me.
Alina Warrick (1m 17s):
Let’s talk a little bit about your immigrant journey. Tell us, where are you from and when did you come to the United States?
Camila Pachon Silva (1m 24s):
Well, I’m originally from Bogota, Columbia. I’ve moved to the States with my immediate family back in 2001. I moved here with my parents and my younger brother.
Alina Warrick (1m 36s):
Why did your parents decide to move?
Camila Pachon Silva (1m 39s):
Well, around the time that I’ve moved to the States, my country was going through a very difficult time, a very violent time. My family, unfortunately, because of that same violence, was forced to flee. We came to the United States and we were able to seek asylum.
Alina Warrick (1m 55s):
Wow. What was that journey like?
Camila Pachon Silva (1m 58s):
I was very young. I was 16. I think a lot of immigrants will tell you that the journey makes you mature pretty fast. It makes you grow up very fast. I spoke a little bit of English and my parents spoke no English at all, so you become your parents’ main help. If Iâm going to the bank to open a bank account, to try and rent an apartment, it makes you grow up because you’d become your parents’ interpreter. At the same time, you have to help them navigate the system that to all of us was, of course, very foreign, but at least I spoke some English to be able to help him out a bit.
Alina Warrick (2m 38s):
What was it like seeking asylum in the United States?
Camila Pachon Silva (2m 41s):
It was stressful. I think it was that journey that helped me realize that this is what I wanted to do for a living. We were very lucky that a nonprofit organization helped us out. We were helped by Catholic charities, but interestingly enough, we had our asylum interview the day after September 11th. When we were driving to Miami for the asylum interview, 9/11 happened. We were actually playing music, and then when we got to Miami. My dad’s started playing the radio. Then we started hearing everything that was going on. Of course, all the sorrow, the panic of the moment.
Camila Pachon Silva (3m 23s):
We really thought this is it. This was the end of our journey. We didn’t even think they were going to take us in or even hold the interview, but they did, which is until today, still surprising to me that the government office was still open. We had our interview and thankfully we were granted asylum. It was a very stressful time, but again, it was that journey that helped me realize that this is what I wanted to do for a living.
Alina Warrick (3m 49s):
What was it like growing up in Columbia?
Camila Pachon Silva (3m 52s):
It was fun. I have a big family. I have a lot of cousins, and uncles, and aunts, and grandparents. Of course, when you grew up in that environment, you just learn how to deal with everyday violence, with everyday security. I remember growing up, for example, it was the time of Pablo Escobar and the bombs. You still live your life. I remember, for example, during the time where the cartels were putting the bombs in Columbia at the time, the city where I grew up. My mom decided to put tape on the windows, in case, because of the bombs, the glass was to shatter.
Camila Pachon Silva (4m 33s):
She would put tapes on the windows so in case there was a bomb and the glass shatter, that the glass wouldnât go all over the place. We would still go to school. We would still go to work. At school, they would make us plan in case of a bomb, but you still live your life. You just learn how to deal with it. I remember when we would go to the malls, they would have sniffing dogs. Security would check the cars underneath to make sure that there were no bombs, but again, that becomes part of your daily life. You still have to go on. You still have to go to school and meet your responsibilities. I have to say that I had a very good childhood. I had a very good upbringing.
Camila Pachon Silva (5m 15s):
There is a lot of difference between my country and the United States, but it’s a very close, tight community. You grow up among family and friends. It’s a very family-oriented culture. I would see my extended family every weekend. We would meet at Sunday lunch and we would all get together. My uncle and aunt lived a couple of blocks away. I would go and ride my bike to see my cousins every day. That was one of the most shocking parts of leaving our country and coming to the United States. It was how isolated it felt at the beginning. I think, although of course, it’s still a very family-oriented country, itâs not as open, I would say.
Camila Pachon Silva (5m 56s):
I think that was one of the first shockers. It was to see how alone it felt. When we first moved here, I would ask my parents, âWhere are all the people?â You wouldn’t see people on the street. That to me was just so surprising. Now I know that because of the heat, everyone just stays inside. Itâs so hot, but I was just used to seeing people in the street, and we didn’t see that when we moved here.
