Meet Betty Martinez | CEO & Creative Director of Beamina

We had the good fortune of connecting with Betty Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Betty, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I would love to take a minute to let you know a little bit about us… Both my parents and two of my sisters were born in Cuba; but I was born in Puerto Rico. They fled Cuba when they realized that Communism had taken over. As you can imagine, it wasn’t easy to exile. My father was interested in coming to Puerto Rico because at some point he had heard that they spoke Spanish (the only language he knew). Once in Puerto Rico (I will spare the details of his departure from Cuba), he found himself with nothing. No money, no house, no family. He only had the motivation to bring the rest of his family from Cuba and provide just enough to at least get them out of poverty. He started his new life by selling cookies. From selling cookies to raising 4 daughters, supporting a stay at home wife and her mother, he lived a life guided by the desire to look after his family and this has taught us kind of energy that is needed to really look out for the wellness of a family. Those lessons deeply marked our upbringing.

Our grandmother, who lived with us since I was born, was a very talented seamstress. My sisters and I grew up amongst fabrics, lace, bows…

In 2015, I lost my job and it was one of the hardest times in my life. I didn’t know how we would be able to pay the bills, the house, the school. But life gave me the best gift… the words that opened up a whole new world of opportunities in my heart. My daughter Paulina, at the time was 8 years old and had been spending her time making small handbags out of paper. As she grew up, she continued to show interest in sewing and eventually began sewing bags. When I lost my job, Paulina insisted that we make her passion into a business. One day she wrote me a book (which I hope one day I can share with you) that said: when there is a storm, we don’t see the stars, but they are always there. At such a young age, Paulina taught me that there were opportunities even in the hardest, darkest times.

Similar to the energy that my father had, I have found myself subconsciously mimicking his drive and relentlessness. I have seen for myself how talents are in fact inherited. I inherited my father’s focus and Paulina inherited my grandmother’s love for fabrics, laces, and creating beautiful pieces. Both of us together have created this brand with all of the love we have in our hearts and all we want is to share it with as many people as we can.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Becoming a warrior … that’s how I will describe it. I have had the chance to work in the Outdoor Media Industry for more than 20 years. In December of 2015 I lost my job because the company that I used to work was sold. At that moment I felt the incompleteness and the uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happened. It was a very sad and difficult moment for me and for the family. Not knowing… is one of the most difficult feelings a human being can feel. At that moment I was very sad crying in the patio of my house when I saw my daughter looking at me through the glass door. I felt embarrassed that my daughter Paulina could see me so vulnerable. Once I entered back to my house to talk to her and tell her not to worry about me she gave me a book she made by computer paper and crayola. In that book she draw thunderstorms and stars and wrote : “mom, those thunderstorms that you are seeing… are stars and you don’t want to see them”. I couldn’t believe that my daughter of 8 years old at that time was teaching her mom that even in the storms there are stars… and we only need to be open to find them. This was a breakthrough moment that Paulina made me realized that life is full of opportunities . And then she proposed : “Mom lets do the bag line… she was making bags since she was 4 years old”. and all is history… Beamina, was created. Through the process I had like 5 jobs at the same time to be able to fund the brand… working in the outdoor media industry again, working as real estate broker, helping developing the strategy of a main hospital and relocating medical faculty, being a consultant to others designers and creating events. I did everything that I had to … to be able to create the brand meanwhile I was working to fund the development of a meaningful fashion brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would bring back my best friend Mariezer. She is one of our angels… she was the best friend a person can have. She was the best cheerleader of Beamina… one of the persons that believed in the brand since the first day and was with us in the vision of creating a global brand. She unfortunately is not with us, she had breast cancer. But if I could … I would go with her to: 1- First we will go few days to the Amalfi Coast and drink wine watching the amazing breathtaking view of the Italian Coast
2-and to finalize our trip I will take her to the dessert Sahara in Morocco

All surrounded by natural beauty, enjoying outdoors funs activities, top-notch dining …

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate this shoutout to my father Pablo, that was his name… he inspired me to be determined in my decisions and understand the importance of commitment in everything I do in life. Through his life I understood the importance of feeling emphaty with humanity. Each of us has a unique personality with different lived experiences . That makes us different, but equally we all have lots in common and are connected in so many ways. Being empathetic means thinking further beyond ourselves and our own concerns. It shows our ability to put ourselves in another person’s position to feel what they are experiencing and be able to help. Our commitment to help others is manifested in Beamina… our brand had to be with a purpose.

Let’s start by saying that Beamina’s brand promise is to unlock the power that lies within every woman to have the courage to pursue their dreams. The brand’s name is a hybrid of Paulina’s nickname ‘Amina’ meaning ‘warrior’ or a “person protected by anything that causes fear” and the first two letters of the name ‘Beatriz’ that also represents the verb ‘to be’: a verb that has been key for the brand since its origins… To be an Amina, we want all humans to be warriors of their own lives.

Currently, Beamina partners with the Glasswing International Foundation’s Youth L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Development) program. With every handbag purchase, Beamina will donate a portion of its proceeds to the foundation to help vulnerable girls in Latin America unleash their potential and thrive. In the past, Beamina partnered with the Ricky Martin Foundation to help abolish human trafficking. We also helped families in Puerto Rico by delivering supplies to those in need after Hurricane Maria hit the island and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paulina created a limited-edition facemask from the linings of her handbags, featuring drawings she specially made for each collection. We distributed them to children’s centers in Colombia, Mexico, Spain and through hospitals in Puerto Rico.

Website: https://beamina.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beaminaofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beaminatogether

Image Credits
Photographer: Damelys Mendoza