Building Impactful Connections in Business

Estrella's entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of inspiring, and in this episode, she opens up about her transition from the corporate world to launching her innovative platform, Lastfarewells.com. Discover how a chance encounter at Art Basel transformed her path, leading to an unexpected opportunity with the Players Impact Fund. Estrella emphasizes the significance of user feedback in the beta phase of her platform, offering both free and premium versions to cater to different needs. As a testament to her networking prowess, she shares how participating in a female founders accelerator in New York helped her refine her business skills and build meaningful relationships, ultimately highlighting the power of authentic networking.

Estrella Quiroz

• Email: estrella@lastfarewells.com
• Website: http://www.lastfarewells.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estrellaquiroz

Beyond business, Estrella's story is a testament to the impact of embracing chaos and serendipity in life. She discusses the balance between masculine and feminine energies, advocating for leading with nurturing joy in both personal and professional realms. Her personal anecdotes, from supporting a terminally ill individual through Last Farewells to forming a connection at a "Coffee with a Cop" event, underscore the profound effects of genuine interactions. This episode illustrates how personal growth is often found through selfless acts and community service, reminding us that true fulfillment often lies in unexpected places.

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Chapters

• 0:03 Entrepreneurial Lessons and Networking Growth
• 3:50 Embracing Chaos
• 15:57 Personal Growth Through Selfless Acts

Transcript

Voiceover: 0:03

Tales from the wild, stories from the heart. A journey into the mind and soul of fired up business professionals, where they share their vision for the future and hear from a different non-profit organization every month as they create awareness of their goals and their needs. Dive into a world of untamed passion as we join our host, Shireen Botha, for this month's episode of Friends from Wild Places.

Tanya Scotece: 0:37

Estrella, I really appreciate it If our listeners are interested in. I guess is it like putting one together for themselves. How do they go about that, for example, like, is it something that they contact you directly, or you know what does that look like to put it in action?

Estrella Quiroz: 0:54

Well, I'm so excited to say that our beta version just went live yesterday, so right now you can go to lastwellscom and create an account.

Estrella Quiroz: 1:04

And there may be some bugs, but for the most part I've tested it and have had some people test it as well. So right now we're just gathering feedback. So you can go to the site. There's a free account. There's also an option for premium version, which is still very accessible. No subscriptions. I'm trying to keep it one-time fee because I really don't want to alienate all these generations of people who I don't know when I'm going to pass away. I don't want to pay even. I don't even want to pay 10 cents a year because I don't know when I'm gonna pass away. Um, so, yeah, it's just one-time fee or the free account. But yeah, people can actually just go to lastfirewallscom and try it out and please email me your thoughts, comment, send me a voicemail. It's good, it's something. I just want to gather as much feedback as on as I can yeah, and I love your shirt.

Tanya Scotece: 1:52

Can we support you on your shirt? Can? Is that for, uh, you know? Can people get one? I like that.

Estrella Quiroz: 1:57

Your phone number website no, no, that's so funny. You're the third person to ask me if I'm selling these. No, I bought a shirt on Amazon and in Nicaragua I helped my cousin start a t-shirt business, so I bought her a printer. So when I go back to Nicaragua, I bring her the shirt I want and I'm like, hey, can you put this logo on it? And she did and it came out so good. It's a crop top too, so it's like I can wear high waisted pants with it. But, but I got you, I'm gonna go to Nicaragua next month. I'll bring you back one, not for sale though.

Tanya Scotece: 2:26

Yeah, awesome, awesome. I love that thank you um Estrella.

Shireen Botha: 2:31

Could you just share one of the biggest lessons you've learned on this journey as a business owner?

Estrella Quiroz: 2:37

yes, I came in with no entrepreneurship journey, just a lot of, a lot of, and I was called naive and in the best way, to be honest, they're like, hey, cause when you're naive you see things differently. And I realized at the beginning, tanya, when I, when I was, when I first spoke to you, I was a month full time and I had just quit my, my very nice corporate job that had great benefits, um, and I took that risk because I really believed in it and I was so lost. I was so lost for the first few months because I was trying to like, literally, google how do you be a CEO, how do you do this? How do you set up these guides? But I realized I wasn't tapping into my own superpower, my own magic. I love people, I love connecting and finally, a few months later, I joined a female founders accelerator, and that in New York, and because of that it just kind of skyrocketed aspects of collaboration or how quick it is, how quick things move when you're in person with people.

