EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:

Ewelina

Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Empowerment for Immigrants podcast. Today, I have for you another very special treat Rosie Paulsen. She’s an owner of Rosie Paulsen Enterprises, and she’s also your Medicare Matchmaker. So Rosie it sounds like you have two awesome careers. Tell us a little bit more about you. Where are you from? Obviously you are an immigrant so where are you from? When did you come to the U.S.?

Rosie

Well, first of all, thank you so much for inviting me to your amazing show. And yes, I’m originally from Ecuador South America. That is the country between Peru and Columbia, a lot of people think that, that is in Africa, but it’s not, it’s South America. And we do speak Spanish there

I came to the United States at the age of seventeen in 1988 and ever since then, my family, and I have settled, and yeah, it’s been more than… 30… this year we will be celebrating 33 years. And in 2000, I became a citizen of this, amazing country. So, yeah, I’m grateful. And I am also for the American dream and becoming American I was a child and I wanted to do that. So I’ll tell you a little bit more about that, in, in the story that we will be sharing today.

Ewelina:  

All right. So tell us the story. What, what, what was the moment that you made a decision? Hey, I want to live in The U.S.?

Rosie

So in my country there was a lot of people that well… used to play soccer. And, and because it was not a lady like sport, people kind of discouraged women from playing soccer, but I was a good, really good goalkeeper. So I think that the age of ten is when I had to kind of, made my name being on the, in the world of soccer, with my friends and stuff like that because, you know, as a girl, I was not allowed to play. One time I was about ten years old and I came to field and all my friends were playing with this blonde-haired, green-eyed girl. Like she was part of the group forever and I asked my friends. Like:” Why do you guys have no problem playing with her, but when it’s me you guys always challenge me?” They said well, she’s an American and that’s why we were able to play with her. And so I’m like, okay, I need to find out what being an American. So I befriended her and in my limited English, I understood that she and her family were missionaries from the United States. And that she mentioned that in America girls can do anything, they want to be or do and same thing with the boys, but at that time and my ten-year-old mind, that’s what I understood. That was the way I was going to be able to play soccer without anybody giving me a hard time about it. So I ran back to my house and I told my mom: “Mom I know how we going to be, how I’m going to be able to play soccer. And nobody is going to give me a hard time about it.” And my mom goes: “How honey, how?” And I said: We will have to move to America. We’re going to meet this guy named Jesus. And everything would be okay mom.  Everything will be okay!” But that time between the American dream and gospe I knew that I wanted to be American and that eventually, I will get to know that I was always meant to be an American. I was just born in the wrong place at that time. 

Ewelina:

Tell me a little bit more because you’ve added the guy named Jesus. How did Jesus came into this story?

Rosie:

Well she was a missionary from, a from the United States and part of the story is that their  family went through my native country to to share the gospel with all of us. And that’s when she talked about Jesus back then. So at age twelve I visited the United States, my parents with a

lot of effort, gave me a trip because in our country and I don’t know if in your country it’s the same but when you go, you go to elementary school, until sixth grade. Seventh grade, which in here is Middle School is where you go to high school, pretty much in Ecuador. So when you go from elementary school to high school, it’s a very big deal. So my parents with a lot of effort to reward me for that. They, bought me a ticket to come to the United States. So we visited in Manhattan. We went to Miami, but me being in the middle of Manhattan and just feeling the whole energy of the city and the buzzing and everything, I remember, I know, I know this is where I belong and part of the thing is, remember, I spoke Spanish. I did not speak English at that time. But within three days, I was able to communicate with people. I was able to be in the subway and knew like, the whole subway system. It was kind of like, it just became natural in me. So we stayed here for about a month when I was twelve and on my way back. This is what I tell people about your mindset is so important. But on my way back, I remember crying. But

saying to myself and saying to America: “America, you have not heard the end of Rosie. I’ll be back. I don’t know how, I don’t know where, but I will be back.” So from age 12 to age 17

which is when I came to The United States. It was five years of every single day. Either pesting my parents, even preparing myself to learn English, you know, because I was moving to America. I was not going to stay in Ecuador. I was not marrying an Ecuadorian. I was just going to move to America. And at age 17 my sister and I were the first ones to arrive. My family, there is five of us, so we kind of split up a little in three sections. So, my sister and I came first. My dad came later. My brother came after that and then my mom was the last one to come to The United States. But then 1989 we all moved to Tampa Florida and I’ve been here ever since. So, you know, it’s just been a blessing to me as a naturalized American to see where my country can get. And we just encourage the American dream and more than anything too is how much the immigrants are part of making this economy thrive.

