By Sara Inés Calderón
Más Wired
We had a chance to catch up with the CFO of Yondster, Joe S. Garcia recently and asked him a few questions. Yondster is:
an employment tech website with a splash of social networking. What makes us special and unique is that we specifically focus on those that are between the ages of 14-24. We have created a social space that provides an inclusive environment where teenagers and young adults have the chance to show the world all of the different things they have achieved and what makes them unique.
Yondster is currently working with non-profits to continue to connect teens and young adults with employment opportunities. In the next couple of years the organization hopes to be the “go to” site for employment for people aged 14-24.
Más Wired: What is Yondster?
Yondster: Yondster is focused on bringing the community of people that support our teens and young adults in to an environment that is conducive to their professional development. We establish relationships with educators, non-profits, and companies to employ our next generation of professionals. The Yondster team consists of a strong combination of well educated and experienced individuals with backgrounds in business and technology.
MW: What is Yondster’s focus?
Yondster: With an overall unemployment rate over 17% (higher among minorities), Yondster’s focus is on decreasing the unemployment rate among teens and young adults, ages 14-24.
MW: How did Yondster begin?
Yondster: Our founder, Ben Labra (Latino), created Yondster. It began when Ben’s stepson, also Latino, could not obtain employment simply because he had little or no work experience, despite the fact that he was Student Body President, had accumulated a high GPA, and was accepted to several ivy league college institutions. Upon learning this, Ben then compiled a “profile” of his stepson’s accomplishments, goals, and GPA via a basic website, provided it to his stepson, who in turn provided it to several potential employers and within several days Ben’s stepson obtained a job!
We learned that it was this compilation of achievements and successes that allowed the employer to truly know the job applicant they were interviewing, which in this case was an ivy league candidate, and thus hire a more trustworthy employee.
MW: What is some advice you would give to other Latino entrepreneurs?
Yondster: It is safe to say that entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. It is those those that can form a team, commit the time, make the sacrifices, implement and execute successfully that will eventually find success. If it were easy, everyone would do it! It is the process to success, not the promise of, that makes us who we are! Never give up!
