- Mark, It Came From The Radio
I'm Mark, born and raised in Queens, NY. My parents both immigrated to the USA from Puerto Rico very early in their lives. So while I do have a few Hispanic traits, I'm very much American.
I have been interested in comics ever since I was a child. So much so in fact, that unlike all the other kids, all I ever wanted to do was work in the comic book industry. Of course, breaking into that field is much more difficult than one would think, so (originally) I had to make my own comic book company. That, in a round about way led me to producing my own talk radio show about comics and the like. That being said, I don't consider myself as an entrepreneur until I start turning a profit!
I heard about Kiva while taking an online course from Score (Service Corps of Retired Executives), a nonprofit organization that provides free business mentoring services to entrepreneurs in the United States. The $2,500 I received was used to pay for station fees to help get us back on the air. Turns out that most radio stations (while some do hire "personalities") are more along the lines of public access where show hosts have to pay a fee for air time.
Kiva is a great thing. I tell anyone and everyone about it. Sure, it isn't "free" money, but it is something that every struggling business owner can get behind. The staff has been (and still are) very "hands on" and interactive, doing whatever they can to help you succeed in making the loan.
To potential borrowers I'll say the same thing I tell all my friends whom I recommend Kiva to: It is hard work, but totally worth it. Don't give up, and you might be surprised by the kindness of complete strangers. Kiva wants you to succeed.
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