Ewelina:

Yes, talk about this a little bit more. 

Rosie:

Let me give you some statistics cuz this, this will help you a little bit but seventy percent of the economy of the United States is run by small businesses. Well small, businesses are run, most of them by immigrants and people don’t understand that. Yes, there are Americans that that have their businesses. But the majority of small businesses, small to medium-sized businesses are owned by minorities and if we can go a little bit deeper and a little bit specific. Let’s say. In the State of Florida, 30% of the business, the small business of the State of Florida, are owned by Hispanics. And then out of those 30%, 53% are owned by Hispanic women. In the 2020 administration the Hispanic women were the block of businesses, the black that we’re starting businesses faster than anybody else out there. So there were a couple of initiatives like the Global Women International initiative. That was even not only helping women here in the United States, but globally to become entrepreneurs. So this is the best, one of the best times to, to be an entrepreneur because if you understand your purpose and why you were created to be and you do that for a living, the end result is priceless, like the Discover card because that’s where you get your energy so  you can build resilience and do it every single day because you love what you do, not because of the money but because this  your calling, if your purpose it’s your why.

Ewelina:

Yeah, absolutely. Yes, I totally agree with you on that one. So now, let’s talk a little bit about your journey as an entrepreneur here in The U.S. Did you immediately go into being a business owner or what, what did you do?

Rosie:

Well, so I had two businesses in my life. I mean, not business, but two careers, I would say, the first one, I was a business travel for American Express and I worked in a call center for about ten years. My daughter at that time, Tabitha. I have two children, Steven who is now 27, Tabitha who is now 30. At that time Tabitha was about fourteen, fifteen and she started struggling at school a lot with disciplinary problems and things like that. So really what she needed, she needed  me. So I had to make the decision. Do I want to help my daughter be successful, or do I stay at my job? So I put my two weeks notice for my job. And I stayed home with her for a little bit, until she was able to understand what was happening with her struggles. So when I came back into the world looking for a job, I realized that I really did not want to go back to a call center and I wanted to honestly help people. That’s what my first thing was. I wanted to be able to speak Spanish cuz at that time I wasn’t speaking Spanish. I wanted to share the story because at that time, I really reconnected with the Lord and I surrendered myself and became a Christian. And the last thing I I asked this was one of the first prayers that I did to God about my job, I said: Please God whatever you do, don’t make me a salesperson. Because my family all came from a nine-to-five job. Nobody was an entrepreneur, everybody had… Everybody was an employee of somebody. Nobody, you know, like not having a nine-to-five not knowing what you’re going to do. It was a taboo. Nobody spoke about being an entrepreneur. That was not a word that was ever mentioned in my childhood. When I went into the workforce. There was this opening for Humana Health Care and I said, well Insurance. Something we’re going to be bad about, this is another type of call center. So when I started, I had to get my insurance license, which I did but then I realized that it was the call center life, but it was also off the outside where you go to people’s home and when you talk to people and at that time, they were needing a lot. A lot of the bilingual community was not being served because it was not enough agents that spoke Spanish, so I started like that. And I remember when I went to work in the field, so in the call center, it was called Netpart, but in the field, it was called MarketPoint. When I went to work for Humana MarketPoint, one of the first things because you don’t know, you know, I didn’t know where to start. I joined this group called BNI I got invited there. And I remember sitting down around all this amazing about 30 people with older their professions and then I said: Oh my God, I need that. Oh my God, I need that. And I just feel completely at home. But then somebody says that you do health insurance. So I felt that I wasn’t able to join that group because, you know, health insurance, but somebody said to me, well, your Niche is specifically to Medicare. And at that point is when I understood that, yes, although I was doing health insurance. My Niche was Medicare, and not too many people were savvy on the industry. So I just became a wealth of knowledge. Anything that I could learn about Medicare, I learned. And I learned the Medicare side of it, the insurance side of it, the doctor side of it, and the patient side of it, and because I don’t do anything else other than that, I consider myself an expert, and that’s why I call myself the Medicare Matchmaker. Because the one thing that happens with this Medicare Advantage plans or Medicare supplements that  do not work… is because the person was matched with the wrong plan. And that that’s that’s why I say I’m successful because I will match the plan with the person and it’s kind of like a marriage and if everything works the marriage lasts forever and they are happy, but then if there’s concerns in the marriage or something is happening and there’s like a little rough spot. I can always come back because their relationship with my client is long lasting and we can review the policy and we can see well maybe a situation in your marriage changed. So we need some counseling and now we need another policy, a different policy.  And it has been very fun because I have helped so many people. But the one thing I understood, it was never about the money. It was always about the serving others, helping others, and do it, because I feel good when I do it, you know, because of integrity and because I feel that I’m making an impact in my community.

