Meet Christopher V. Temblador

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher V. Temblador.

Christopher, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I developed an entrepreneur spirit at a young age. In high school, I started promoting myself as a DJ at the age of 13 and went professional at 21 performing in LA night clubs and most of the universities in the Bay Area. At 26, I finished college, moved back home, and all I wanted to do was work and serve in my community of South LA.

Although the neighborhood had changed, it was challenging finding any opportunities. So after searching, I decided to market myself as an independent consultant with the knowledge I knew from my 10-year experience promoting myself as a DJ and my leadership training from college.

After a few pitch presentations, I ended up with my first client, the University of Southern California, promoting and developing a new program for high school leaders across Los Angeles.

After that, one project leads to another. And I began to get hired at the forefront of new departments, new businesses, and new roles with other organizations. Simultaneously, I enrolled myself in online courses, communication seminars, and joined professional development networks to sharpen my skills.

As I continued to work through challenges, I applied to business school for an MBA and did not get in twice. So I worked harder to shorten my learning curve by reading as many books as I could and finding the right mentors… From the time I started till now, it’s been 7 years and I have worked with a small group of 12 clients from Los Angeles to San Diego, focusing more specifically working with Latino and African American businesses from startup to small business.

From coaching a barbershop owner in South LA to selling marketing services to corporate executives to rebranding an entire line of vegan snack foods. Now I can say I accomplished what I came to do here and I not only became the first male to graduate college in my family but the first to also start a business with my talents, while in the process helping others.

Has it been a smooth road?
Starting a professional business as a consultant was challenging. Learning how to self manage straight out of college was a learning process of its own. And I really needed to learn about myself first, my working style, managing budgets and the type of projects where I needed to hire additional support.

Also, being Latino and coming from a working-class family, working from home at times I had to work through cultural barriers and perceptions. And when your working for yourself your family does not really get what you do because you’re going from project to project.

In the first few years, this also meant being creative financially, emotionally and spiritually because sometimes the money was not always there, nor the clients and my spirit got weary.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a consultant and coach. I deliver marketing and coaching services as a consultant to Latino, and African American owned businesses in Los Angeles. I specialize in branding, business development, and planning. I am known for my creativity, my ability to establish relationships and my involvement in community affairs beyond business.

I am most proud of my work, leading two mastermind groups, writing a book on this experience, and the opportunity to be at the forefront of new ventures, new departments, new programs in my neighborhood and the city with the people I care about. People know me for my relationship to my community, for my leadership and my creativity.

My involvement in my work makes me unique because my work is personal and I am involved not only on a professional level with my clients but on a personal level with the clients I work with, at times driving with them to pick up their kids after school, eating breakfast together and playing sports.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The industry will continue to grow, especially online. There is plenty of room for new influencers in marketing and coaching. And the community needs more people of color in these industries. Los Angeles is changing fast, and the room to launch a new idea or product is becoming more of a reality.

The city is investing now more than ever in supporting this type of creativity. And what we need more of is the space to think creatively in places like South LA, and dedicated people to invest here not just film movies here. That’s where I want to go next. I want to re-launch my business to re-imagine community, transform workplace culture, and transform the image of developing communities globally online.

Contact Info:

• Email: ctemblador@gmail.com

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