Alina Warrick (6m 22s):
You practically grew up in a pretty high-risk environment. Just bombs and just knowing at the back of your head that this is all going on, but you mentioned that you just had to live your life. That to me is pretty crazy.
Camila Pachon Silva (6m 36s):
Yes, it is. Now that I look back on it, it is. The insecurity, yes. I remember, for example, there was a time in Bogota where there were different ways where people would rob you. You just have to be very aware of your belongings, wear your purse on the front. You just learned how to do deal with it. That becomes the reality and it becomes your everyday life. You know not to wear certain things, not to go into a certain part of town, but it doesn’t seem odd when you live in that environment and you grew up in that environment.
Alina Warrick (7m 11s):
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. Tell me a little bit about the struggles that you had to go through when you first immigrated. I know you mentioned a few, but tell me a little bit more about that.
Camila Pachon Silva (7m 22s):
Well, for me, I was 16 years old. In Columbia, we don’t have separate schools for elementary, middle school, and high school. You go to school with the same people from age five until you graduated.
Alina Warrick (7m 35s):
No way.
Camila Pachon Silva (7m 36s):
Yes, so for me was to leave all of that, all my friends and family, and to know that we didn’t know when we were going to see them again. We couldnât go back. That was the hardest part. Then, adapting to a whole new culture, especially because, of course, I didn’t want to be here. To get adapted to a new country and make new friends, explain to people where I came from. When I move to the States, I moved to a small town called Largo, by Clearwater. There was only one other Hispanic girl that I knew. Thereâs probably more but in my class, there was only one other Hispanic girl. It was a small town, so I would think that it wasn’t very diverse.
Camila Pachon Silva (8m 20s):
They had a lot of questions about where I came from. The kids would ask me if I used to live in a house or did I used to live on a tree.
Alina Warrick (8m 31s):
What?
Camila Pachon Silva (8m 32s):
Yes, and if we had cars in Columbia or I got here on a boat.
Alina Warrick (8m 38s):
Oh, my goodness.
Camila Pachon Silva (8m 40s):
I don’t think it’s cruel they say those things. They just don’t know. They just don’t know about any other country and what itâs actually like. In the beginning, I was very offended by those questions. Columbiaâs fame is about drugs. A lot of people would ask me about drugs and whether I sold drugs, or one of my family sell drugs. That was difficult at the beginning, having to deal with all of that. Then, helping my parents because a lot of the things you take for granted, for example, just having credit in order to rent an apartment, or learning to get around and trying to find a job when you don’t have a network of people to help you out.
Camila Pachon Silva (9m 24s):
It can be very difficult. Going through that process with my parents was very hard, but I’m grateful that we went through all of that. I think it made us grow closer as a family.
Alina Warrick (9m 36s):
Yes, that 16 you all of a sudden became 21 overnight.
Camila Pachon Silva (9m 41s):
Exactly, yes. I had to help my parents with everything but we were lucky when we came to an apartment. We were having a very hard time finding somebody to rent an apartment because my parents didnât have a job in the States. They spoke very little English. They didn’t have a credit history. We found this Canadian couple, that to this day, I am so thankful that they decided, through the goodness of their heart, they trusted to rent an apartment to my parents. They were so kind. That first Christmas we had here in the States, they bought us presents. They bought a little Christmas tree for us.
Camila Pachon Silva (10m 22s):
Every year, they would do that for us. I really hope, I wish they are there right now because they really made a difference in our lives.
Alina Warrick (10m 31s):
They helped you out to get in an apartment?
Camila Pachon Silva (10m 33s):
Yes, they actually owned the apartment, but nobody wanted to rent to us because we didn’t have a credit history or an employment history. They decided to just go on a limb and rent the apartment to us. They helped us out in terms of not asking for the first and last month. They just asked us for a small security deposit and that was it.
Alina Warrick (10m 57s):
Wow. That’s so nice of them. What type of jobs did your parents take?
Camila Pachon Silva (11m 1s):
Well, my mom is a dentist in Columbia and my father was a business owner, but of course, neither one of them spoke English. My dad spoke very little English, but my mom spoke no English. When we first moved here, my dad just found odd jobs. He worked everywhere, from a carwash to a restaurant. My mom first found a job at a rental car place. She was there for some time. Eventually, she was able to get some of the credits from her degree in Columbia County. She was able to get a title as a dental assistant. She worked, for many years, as a dental assistant for the Florida health department.