Estrella Quiroz: 3:35

I realize I'm like I need a network. If my superpower is being outside and connecting and just talking to people as a friend, that then I need to tap into that because it's not going to be. I promise you it's not going to be me on Google docs trying to figure out like all these things. I don't know because I don't know. But when you talk to people, when you're networking, when you're surrounded by founders who are steps above you, who are also very passionate, you ask questions. You say what did you use, how did you do this? Like, what was your unique? And for me it happened to be I love, I just love connecting and I love I love the slow burn. I didn't want to go into places and be like here, I need this, this and that and make it very businessy, because I don't know how to do that and maybe one day I'll be more of a shark, but for now I'm like no, no, I want to create a friendship, be it in the long run, and then, if there's any time we can support each other, then I'm there and that's been the coolest thing.

Estrella Quiroz: 4:32

And I'll tell you a story of some magic that happened two weeks ago at Art Basel. I somehow ended up on the because of the networking. I ended up on this list for founders who were making millions. I was, I was in the room. I was like whoa, I don't think I'm supposed to be here, but I ended up meeting Selena Gomez's mother and spot speaking about last farewells because she's a CEO of a mental health platform and I also met this person who were get in the breakfast line.

Estrella Quiroz: 4:59

He has three pieces of fruit on his plate and I have fruit and I grab a pastry and he looks at me. He's like I'll be living through you while you eat that and I was like you should just grab it, like we're going to die one day. And then I'm like I need to enjoy it now. It looks so good. And so we started talking about death. He tells me I tell him about last four rolls. He tells me that his dad died right before his wedding and he wished he had something like it.

Estrella Quiroz: 5:20

And then fast forward. Eight hours later he finds me and he's like hey, is your company a wellness company? And I was like you know what? Yes, as last four roles is emotionally wellness, because it helps you with grief, it helps you reflect. And so he's like here, quick, they're looking for people to do this pitch competition tomorrow for a lot of pro athletes in the NFL or Olympians, um, and they're looking to fill some last minute spots. So I go up to he introduces me to the guy and the next day I'm doing this pitch competition for the Players Impact Fund, which is an investment fund for pro athletes, and I'm just I'm wearing the shirt and I'm thinking like, wow, how did that all spark from just one conversation?

Estrella Quiroz: 5:59

So my biggest advice is like double down on your strength, but also be open to not knowing how things are going to happen, because like I could have done that same thing, like one person flew in from Hong Kong. I could have like jumped through hoops to be in the same position. But I think sometimes, when you just don't even question things anymore and you just allow the magic to come in, like the serendipity of life, I think it's so beautiful. So I've also been working a lot on my spiritual practices of just making sure that I'm coming from creating this from a place of joy, because when I elicit joy, like I attract things and things move way quicker than if I was ever trying to like Google how to do this or that, or maybe this is a bright person to email. So, yeah, that's my advice. I love that.

Tanya Scotece: 6:44

It's magical.

Shireen Botha: 6:46

I love that. I love it. Let me pop in here, okay, with a little bit of a Buzzsprout blurb. You know, because we love Buzzsprout here at Friends From Wild Places, simply because you know this is a safe space for business owners and entrepreneurs to share their stories and their wild hearts. It is a safe space to show support for them. To show support for them, we do feature non-profits every month, as you all know, to try make a difference and to give a helpline to someone in need.

Shireen Botha: 7:24

So I think my question goes back to you. If you have a message you want to share with the world, or maybe you just think it'll be fun to have your own talk show. Podcasting is a very easy and inexpensive and fun way to spread and expand your reach online, to start your own podcast. Why don't you follow the link in the show notes? That lets Buzzsprout know that we sent you and it does help the show. But, most importantly, the team at buzzsprout is passionate about helping you succeed. So go down to buzzsprout and start your podcast today. All right, astrea, let's get back with you. One of the things that I wanted to find out from you is what are some of the ways, and you touched on it now. You said you spend some spiritual time just getting yourself in the right space so that you can attract the right attention. So I'm going to ask you right now, you know, can you elaborate and tell us and share with us ways that you refill your tank to stay motivated?

Estrella Quiroz: 8:32

yeah, absolutely so. I'll tell you the personal and the professional ways. Um, professional it's I'm not, I was non-technical, so I was really hard because I'm trying to learn all these systems and trying to learn how to not do these things correctly. Um, and I, I realize I, when I see the impact I make, it just, oh my God, it fills the tank a thousand percent.

