Meet Marilyn Santiago | Sunshine at your Service!

A mix of need and self confidence! Need, because in order for me to fulfill my ambitions, I needed to make more money. Latinas, by US Census data, make less than 60 cents of what a white man makes and quite often, working way more than they do. So, I realized that if I wanted to make more money, I had to make it on my own. The process was challenging, but looking back, I am proud of all my accomplishments!  Self confidence, living in Miami, I immediately realized that there were so many opportunities to make a living, to profit and expand my creativity. It was a blessing, because I started doing things that I never would have done if I relied on a weekly paycheck, or focus only on the duties on my job description.

My two businesses are like day and night. Completely different. Since 2006, Sunshine Integrated Solutions have provided strategic marketing consulting for the media and entertainment industries. Some of my services are media consulting, programming, marketing and sales. Event marketing, talent representation and a lot more fun duties! It is very creative, intangible as all I do is selling ideas, concepts and strategies that once implemented, can make a successful difference in our clients.

Most of my  friends are not into dancing or late night fun. They are more into art, gastronomy, wine  and most importantly, Shopping!!! So we’ll start with “Viernes de Galeria”, Gallery Fridays in Coral Gables for some gallery hopping, art shopping and cocktails. Later we’ll cruise down Calle Ocho for a nice nibble and spirits at Cate La Trova, or catch a fabulous live show at Alfaro’s, (and if we are lucky that Ana Maria Pereira is performing, that would be the highlight of their trip.  She’s amazing!). Later maybe Ball and Chain and then straight to bed!

Saturday morning, brunch at Wynwood. When my friends come to visit, I prefer taking them to places that I already know instead of trying new spots (that I do alone or with local friends ).  So for me, Morgans or Sugarcane. Those spots are perfectly located, since we wont leave the area until we shop around the chic, trendy boutiques around and most importantly, we can stop by the warehouses on 5th Ave, were we find the next trends in fashion at really low prices.  Most of them are not open to the public, but when you have a business license, you can get access hehe! After shopping, we’ll stop by American Social for a little happy hour! For dinner, we’ll Uber to South Beach for some good meat and my favorite lobster bisque at Prime 112. After, a little stroll down south beach and Lincoln road is a requirement for all tourists!

The friends that become family. I left Puerto Rico under complicated circumstances that I felt at that time it was in the best interest of my family to disconnect from them. From that moment on, my friends became my family.