Camila Pachon Silva (11m 44s):
She actually just retired and she’s helping me out with my baby.
Alina Warrick (11m 49s):
Good, perfect timing. Camila, before you to tell our listeners about your company, tell me a little bit about the path you took. I’m interested to see if you went into any other fields before starting your business.
Camila Pachon Silva (12m 5s):
Well, I knew from that experience I wanted to practice immigration law and I wanted to somehow pay it forward. My dream was to work for a nonprofit organization like Catholic charities sent to help other immigrant families come to the United States and start a life here. I went to law school. When I first graduated, I couldn’t get a job in a nonprofit so I took a job with a private firm here in Orlando, practicing immigration law. We also practiced family law, but I learned very quickly that that was not the field for me. I didn’t really enjoy it. I was there for approximately almost three years, and then a position opened up at the local legal aid office.
Camila Pachon Silva (12m 49s):
I took that position and I was with them for another three years. I loved the job. Iâm still very close to my legal aid family. As a matter of fact, I’m now on the board of Legal Aid, but then the issue with Legal Aid was that since they work based on funding, they really limit the types of cases that you’re able to take. After a while, I guess, it started getting a little bit repetitive. I wanted to do, for instance, deportation work, but the number of hours that you put into a deportation case, you can do several cases, for example, for victims of domestic violence. Legal Aid was not able to do deportation cases.
Camila Pachon Silva (13m 30s):
I decided to go off on my own at that point. There was a leap of faith because I came from a nonprofit. I didn’t really have a book of business. I was single at the time so I have to make it.
Alina Warrick (13m 45s):
There was no plan B.
Camila Pachon Silva (13m 46s):
I decided to take the jump. My business, I originally started it with two business partners. We know what we wanted to do. We wanted to have a law firm that exclusively concentrated on immigration law. After some years with them, we decided to go our separate ways. I started my firm business completely on my own. It’s going to be three years ago now, well, a little bit over three years now.
Alina Warrick (14m 15s):
Wow, that’s amazing. Thank you so much for sharing that journey. I have a few follow up questions for you. How old were you when you first started that immigration firm with the partners?
Camila Pachon Silva (14m 25s):
I was 30.
Alina Warrick (14m 26s):
Then a couple of years later, you started on your own?
Camila Pachon Silva (14m 29s):
Yes.
Alina Warrick (14m 30s):
You must have been like 33?
Camila Pachon Silva (14m 32s):
Yes.
Alina Warrick (14m 33s):
Okay, got it. Tell me a little bit about your education. Out of high school, did you go and get your GD right away or did you take some time?
Camila Pachon Silva (14m 44s):
No. After high school, I started with my bachelorâs, but I knew I wanted to go to law school. For my bachelor’s, I did Political Science and International Studies. I went here in Orlando, to the University of Central Florida. Then I graduated and I got into law school at the University of Florida where I got my GD.
Alina Warrick (15m 4s):
Got it. Right after that, you just shared all the experience that provided you to that journey for Capella Immigration, right?
Camila Pachon Silva (15m 13s):
Yes, that’s right.
Alina Warrick (15m 13s):
Okay, got it. I just wanted to put all the pieces together. Tell me a little bit more about Capella Immigration. What cases do you guys mainly focus on? What is the main focus and what do you guys practice?
Camila Pachon Silva (15m 27s):
We practice immigration law exclusively. We do all kinds of immigration cases. We do everything from family petitions, citizenship cases, deportation defense. We are also doing visitor visas. We do employment visas, work visas. We handle, again, exclusively immigration law, but everything within immigration. I really try to have that connection with immigrants so every single person on my staff has an immigrant connection. My associate is from Jamaica. My receptionist is from Ecuador. My paralegal was born in the United States, but her parents are Cuban and Ecuadorian.
Camila Pachon Silva (16m 12s):
I think it does make a difference when you have gone through the process or when you have close family members that have gone through the process. It helps you relate with the clients. If you know what they’re going through, and how stressful it is, and the difference that you’re really making in people’s lives, I think it makes you that much better at your job.