Estrella Quiroz: 8:55

And one example is in the process of testing for Last Farewells, we got connected to a person who was 38 with terminal cancer, out of nowhere, from like April to now, like they got diagnosed and now they're navigating right, this ending, and I could have sent them the virtual link, the beta link. I could have said, yeah, here's our testing link. But I felt called, I was like no, I need to see them. And so I flew to Texas and I created this experience for them and it was almost like a celebration in life experience. I got their favorite breakfast foods, we talked for an hour, I brought cacao, we did a meditation and then I helped them ground and we created their last messages. And he created a video for his 13-year-old son to watch at his future wedding, a video for his wife on her birthday and the anniversary, and we just created all these messages and tried to make it a bit more not as joyful but, you know, a bit more like lighthearted. He put on his suit, he got a candle, like we made it a bit more exciting. And then I got his favorite cake and we ended it like a birthday party. I got his favorite music playing and then I had the NASA space. I was able to get the NASA Space Center to sponsor his bucket list item of seeing a space launch through my connections in the travel industry, and so that was all serendipitous. It was all so last minute.

Estrella Quiroz: 10:14

But, being seeing that experience and they were so grateful, I did it. I paid out of pocket, but I they were, they allowed me to take the content. So now I'm going to put it into this like TikTok style storytelling of like flying here and doing this and meet these people, right, but doing that just, oh my gosh. It was so uplifting because, like I see the future, I might, I can't, like I'm want to create those moments where one somebody already going through such a sad place and like I was all constantly around people crying, I told him I was like you're not going to see me cry, I'm going to bring you energy. I'm going to bring you what I have for at least this moment, and I think that really just kind of like fuels me up. So I want to do more of those experiences and ideally get life insurance or like other companies to sponsor them, because they really fill my tank professionally. It's kind of just helping create. Even last month, I went to Nicaragua and my grandma recorded her last video message for me to play at my future wedding, because she's 93 and I don't know when I'm going to get married and I took her to the exact place I want to get married at, um in Nicaragua, and she recorded it there. So those little things like is actually seeing the process of people create a last message, and it's just so fulfilling to me professionally personally.

Estrella Quiroz: 11:26

Oh my gosh. Hey, I just I realized I may call it chaos. I I'm embracing the word chaos. I am totally chaotic and I love it. I love the way my mind works, um, and I just love having fun and I've I've created just such um.

Estrella Quiroz: 11:39

I've decided to just create so many more fun moments in my life. Even right here there's a street where there's a whole salsa street. I now just go out and dance randomly for 20 minutes and when I'm feeling, if I'm feeling down, like let me just go to the salsa bar, let me just dance a little bit. So, personally, like I movement, the movement, the dancing, but also just the real randomness of life, like I was going to give my friends a tour of the street and I mean I could have, I have to show y'all this. But just like, hey guys, I'm going to give you a tour of this street. But I made a poster I'm kidding Fake Estrella's Gallocho, miami Magic Tour and I printed it like tour guides do, and I held it up on Gallocho and I was like all right, everybody we're going to have the best tour ever, and so those are little things I don't have to do.

Estrella Quiroz: 12:31

They put me in a state of like. They helped me tap into my creativity. This took like 30 minutes. Cvs did same day printing. It was nothing in a way, but it was everything, because it just adds to the joy. So I think I've really realized my magic of like. You know, you can turn any moment and make it magic, and that's the theme of what the next year is going to be, which is this has magic on it, and it's kind of like not just waiting for it to happen, but how do you create more of it. And then that itself puts me in a state of joy where I talk about last four hours and then I get connected to people that want to help me move, move it forward or or something happens, and so, yeah, that's that's how I find personal joy. I just sometimes you make it yourself and it's so fun.

Tanya Scotece: 13:15

Wow, so straight walk me through the process of creating that poster. What is it actually? Is it a picture Like what I mean? I see it, but how did you do it?

Estrella Quiroz: 13:25

So this I made on Canva, so okay, so yeah, I love this. So I'm not, I don't, I'm not, you know, I'm savvy, I'm resourceful, I'm not an artist. But what I did was I went to Chachi PT and I asked Chachi PT to make make me an image of Calle Ocho, which is Shireen. It's this street here in Miami and it's it's 8th street, but there's a Brewsters and and people, cubans playing dominoes and salsa bars and it's almost like a little, a little part of Cuba in Miami. But it's so fun and I live near it and it's just my favorite street in Miami so I love walking people through it. So yeah, so I asked ChachiBT make this image and then I love the image they created. So I put it on Canva and I have a Canva premium, so I was able to stretch the image and then I just added my own letters and myself here and then I went to the dollar store and I had they found, I found this little paddle and then um, cvs did same day printing for $7.

