When a company is born from a family and passes from generation to generation, the key to success to stay in the market is serious and responsible management in daily work, taking on challenges with great dynamics and setting goals that guarantee a good future. (SEE TABLE: GOLDEN MERCURY)
This is how Martha Sandoval de Castro describes her management strategy in the Management of Servipan, a bakery company born in Valledupar 30 years ago, of which she leads half.
Martha Sandoval is part of one of the many Santander families that came to this capital to contribute their grain of sand to development. By his willingness, he earned the trust of his parents –Antonio María and Graciela– to take the reins of the company, sustain it and expand it in the regional market.
How does a family business manage to sustain itself for so long? Sincerely with the love and respect for the work. Business families must make decisions and put at the head of the company the person who deserves trust and who has the support of all. Conflicts over power should be avoided at all costs when things are handled seriously and with futuristic criteria. The good work that you do makes you worthy of earning trust because the results you get are positive. When the family works with the desire to serve, progress and stay within the market, the goals that guarantee its existence are achieved. Servipan in this sense has managed to expand to Barranquilla and Cartagena, generating employment and contributing to the development of the regions.
How does a woman sustain herself in an activity like yours? The most important thing is the experience that is acquired because in this way one is observing the growth and progress that are the result of our abilities. I saw the birth of this company that my parents started and from them I inherited a good example, honest work and a vocation for service; I took on the challenge of sustaining it even in the most difficult moments that the country has experienced.
Is it very difficult for a woman to excel in the business field? Today’s women must take on challenges and be up-to-date with their academic preparation. Seminars, diplomas and postgraduates enrich the entrepreneurial mind of women and this is how we show efficiency at work. Now, the woman has earned trust for her drive, honesty and dynamism that allow her to be up to date and on a par with men. The new entrepreneurial woman has in her a spirit that leads her to take on new challenges and make great decisions to move her company forward. Women with faith and security are showing that we can excel and that we are satisfied by that equal conditions.
Colombia is experiencing an economic recession and what is the strategy to sustain itself? I have always tried to use strategies that seek to lower costs to compensate for expenses in this way. Although we have assumed some losses, every day we draw new horizons that allow us to maintain that level of production and sales within the market. Despite the fact that on many occasions we have had to reduce costs, we always present our product with good quality.
What are your expectations regarding Valledupar becoming a Special Export Economic Zone? Without a doubt, it is a great opportunity that the National Government has given to the region because through this figure new companies will be able to establish themselves in the city enjoying many tax benefits; In this sense, our people prepare each day for the challenges of the new millennium. The Special Economic Export Zone is a great government idea that represents a great social leap for the development we need.
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The most important thing is the experience that is acquired because in this way one is observing the growth and progress that are the result of our capacities, says Martha Sandoval de Castro.
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Servipan started in Valledupar and has managed to expand to Barranquilla and Cartagena, generating employment and contributing to the development of the regions.
Emilio Castrillón / CARIBBEAN TIME