Alina Warrick (16m 33s):
All of the listeners that are listening to you are immigrants. This is definitely going to resonate with them. I wanted to ask you. Why does it take so long for the United States to process immigration papers and get it all finalized? I tell you. I came here when I was four so I can’t resonate with the process because my parents did that but I hear people. It takes over 10 years. I’m reading through news articles. Some people just give up and moved to Canada. Why is it forever and such a brutal process?
Camila Pachon Silva (17m 13s):
It is. The worst part is that it’s only getting worse. Under the current administration, we have seen the backlogs triple. Cases that before the current administration would take a year, are taken a year and a half, two years. The immigration system in the United States, itâs broken. There’s just no other way around it. The red tape around it. How difficult it is, how complicated it is. We’re losing talented people. Just to give you an example, thankfully, things are changing for them, but for the dreamers, these are people that were brought to the United States as kids. A lot of them are professionals and business owners, are people that have no other country than the United States.
Camila Pachon Silva (17m 57s):
They have been educated in the United States. Because of their current immigration status, they don’t have a way of getting a legal, permanent residence and really moving forward in their career, in their professions. Even then, are starting businesses or are crucial employees for very important multi-national companies. We’re losing them. There is some of this movement for dreamers to actually go to Canada, as you mentioned, because they are welcome there, which is a shame. I don’t want to get political, but I’m hoping that things will be different starting next year because the immigrant community has really suffered the last four years.
Alina Warrick (18m 40s):
Yes, I feel so passionate about immigrants. As you said, they are so talented. They come from amazing families. They come here educated. I hear them saying, âWell, through the process, I wasn’t able to work.â People are following the law. People are following the rules and theyâre clearly just sitting home, not able to take a paycheck for the dream of living in the United States, for the dream of just being here in a country of freedom. Then they are stuck and it is a brutal process. To me, I feel like your work is so powerful.
Alina Warrick (19m 21s):
That’s amazing that you guys are taking these cases and turning the lives around for all of these immigrants. Thank you. Thank you so much for what you do. Are you guys nationwide? Do you guys take it if someone calls from Sacramento and says, âI need help, will you guys take us?â
Camila Pachon Silva (19m 38s):
Yes, we do. Immigration law is a federal law so it’s the same thing nationwide. We do have cases from different parts of the country. We do take cases from all over the country. Most of the time, the way it happens is, is that people retain us here and then they end up moving somewhere else. For the employment-based cases, for example, when a company here in the United States want to sponsor an immigrant, those cases we’ve had some companies out of state that want to go through the process. Now with technology, we can really do anything. It’s as if we have the person here in town. With a video conference, and email, and signing, itâs really easy.
Alina Warrick (20m 20s):
Yes, awesome. What is it like to sponsor an immigrant?
Camila Pachon Silva (20m 24s):
It’s a very long, complicated process.
Alina Warrick (20m 27s):
Yes, in two words.
Camila Pachon Silva (20m 31s):
It’s a process where the company has to show that they have a need for somebody with specific education or experience and they haven’t been able to find somebody with those qualifications from those permanent residents or US citizens, and thatâs why they need the immigrant. The process is made out to protect the American worker, to make sure that jobs are not being taken away from the American worker. The company needs to show that they actually did recruitment. We have to put ads in the newspaper, online, and the radio, and show them that the company, in good faith, tried and they couldn’t get any suitable applicants. That’s why they need an immigrant.
Camila Pachon Silva (21m 12s):
It’s a complicated process, but we’ve done so many cases. Youâd be surprised that there are companies that need various specific experience. There are just not that many people out there that can meet those requirements. That’s why the company has to pay for all this money because it’s an expensive process. It’s a complicated process. They’re willing to do that because these are crucial people for their businesses. Without them, the company would really suffer.
Alina Warrick (21m 40s):
Again, so much red tape. Why can’t it be easy? Oh, my goodness. Anything with immigration, itâs just going to take a while. What about couples? If a couple just wants to sponsor someone out of the goodness of their heart, can they do that or does it have to be through a company?
