Meet Teri Valentina | Business Entrepreneur

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

Hi Teri, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started working at the age of 12 years old for the family business, helping in the office, learning management skills, people skills, and finances, every single day after school. This continued all the way through my first years in college, till I obtained my real estate license and started working for myself. Watching my father and mother run their own business motivated me to do the same when I got older, eventually they sold their company business and my dad joined me in real estate and land development.

I obtained my general contractors license over 10 years ago and worked on many projects from South Miami to Sunshine Ranches. During the real estate market crash in 2008, I went back to school to study nutrition and obtain a 2nd degree in Dietetics, my 1st degree being in Business Administration. One semester short of graduating, I took a leap of faith and opened a very successful healthy food restaurant in Davie, called Toss Up Salads, without any prior knowledge of the restaurant industry, only my love for healthy food. After 5 amazing years, and 3 restaurants later, I sold the business to my apprentice and today he owns 7 restaurants. I couldn’t be prouder of his hard work and efforts in continuing through with my legacy.

I retired for 4 years after the sale of the restaurant and focused my efforts on raising my daughter, who was a teenager at the time. We lived in San Diego for a while, and when I returned to Miami, I went back to school and obtained my Master of Science in Marketing and PR. It was a change of pace, something I had already been studying on my own during my time off and I loved it. I had already opened a creative agency in Cali and this supplemented what I was already in the works.

In the past couple of years, I have become enamored with the study of viticulture, wine making, champagne, and all things food. What started off as an Instagram hobby, has become something I’m pursuing more seriously. I’m currently working on food + wine + travel online publication, which should be ready by the middle of 2023, called Forking Haute.

In regards to the question of starting my own business, as you can see from my bio, it’s something that was ingrained in me since childhood. Working for myself is all I know! Granted, it’s been a blessing to have my father as my motivational coach, confidante, and advisor, and my mother as my biggest cheerleader.

I can tell you that working for yourself is challenging, but if you don’t take the risk, take that nerve-wrecking chance, then you’ll never really know. I’m constantly working on different projects, whether it be, a new real estate development or opening up a new business venture. Once you start one business, the model is the same, regardless of what venture you go into. It’s all about entrepreneurship and business savvy skills, and that is something you don’t learn in school, but with years of experience.

What should our readers know about your business?
I believe that what sets me apart from others is that I’m constantly educating myself, learning new traits, picking up new ideas, and that I live my life with integrity. I’m honest to a fault, I have a genuine heart, and I won’t do anything to cheat anyone out of money, for the sake of making money.

I’ve had to overcome many challenges in the construction industry being a woman, most men in the industry have a difficult time accepting a female contractor. It’s been difficult and at times, I even tried dressing more like a foreman than a lady, just to get their attention. In the end, I gained the respect of all of those who have worked for me, but it’s been challenging.

I’ve learned many lessons along the way in business, and the most important one is that you can’t micromanage your employees, you also have to learn to delegate. I learned this one the hard way, but I managed to overcome the impulse of wanting to do everything myself, I’m a perfectionist.

If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that regardless of all the accomplishments, diplomas, and business success, only one thing matters more than anything, and that’s the love of family. I have passed those same traits on to my daughter, who has been raised with the same work ethics, as myself. Respect others, respect yourself, be honest, have integrity, take the risk, and never underestimate how successful you can be, if you just try

!Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love all things Miami and spending a week with friends in this beautiful city is a blessing. There are so many places to eat, drink, and spend quality time just relaxing. I can’t claim one restaurant to be my favorite, since there are so many to pick from.

I would have my friends stay somewhere in the Brickell area, take them to visit Fairchild Tropical Gardens, a leisurely bike ride through Coconut Grove, a visit to Key Largo for a nice seafood dinner, and a boat ride through Miami Beach. A night out in on the Beach, drinks in Coral Gables, and a drive through Old Cutler to see the gorgeous homes in Pinecrest.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would have to say that my biggest shoutout would have to be to my parents and my daughter. It is thanks to their support, that I take the risks in business that I do. The opening of the restaurants was all thanks to my mother, who said, “Do it, you’ll regret it later, even if you don’t know what you’re doing!” My father challenged me to get my general contractors license which is a very difficult exam, but I proved to him, I was capable of passing. But my biggest shout out would be to my daughter who has always believed in me, even when times got tough, she always encouraged me to push harder.

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terivalentina

Twitter: https://twitter.com/terivalentina

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Terivalentina35

Other: www.terivalentina.com (hacked account over a week ago and working on getting it up and running asap) It may be ready by the time you go to publishing.