Estrella Quiroz: 14:18

So this was a a sticker poster I post. I put it on a piece of foam board and I put this little paddle and, like I said, the process probably took me an hour, like it was a lot quicker than one would think. I didn't put in too much more effort. Uh, it was a Saturday morning too. I was like, yeah, this is how I choose to do my Saturday. But my friends, just they had such a blast and I even created little agreements. I'm like you're signing that, you're going to be open hearted today, you're going to have time for some magic. You're going to compliment one stranger. This tour is free, but you got to compliment someone and I had them sign off on these little agreements.

Estrella Quiroz: 14:53

So it's kind of like how do I take this in my personal life and then add it to Last Farewells? Because sometimes Last Farewells it feels like it's not a corporate thing, but just it's a more serious thing and I want to remember no, this is a startup, I'm guiding it. This is the most time I'll have freedom in this company. So how do I incorporate this and then do it with this? And so, yeah, I've. I've been inspired recently and and I just want to you know, I don't want to do things by the book, because the book stresses me out and turns me into a person who's just anxious and like constantly worried and feeling guilty. Like am I doing this right? Oh my God, I'm going to get in trouble. By who?

Tanya Scotece: 15:26

That's wild, though Amazing, your verb. If I asked you what is it create, is your verb create what you say? Do you live by creating?

Estrella Quiroz: 15:39

I guess, can you? How do I make magic a verb I've been literally making maybe, yeah, creating, well, shifting, maybe, shifting, shifting, okay, okay, that's cool, I like shifting, yeah, yeah.

Voiceover: 15:51

Yeah, because.

Estrella Quiroz: 15:52

I'm not like this all the time. I could have told you I was spiraling two days ago because I was. I was just on my laptop of. I have very similar traits as you.

Shireen Botha: 16:20

I do like to serve the community, and a while back.

Shireen Botha: 16:26

I haven't done it for a while and you're making me just remind me that I actually should get back into it, because that's what makes me happy, um, and makes other people happy, and I get to spread love and joy.

Shireen Botha: 16:41

Um, but I used to do like little weird fundraising things where I dress myself in an inflatable costume, whether it be a unicorn or a t-rex or whatever, and it would you know, I'd pick a non-profit that I absolutely love, that I know is doing amazing work, and I go around the estate that I was and I don't live there anymore. I'm literally packed up everything, put it in storage and bought my little sofa, house and wheels. But, um, I used to run around the estate with buckets collecting funds and fundraising, but in the same breath, I was bringing laughter and joy and people were coming out on the road with their kids just to come and say hello, and I had. I was standing by the circle doing funny little dances, just because I was just, you know, in my element, I feel, in a way um, oh yeah, I could see, I could see that there was a um, oh man, what do you call the first responders?

Shireen Botha: 18:01

he was coming, he obviously lived in the estate and he was coming home from as you know, they work really long hours and he turned on his lights on in his little ambulance car and it wasn't really a bus, you know that. You see, when you see ambulance, it was more an emergency vehicle, like more bucky, and he threw his lights on and he like stuck his head out the the window and he's like you've just made my day and uh, yeah, he does a lot of I mean, it's hard work to be an emergency first responder and a paramedic. So that's what he was paramedic, um, and so you? Just, I haven't done it for a long time, australia, I haven't been doing that and I've been very serious running a business and being enveloped in the seriousness of being a business owner and running a business and the stresses of having to try and grow and get more clients and financial struggles comes with that and the burdens that come with all of that. It has really taken strain and, tanya knows, and that includes a whole lot of family stuff as well. That's on over and above that and I haven't done any of those things and nothing, for I think this is the second year where I haven't done it and you've just fired me because it's reminding me.

Shireen Botha: 19:30

Shireen, that's what you do, that's exactly what you enjoy in doing, and bringing smiles on other people's faces and attracting those kind of energies towards you. Um. So thank you, australia. That was because of you and I really got to try and put that into place again. I don't know how. Living out of a vehicle, I don't know how. I don't know how. Living in and out of my parents's house, there's lots of movement going on. Not sure how long there might be downsizing to a retirement place, so there's lots happening in this little world of mine. So I have to try and figure out how I'm going to do that. So I'm sorry I went off on a tangent, but thank you, est thank you, estrella, no, don't, no.