Camila Pachon Silva (21m 56s):
Well, the immigrants in some of the United States is based on family relationships. The majority of people who immigrated to this country are based on a family member, but there are so many certain family members that you’re able to sponsor. You’re only allowed to sponsor as a citizen, your parents, your spouse, your children, and that’s it. There’s a different category depending on whether you are sponsoring a minor child or an adult child who is married. If you are sponsoring an adult son or daughter who is married, it’s going to take years. That’s the beauty of this country. There are so many people that want to be here, that want to move to this country.
Camila Pachon Silva (22m 41s):
As you mentioned, there are people that wait for decades outside of the United States for their turn to be able to come to the United States. Then there are a lot of people that there’s just no avenue for them. You hear a lot in the news, people who don’t really understand that say, âWell, why can’t they just get in line?â For a lot of them, there is no line. There is no way of lawfully immigrating to this country. That’s why, amongst many other reasons, why we have unlawful immigration to the United States, because there are just not that many ways to come to the United States lawfully.
Alina Warrick (23m 20s):
Oh my goodness, I can talk to you about this forever. I just wanted to say one more thing and then we’re going to move on. I remember my parents were telling me about some of the stories that they would hear from their family members about immigration processing back in Russia. Back in Russia. I guess if a family would say, âOkay, we’re going to try to go get our papers in Moscow.â It only had happened in Moscow so families would sell all their stuff, packed two suitcases, and go to Moscow to get some papers. If they were approved, they were on the next flight out to America. They just never knew if they were going to be accepted or not, but all they had was just two suitcases with them.
Camila Pachon Silva (24m 2s):
Yes. and it still happens to this day, which is so sad. There are people that go to the embassy and you suggest to them, of course, don’t sell anything. Donât make any plans until you have that visa in your hands, but many people have such high expectations. They have been waiting for so long that they still have to make plans. After waiting years, they get their cases denied. A lot of it is, unfortunately, because of recent changes. The officers just have so much discretion so you can prepare for the best possible case and have all of the evidence ready, but the bottom line is that the officer has the discretion.
Camila Pachon Silva (24m 43s):
For example, they have this new rule, called a public charge rule, that we have to show to the government that you’re not going to be a burden to the United States. They have some factors, but the officers are supposed to weigh those factors and make a decision, whether they think that person would ever become a burden to the United States in the future or not. An officer may think that this person may have this health condition, and in their opinion, they will be a burden. The officer next to him may think completely differently. They have so much power that it’s very frustrating.
Alina Warrick (25m 21s):
Yes, I totally agree. I am with you. I hope it gets a lot better. Camila, how long did it take for your business to start seeing some real traction in the beginning stages?
Camila Pachon Silva (25m 33s):
I was very lucky, Alina. I didnât want to take out loans to serve my business because I had a lot of student debt. I have to pay for my law school on my own. I still have a little bit of debt from undergrad. I had over a hundred thousand dollars in debt. Interest rates were crazy. I just did not want to go into debt any further so I honestly started with very small capital. Itâs just my computer and myself. Of course, I didn’t have any support staff. The way that I started my business or the way that I started getting traction for my business is I was very community-oriented.
Camila Pachon Silva (26m 13s):
I came in, as I mentioned, from a nonprofit background. I was very used to doing community events, community presentations, and working with the nonprofits here in town. I’ve just continued doing the same thing. I started doing a lot of volunteering work, a lot of presentations at churches, and different community events. I would offer free consultations. I would also volunteer with different organizations. For example, there is an organization called Mi Familia Vota and they do citizenship clinics, so I would attend these clinics. I would help people fill out their citizenship paperwork. Whenever they became citizens and they wanted to sponsor a family member, they would remember me and then would call my office.
Camila Pachon Silva (26m 60s):
That was how I started, just word of mouth because honestly, I did not have a budget to do marketing. It was just word of mouth. The immigrant community is a very close community and they started talking. Today, the majority of my cases are based on referrals from prior clients.
Alina Warrick (27m 21s):
Wow. You really had to get out there, do some volunteer work, and build those relationships. That’s awesome. Camila, did you have any mentors that helped you out to start your business?
Camila Pachon Silva (27m 33s):
Yes. I had my husband now. We were not together back then. I just knew him. He was a business owner and he really pushed me. He said, âYes, you can do it.â Itâs not easy, but itâs not that hard.â My dad was a business owner but in Columbia, not here. I didn’t understand anything from incorporating or taxes. That seems so foreign to me. To this day, thatâs always been the hardest part of the job. The administrative part and the managing part has always been the hardest aspect of owning a business. I also was very lucky to get help from a local organization.
