On Prosperity: Frank Zepeda
By Sergio C. Muñoz at Intelatin, LLC.
This interview was produced by Sergio C. Muñoz at Intelatin, LLC. It is distributed by Caló. Special thanks to Wil Dog of Ozomatli and to PBS Studios (KLCS) for their pilot feature on our effort. AMA: smunoz(at)intelatin(dot)com
Frank Zepeda
Marketing Director, El Clasificado
Sergio: How do you identify?
Latino
Sergio: Please describe your childhood home?
A craftsman style home in South Central with brick visible and pillars and palm trees. The house is painted yellow. 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I live there with my mom, dad, brother and sister. My father is from Distrito Federal and my mom is from El Salvador. They purchased this home in 1986.
Sergio: Where were you situated economically when you were a child?
I was taught early that there was certain things that were attainable. My father told me that he would do his best to get me to the bus stop and help me with my homework but it was on me to find the means to be successful. I learned self-reliance. My father had a lot of self-reliance as an entrepreneur. He was an independent hauler and he had a tremendous work ethic. He taught me to work hard and stand by your word. He was up at 430am and he would be back home to see us off to school and then he’s stop working to pick us up from school. When digital took over and when the government got involved in recycling, it killed his business and he’s retired now but he did well for quite some time.
Sergio: Did you have a lot of pride in South Central?
Yes, we were prideful about where we lived. We believed the first step to success was graduating from high school because there was gangs and drugs. Making it through high school to figure out how to get to college. I used to see a lot of TV commercials for graphic design at community colleges and trade schools. So my second level was there and then the third level was to transition to Cal State Long Beach. My dad was hustling and working so hard to make sure that me and my siblings got to college and I felt like I needed to help so I began working at a KFC to try to pay for a lot of the costs.
Sergio: Where do you live today?
I live in a Spanish style single family residence in Lon Beach. It is a very diverse neighborhood. A 2 bedroom, 1 bath. It is a modest starter home. I live with my wife and my two boys. We bought the home in 2007.
Sergio: What made you want to purchase real estate?
When I got my first corporate job at the Tribune, my dad taught me how to save. My wife was my girlfriend at the time and she works in Human Resources. We both agreed that we should save our money and five years later we were able to purchase this house together.
Sergio: When you say Savings, what do you mean by Savings?
My father would wrap cash in aluminum and put it in the freezer. When he bought the house in South Central, he used that for the down payment. I had always thought that it was meat in our freezer. I was blown away. It wasn’t until I began working at Tribune that I learned about the 401K and how to compound my savings. My wife’s friends had connections in real estate. They taught me a lot about tax returns, credit scores, inquiries, I was motivated to getting educated. My first big investment was my starter home.
Sergio: What do you do for work?
I worked for Tribune for 13 years. I was a Senior Designer. I worked with marketing and sales reps. I did website design and learned UX design with social media. I took courses at Cal State Fullerton. I started to freelance and I went to knock doors at the Century 21 office in Norwalk. They liked my work and I sold 10 marketing campaigns. Eventually, I was referred on LinkedIn to a company in Norwalk for El Clasificado. I began part time and then became a manager and then became a director. Now I have 9 reports and we have about 140 employees. I really admire the business that the CEO, Martha de la Torre was able to build. She was a huge mentor to me about the power of the Latino market. Also, I am really proud to say that recently I became a teacher at Cerritos College helping young people. It is very gratifying to pass on knowledge to all the Spanish dominant young entrepreneurs.
Sergio: Is your story as nice as I am hearing it?
For sure, its been more ups then downs but when I was laid off from Tribune and that brought me down, they told me that they believed in me. So much so that they offered to pay for my education at Cal State Fullerton after I was laid off and wasn’t an employee any longer. I’m really grateful for that.
Sergio: Do you have a perspective on prosperity?
I had not really thought about stress and anxiety until the Pandemic. I thought everything was going to end but luckily, the government stepped in and did the PPP program. Then, afterwards, I became a manager and a director at work and I didn’t know how stressful that would be. Especially as a Latino. As a tough guy. I didn’t understand the emotions that I was feeling. When I would get home, I needed to find a way to deal with the stress and so I started reading books on meditation. I started listening to podcasts like Calm and Headspace. I began to practice meditation. I routinely do it four times per week now. It’s really rewarding.
Sergio: Calmness as prosperity, I love it. Do you meditate on prosperity?
To a certain extent. I see it a lot with my parents. I want to help them. I want to show that that I’m grateful for all they did for me. Sometimes when I see things around the house that need to be fixed, I fix them. I want them to understand that I am here for them.