Martha De la Torre, CEO and co-founder of El Clasificado and EC Hispanic Media, appeared on “Acceso Total” for an exclusive interview. The entertainment show aired at 10:00 am on Telemundo 52 and was hosted by the charismatic Elva Saray.
Following Ms. de la Torre’s recent award for the 2014 Latina Business Woman of the Year, presented by the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, Saray asked De La Torre what it meant to have received such a prestigious award. Martha expressed how her family, particularly her husband, Joe Badame, who co-founded El Clasificado and her employees, have all been such huge contributors to the success of the company. She also discussed what a privilege it is has been to serve the Hispanic community for the past 26 years; “I am very proud not only for myself but for my family, my employees and the community that has helped us for 26 years.”
Many are curious as to how Martha got to where she is today. The success of the multi-band company is a true reflection of Martha’s hard work, determination and passion towards helping the Hispanic community. Often described at the reluctant entrepreneur, Martha has not always been on the path to entrepreneurial success.
“I never imagined I would become a businesswoman, but then I saw an opportunity to help other companies succeed; I realized that if we grow, we create more jobs and continue empowering the Latino community. That is my passion to keep going.”
Initially studying accounting at LMU, Martha worked her way up to a managerial position at Arthur Young before the age of 25. Martha’s drive, even at this early stage, has been crucial to the success of El Clasificado and EC Hispanic Media. Co-founding the El Clasificado 26 years ago with her Husband Joe Badame, Martha and Joe managed to keep the company afloat during the recession in the early 90s. During the interview, Ms. de la Torre spoke about the difficulties they had during the first years of their entrepreneurial journey and she acknowledged that she did not take home a salary for the first 10 years. Realising that they had to make some changes to the company to make it work, they finally moved forward and El Clasificado began to thrive.
Nowadays, El Clasificado is the biggest weekly Spanish-Language shopper, with 1.5 million readers weekly. It has also seen huge success online with elclasificado.com being the largest online Spanish language marketplace in the United States.
Have you got any questions for Martha about what is takes to be a successful entrepreneur? Why not reach out to her online:
LinkedIn.com/Martha de la Torre