Camila Pachon Silva (28m 14s):
Back then, it was called the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund. It is now called Prospera, which gives grants to Hispanic immigrants or just Hispanic background, people who are interested in starting their own businesses. You go in and they give you the different grants depending on where you’re at. They gave us a grant, for example, for marketing. They helped us create a logo. They helped us create a website, a very basic website. They helped us learn how to do Quickbooks, and those beginning steps you really need to have to be able to start a business. They were instrumental for us. After that, then you just start growing and taking more classes, and seminars, and stuff, and trying to get more organized to be able to grow your business.
Alina Warrick (29m 4s):
What was that organization called again?
Camila Pachon Silva (29m 6s):
It’s HBIF. It’s Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, and then they changed their name and it’s now called Prospera, just to prosper in Spanish.
Alina Warrick (29m 17s):
Wow, fabulous. Do they just serve the local community in Florida?
Camila Pachon Silva (29m 22s):
Yes, they do. I know they have different offices throughout Florida, but I think it’s only a Florida organization.
Alina Warrick (29m 31s):
Awesome. Well, that’s really amazing that you found them and they were able to help you out. That’s awesome. Looking back at your immigrant entrepreneur career and knowing what you know now, would you want to change anything or do anything differently?
Camila Pachon Silva (29m 49s):
I would tell people to trust your instincts in terms of the staff that you have. For me, it was very important to have a good work environment because in the past, I’ve had environments I didn’t feel comfortable in. Unfortunately, the law firm environment can be a very stressful place to work. I knew from the beginning, I didn’t want that. I wanted to be happy when I go to work but I also wanted my people to be happy. For me, one of the hardest parts has been finding the right people to be on the bus with you. It’s not only about work ethic, but I think it’s a lot about personalities.
Camila Pachon Silva (30m 33s):
It’s a lot about the way you see the future. You have to find people that are passionate about the work that you do because it’s still going to be stressful. The last four years have been very stressful for immigration practitioners. If you don’t love what you do, I think things can get very messy. I had situations in which I kept on people that perhaps we’re not a good suit for the job because I don’t like confrontation. The thought of having to let somebody go was just too much for me, but I knew from the beginning, for certain people, that they were not the right fit.
Camila Pachon Silva (31m 14s):
If I were to trust my instinct, if I would have acted upon that from the beginning, it would have saved me a lot of headaches. Even though you’re somebody that perhaps doesnât come from an entrepreneur family, you’ve never been in the business environment before, I would say, trust your instinct. Trust that gut because many times you are going to be right. For me, it took a long time to really trust myself, to feel comfortable in my own skin, and to just know that I know what I’m doing, and I’m doing what I think is best for my business.
Alina Warrick (31m 47s):
Such powerful advice, thank you. Thank you so much. Letâs talk a little bit about successes. Are there any successes that you would like to outline from your immigrant entrepreneur journey?
Camila Pachon Silva (31m 58s):
For me, first of all, I had it when my associate became pregnant. It’s going to be two years now, but the ability to offer paid maternity leave was huge for me because I know I wanted to do that. I was able to do that and it felt great because now that I became a mom, the ability for me to step away from my business and be able to enjoy those first couple of months with my baby, knowing that I have a structure in place. I have the right people at work that I can count on them. I know that my business will continue running and that itâs going to be successful. I can still have that work-life balance.
Camila Pachon Silva (32m 38s):
It’s not easy. I was very nervous to set back because I can be a control freak. To be able to step back and to know that it’s going to be okay. After that first couple of weeks, I saw that everything is fine, the business is running and the clients are happy. It really allowed me to take that time with my baby. To me, that was a great success.
Alina Warrick (33m 3s):
Yes, and providing paid maternity leave. That’s amazing. Thank you for doing that. Camila, what’s next for you? What are some business goals for the next couple of years?