Ewelina:

Yes, and you are right. And like, recognizing that you’re doing, that is what keeps you going, but, you know, you make it sound so easy Rosie.  Oh yeah I  just, found this career, and it obviously it sounds like an absolutely perfect career for you perfect timing in the market, actually needing more Spanish speakers, right, and you willing to learn it. All of that. Yeah, were there any challenges? 

Rosie:

Yes. So one of the first challenges was example one… the biggest one was to understand the government. Right? So the United States is a country of rules and regulations. That’s why we have a government and we have elected officials. Now when you don’t, when you are a naturalized citizen, you don’t go to school to learn the basics of government because elementary school gives you some government history. And then depending on high school. They give you some of more of the civics classes. So if you have not attended school in The United States, then you really are not familiar of how the government works in here. And why is the government important? Because while we as employees or business owners are working on our business. There are laws being passed that affect direct or indirect your business. And if you’re not aware of that, then somebody else is making decisions for your business, but learning and understanding that, that was the biggest challenge. If there is a challenge I want to find a solution and after talking to a lot of people, that’s what I understood that my problem was that I was lacking Civics 101 for The United States. So I remember having a lady that visited a chamber of commerce that I was that I found it at that time and she was County Clerk of Pasco County and I was mentioning to her that I’m still having this struggle with understanding. What is Congress? What is Senate? What is local what is national? and she mentioned: Oh that is a class that I give in elementary school. It is called civics government 101. Just you how to pass the bills and stuff like that. And I remember saying to her: Would you do me a favor? And can you get that same class but into like an adult version of it, and teach it off to our international entrepreneurs? And we founded that that as part of the Hispanic chamber of commerce and she will come every six months and give that class again and many of us understood. Oh my God, you know, I was trying to do this but no wonder it was not working in this side of the government because the one that is in charge of that this other side of the government. So just seeing those aha moments empowering people to understand that you can that your voice can be heard. And that Thou will protect your business in your family and all the efforts that you’re putting in. That  was one of those challenges that we were able to equip international entrepreneurs to be able to be successful. 

Ewelina:

That’s really amazing! I had not idea that you were a part of something so big. 

And yet it’s so basic. I’m thinking how many other groups are not being taught these basics… I mean when you pass, you know, your test to become a citizen, you learn quite a bit. And that’s a very, very good thing. I’m very grateful that I was kind of forced to learn those things. Right? But still, that’s very basic. If you are an entrepreneur, like you said, there are laws that are being passed and we need to be educated on all of this stuff.  So tell me how long have you been in business all together? How many years? Have you been an entrepreneur?

Rosie:

 So my medicare business, I started in 2009 and I did with that business. I did everything that was not supposed to be done. Right? I did it incorrectly and I learned from it, but in 2015, I also founded  Rosie Paulsen Enterprises and the Enterprise is where I use my skills and my knowledge of owning the business for so long and the connections, and my resources to teach business owners, how to do a lot of business development. And become the best entrepreneurs, they can be, while living the best life and having a thriving successful and profitable business. Because at the end of the day, you do want to make sure you have a profitable business because that’s why you call yourself a business owner, right? But at the same time, you want to make sure that your family is taking care of that your children are, are fulfilled that your husband and we you and I talked about this, making sure that you don’t get divorced in the process of becoming an entrepreneur. Because that happens a lot to many entrepreneurs. So in 2015, is when I founded the Rosie Polson Enterprises, but now I’ve learned from all the mistakes that I had from my business. So it’s all together this year will be 12 years that I have been in business. 

So yeah, so it’s it’s been super exciting. And what another thing that I do want to share with your listeners, is that my blessing, my biggest blessing was that I always had great mentors in my life. As a mentee one of the things that I learned to do is first of all, like, become their shadow, right? And listen in, in  like a sponge like suck everything that they taught me. One of the things that they always told me is that if I want to aim farther than what they have arrived. I’ve always had to view the vision. from their shoulders because you aim and this is the analogy, you can you ain’t to the Sun, but if you make it to the moon, You still have made it very far, you know, but you ain’t to the Sun. So even if you, fall short you still going to be in the moon. Um, yeah, that’s, that’s the things that I tell people and it’s just a blessing to me now with Rosie Paulsen Enterprises, that I can give back to my community. All the resources that my mentors gave to me, because now I mentor somebody else.

