Born Leader - Episode 5 - Michel Zajur

Born Leader - Episode 5: Building Businesses and Community Together

Lessons from Michel Zajur of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Born Leader is a podcast founded on the belief that everyone is a born leader and there are many paths to discovering your own potential.  We explore leadership through interviews with and profiles about everyday people who demonstrate we’re all born leaders.  Hypatian Institute, Inc. Founder and CEO Gaea L. Honeycutt hosts Born Leader.

In this episode, we welcome Michel Zajur, Founder and CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, an organization dedicated to building bridges to create, promote and enhance business opportunities for its membership by providing linkages with special emphasis on the Hispanic community.  Our discussion focused on the trajectory of his career and how Michel’s business savvy and commitment to serving the Richmond community evolved into a entity that fosters cultural and economic exchange.

We begin with the foundations of his work ethic, the challenges and rewards of growing a family business, and how the family business built connections with the community. Then Michel gets into the details of how how approached building the Chamber, his lessons learned, and the intersecting cultural education work of his wife Lisa.  And we wrap up the interview discussing what makes Richmond the ideal location for business and the Virginia Hispanic Chamber’s headquarters, and the mentor who inspires him and drives the philosophy behind the Chamber.

Also, we feature the first installment of our Two-Minute Leadership Moment. This episodes essay was inspired by Michel Zajur's interview, highlighting an interconnected set of ideas, or life lessons. First, you don’t get where you are on your own. The second idea is that you never know the impact your words or actions might have on others. Two things that have lead Michel to success and transformed not only his life, but many others.

We’d love to hear from you in the comments section or on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@HypatianInst).

In the next episode of Born Leader, we’ll speak with Ulysses James, Maestro of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association. If you want to learn more about Michel Zajur or other guests on the Born Leader podcast, visit www.HypatianInstitute.org.

Key words: business, corporation, globalization, hispanic, chamber, international, leadership, mentor, mentoring, networking, strategy, transformation, venture, spanish, education, community

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

Hypatian Institute - http://www.hypatianinstitute.com

Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - http://www.vahcc.com/

Asian American Chamber of Commerce - https://www.asian-americanchamber.org/

Richmond Chamber of Commerce - http://www.grcc.com/

Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce - http://www.northernvirginiabcc.org/#nvbcc

Passport to Education - http://www.vahccpassport.com/

ADVERTISERS

Hypatian Institute College Fellows Program - http://www.hypatianinstitute.org

Your Virtual Business Partner - http://www.yourvirtualbusinesspartner.com/