Estrella Quiroz: 20:17

Thank you for sharing and honestly like. Something I've learned also in this journey is I'm very big on the masculine and feminine energies within us and I want to lead more with my feminine energy and the feminine energies that play the, nurture the joy, and a lot of the times business puts us in that masculine energy where we have to lead and we have to, like you know, find and create and all these things and and but I've realized, gosh, I've had some amazing business deals happen because I was in my feminine and even just last week I went to get a freaking cup of coffee at the place. They were having an event with cops coffee with a cop. I've been scared of cops Cause my dad was arrested. I've always been scared of authority. I've never liked talking to cops and I was like no, today I'm going to challenge myself. And I went up there and I was like oh, how did you get inspired by this? Are you guys always on it? And whatever.

Estrella Quiroz: 21:04

I ended up becoming best friends with the chief of police officer and he's like he's like, yeah, here, whatever you need. He gives me his business card, I'm telling him about last four walls, and then he, and then we're just so funny, we take a group picture, we're just having so much fun. I forget how last four walls could be incorporated with cops. And he's like, oh you know, in my line of work they're constantly risking their lives. We don't like to think about this, but this is very interesting and it totally remembered. Oh yeah, last girls could help you guys. But I think when you do things with no expectation, because you just want to, I want to surround myself with people who do things just to do things. Like you don't have to, you don't have to dress up, you don't have to do any of that. But what? Like I love when people do things just to do things. Those are my favorite type of people.

Estrella Quiroz: 21:45

But also, like it's also a business needle mover, because then I got the chief police officer. I even emailed him a proposal to do an activation for new cops and how, last farewell, I could come in and, you know, prepare their new officers while they're in training and and imagine what, how many other steps would I have to take? I would have to go onto the website, email the secretary, send this proposal, try. How. How many steps would I have to take to actually get to the chief, rather than, when I came to a coffee coffee cop, I decided to get out of my comfort zone, have coffee cup. I decided to get out of my comfort zone, have a conversation with these cops that I didn't, I didn't necessarily want to have, end up leaving laughing like all buddy buddy, taking selfies with the chief and everybody's like, yeah, I even like, yeah, I adopted a cop today and you're my coffee's. Like, yeah, you picked the right one anyways.

Estrella Quiroz: 22:26

That it was a business mover, but just in a different way, in a way that's not necessarily formal or natural, but it's, I promise you. Promise you, it's going to move me light years ahead than me trying to be here on my laptop, miserable, thinking like all right, chief of police, what's his name? I don't know. So, yeah, I mean, I really hope that you find a way. And sometimes it's not even about like trying to figure out the how. It's just. It's just like, even if it's as simple as you go into a coffee shop and putting on your inflatable costume and and just people asking you, coming up to you and asking questions, and then you have these conversations that are so enlightening and it only just takes one person right To make move things Like. Those people could become future clients, they could recommend you in the future, but but the the point is like you don't do things with the expectation of the outcome, of like, oh yeah, I'm going to do this, I expect to get, but no, you're doing it because you know what Hell?

Estrella Quiroz: 23:13

yeah, I need to have fun. Life has been so stressful, life has been potentially shitty, right, but like, what am I going to do for myself Because that's the most? Sometimes, being selfish is sometimes the most. I do a lot of selfish things. They look selfless and they're not Even going to the person with terminal cancer. Yeah, that could be. Oh no, but that's selfish in a way, because I knew it was going to fulfill me. I knew that seeing someone that I could help was going to bring me joy, and that is the definition of right selfish. I'm doing things because it's for me, but that's how we need to. Honestly, people need to live like that in business because, yeah, this is an environment we want to create for ourselves. I don't think you, as a business owner, you have such a bright spirit and so when you told me you were in bookkeeping the first time, I was like whoa dynamic, but you have many special gifts I can see it from zoom.

Shireen Botha: 24:01

Thank you, I appreciate that, estrella. Um, you know what I want to say. I don't feel like that. I think and agree with me or disagree with me, but I feel like there should be a different word and, instead of selfish, I feel like that's something else, what you're describing. I wish we could. I don't think there is a word, I just wish there was another word we could use in circumstances like that.

Estrella Quiroz: 24:26

Um, because, I feel, yeah, yeah, I'll think about it, you're right, you're right. Well, yeah, words are important. I guess I've only I've heard it in the team. But hey, we have selfish goals and we have selfless goals, but the selfish goals are equally as important as a selfless, because it's you got to fill your own tank and if we're constantly doing for others, at some points our energy burns out.

Shireen Botha: 24:46

Tune in next week for part three of Friends from Wild Places.

Voiceover: 24:52

You've been listening to Friends from Wild Places with Shireen Botha. You've been listening to friends from wild places with Shireen Botha. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast from the links to catch every episode and unleash your passion.