Ana Matos
Hello, I am Ana Matos, CEO of EllaB.
I was raised in an adoptive home since I was a baby. I do not know my biological parents. Although my father is black, most of my close family is white, which brought me some difficulty to see and feel inspired by someone physically similar to me. I had the opportunity to study in good schools, in which most students were white. For many times it was hard to feel comfortable in my own skin.
I always loved technology (computer, videogames, etc.), which made my father invest in an informatics course for me when I was a teenager. I started to work in the I.T. area when I was 16, building websites. If I could leave a message for that 16 year old Ana, I would tell her not to wait for anyone to give her an opportunity or to make her dreams come true, but to believe in herself and be confident, because one day she will become the woman that she always wished to be.
Tell us all about your company. What services do you offer?
EllaB offers creative support for small businesses, helping them to build a solid relationship with their audience/customers. Our service is totally tailor-made. Unlike many companies trying to sell a "magical formula to success", we study different strategies and apply some of them to see what the results are.
The name EllaB comes in two different combinations of words. One is "El + lab", which means "The lab" in Spanish. The other is "Ella + B" referring to "ela" which means "she" in Portuguese. The letter “B” brings the idea of seeing the b side of things, to think outside the box. It also reminds me of the term "queen b", the sense of female hard and sweet work.
Company: EllaB
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Operating since: 2019
Website: ellabmidias.com
Instagram: @ellabmidias
How did you get the idea or concept for your company? Was there anything in particular that inspired you to start at the time you did?
The concept of my company was built little-by-little as I was trying to have my own money and I was, at the same time, taking care of my mother. I had quit my past job to take care of my mom, and also due to the sick environment in which I had to survive at that company. So I started to ask around the neighborhood shops if they needed any kind of service from me. They asked me, what could I offer them? What were my abilities? I answered that I had great abilities with social media. Then I started to help them, developing their identities and building business relationships online. By observing and being empathetic, I began to understand their strengths and weaknesses. I realized that what they needed was someone who believed in their business and could transmit their concept and value on social media. In this way, I was able to make a difference in their businesses, in order that they also could make a difference in the world. I believe that my knowledge in anthropology, psychology, and technology was essential to building my business.
Growing up, did you always intend to start your own company/organization?
In the beginning of my career, I wanted to work for big multinational companies, which in fact I really did. But growing up as a professional made me realize that my big dream was not to work for big companies, but to do great work from my own business.
What is the biggest personal / professional obstacle you've had to overcome?
Being black and being a woman certainly made me deal with many racist and sexist situations. I had to work with people who offended me because of my color and because I was one of the few female workers in a certain area of the company.
How have your past personal & professional experiences helped you to run your company?
If I had not experienced so much hate and prejudice from my past professional and personal experiences, I wouldn't need to use my creativity to build something new. So I thank all the hard situations which made me the person I am nowadays.
What's your definition of success? Do you consider yourself a success? If not, when will you?
Success is happiness. Happiness, which is only real when it comes from personal satisfaction, not from material things.
Have the women around you helped you to rise? How?
Many of my female friends helped me by believing in my work and telling me I was able to make my dreams come true. Unfortunately, I also had to deal with people criticizing my work and my company.
What are some of your future plans? Are you working on anything else right now?
My future plans are to keep helping my mother and my family, and also to help other women to build a solid and independent path.
What advice would you give to a woman starting out in your industry or starting her own company/organization?
Be strong and believe in yourself!
Describe yourself in ONE word. Selfless
If you enjoyed reading about Ana Matos, you can follow her on Instagram.