Ewelina:

So as you’re working with different business owners, what is the one thing that you see everybody is struggling with?

Rosie:

Time management, time management. Because when are an entrepreneur, first of all, you want to say, yes to everything. But in order for you to be able to say, yes to everything, you actually have to say no to a lot of stuff, and you have to have your priorities, correct? Because you have the same 24 hours. I have. Whoever successful person that you follow in your life, have the same 24 hours that you and I have, however, what, how they use those 24 hours, and their routine or their habits or their discipline is what makes the difference… Like I always tell people. Do you know, that Mark Zuckerberg, right? The guy from Facebook.  You will always recognize him because he wears jeans a gray t-shirt and a black pair of Vans or whatever. Because, in the morning, he will doesn’t want to waste his time thinking what he is going to wear. So he wears the same thing over and over and over, right? He doesn’t want to think about wearing something, right? I don’t know about you. But when I’m going to put a dress on. It always takes me about ten minutes kind of figured out. Should I try this on to you know, those are ten minutes he does not have to worry about. 

Ewelina:

 Right,you always saw Steve Jobs wearing his black turtleneck. Look for the same reason because there’s the decision exhaustion and it takes a lot of energy, right to make a decision. This is why these guys are the very, very top. They’ve learned the basics of energy management. Okay, so tell us really quickly what it is that you specifically help with in both of your businesses, where my listeners can find you on the web, how they can contact you… tell us all of that please.

Rosie:

 Yes. Well, first of all, in 2020 I wrote the book called “ Neque. The mindset to get what you want.” And Neque is a key word that literally translates to grit and for the four components to achieve Neque, which all of us have is purpose, persistence, persevere, and pivot. Once you hone your skills on your own Neque because we all have it. It’s just in a different in a different way for tailored to each of us because we create it. We all are not created equal, we are all unique, right? And we are meant to fulfill our purpose that only we can do, right? So with this book, Neque that’s what I do. I help business owners and entrepreneurs to write their happy success story while running and driving successful and profitable business, and people can find me on my website, RosiePaulsen.com. www.rosiepaulsen.com my email is rosie@rosiepaulsen.com, and my phone number, you can always text me +813-909-696-5813, 909-6965 and the beauty of all this, you know, with, with the pandemic. Is that we can do virtual stuff now internationally, which I never really put that part in my business plan because I always thought that the most that will ever wage go in my business would be Ecuador to go back and visit my family and stuff. But after the pandemic, I have even become an international speaker because there are many platforms now of Coast, that host International events, and they are all virtually, so they’re people in South Africa, South America, Middle East, the United States. And we all in this platform just teaching or sharing our knowledge with people that are looking to learn and improve their own skills. So, you know, people can find me if they need questions answered about their Medicare options. But also, if they wanted us to build up thriving successful and profitable business. 

Ewelina:

Fantastic, and you know I will make sure to add all the links to your email and your website in the podcast description. So for all the listeners, you can just look right in the description of the podcast and you will find all that information there. Listen Rosie your life is such a beautiful example of what happens when someone has the grit, and has a very clear purpose. I love hearing. But you fell in love with America and that you were so determined. And that your family understood that and they came with you. You know, the wisdom that you have gained, right? All that wisdom that you have written in your book and that you share now with people all of that came with experience and I am sure with many, many difficult difficult moments, but you didn’t give up. So thank you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, here. You are such an inspiration, you really are a big inspiration to so many women. And I can see why you shine so brightly, you know, because there’s this energy that you give away. And then also what comes back to you for being such a big… 

Rosie:

Thank you.

Ewelina:

Yeah. I really mean that.

Rosie:

I really appreciate it and I’ll take it. I receive it with all my, you know, my heart thank you. Thank you so much. I loved that.

Ewelina:

You are very welcome. 

Rosie:

I wanna help people as much as I can. 

Ewelina:

So you are an incredible source of knowledge, and I also have you come back, but so this is our first episode of Rosie everybody. Rosie 101 today… we will have her back on. Thank you so much Rosie.  I’m looking forward to our conversations in the future. Thank you so much everyone for listening. If you want to contact  Rosie just look in the description of the podcast and we’ll talk again soon. Bye.