Camila Pachon Silva (33m 16s):
Well, like any other business, we still were pretty affected by COVID. We saw a significant decrease in business. We had to change the way we were doing business. We had to move to an all-digital platform. Some of our clients, as I said, I handle all types of cases – from investors, people who have extraordinary abilities, to farmworkers. A lot of them just don’t have the resources. They are not very tech-savvy and it has been very difficult for them. Of course, that has affected the business. Now, I want to concentrate on revamping the business and trying to get on this new COVID time and finding new ways to generate more business, to keep growing under the current environment.
Camila Pachon Silva (34m 7s):
As I mentioned, to me, the best way to market has been getting out in the community, doing presentations, doing events. Now, with COVID, we can’t really do that. I’ve been trying to find other ways to keep growing the business, started to grow that process online. I want to start using social media a little bit more, as a way of replacing that contact with the community, and try to do that through social media.
Alina Warrick (34m 36s):
Camila, what does the American dream mean to you?
Camila Pachon Silva (34m 40s):
The American dream means, to me, the ability to do what you want and make a living out of it, and really have the life that you have imagined. I think the beauty of this country is that you can have a very good living doing something that you love. I come from a country where there are many times in order to be successful, you had to follow a certain path. You have to be a doctor and be a professional in certain areas. Although, I’m a lawyer, and traditionally, people think of lawyers as people with money. For some people in my business, when I started, I had so many attorneys who saw me said, âThereâs no way you’re going to survive only practicing immigration law.
Camila Pachon Silva (35m 25s):
Immigration law is not a field that is going to generate a lot of money. You need to start doing personal injury or another type of law that will generate revenue so you can actually do what you like on the side.â I have found that that’s not the case. That’s the beauty of this country. If you’re passionate about something, you can really make a living out of it. You can have that dream job. You can really enjoy what you do and have a good LinkedIn.
Alina Warrick (35m 53s):
There are so many immigrants that are looking for help. You are definitely changing the world with that, so keep it up. Keep up the really good work.
Camila Pachon Silva (35m 53s):
Thank you.
Alina Warrick (35m 53s):
I want to wrap up with some super fast questions if that’s okay with you.
Camila Pachon Silva (35m 53s):
Yes.
Alina Warrick (36m 12s):
What time do you normally start your day?
Camila Pachon Silva (36m 33s):
Iâd say it has changed now with the baby. I am now very early. Now, with a baby, I am usually up by five because I try to feed her and get her ready before I have to go to work. At the same time, I worked five minutes away from my house so I’m able to come home and feed her during my lunch break, and then go back to work.
Alina Warrick (36m 38s):
Nice, that’s so convenient for you. How many employees do you have?
Camila Pachon Silva (36m 39s):
I have three employees.
Alina Warrick (36m 44s):
How often do you watch TV in a week?
Camila Pachon Silva (37m 2s):
Now, with the baby, it’s in between never. I have my guilty pleasures that I watch with my husband. For example, right now, we are watching that British baking show. That is my guilty pleasure. We try to watch it every other day.
Alina Warrick (37m 8s):
Love it. The last one is how many hours of work do you normally put in, say, in a week?
Camila Pachon Silva (37m 35s):
Again, with the baby, everything has changed. Before the baby, I can tell you that I was putting 60 to 70 hours a week. I really concentrated on doing that hard work before the baby was here so now I could have a little bit of a work-life balance. Right now, I can tell you that I’m working for 40 hours. I’m really trying to stick to those 40 hours because my baby really needs me at this stage.
Alina Warrick (38m 1s):
Yes, so important. Awesome. Well, Camila, thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the Immigrant Entrepreneurs podcast. What you’re doing out there is powerful. Itâs amazing and it’s transforming the lives of immigrants. Thank you for the work that you do. I truly wish you all the best of luck and best of successes. Thank you again for coming to my show. I hope to connect with you in the future.
Camila Pachon Silva (38m 6s):
Yes, Alina. Thank you so much for having me. This has been great.
Alina Warrick (38m 42s):
All right, guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. If there are any links that were mentioned in this episode, make sure to check them out on my website under this episode to find all the links conveniently located in the show notes. I just wanted to ask for a quick favor. If you could please leave a rating wherever you’re at listening to this podcast. Also, if you’re an immigrant entrepreneur and would love to be on my podcast, please email me and weâll get connected. I’ll see you guys next time for another exciting and impactful episode. Take care. [/read]
