What does a multilingual entrepreneur look like? Meet Leisy, a successful blogger and business owner who is fluent in German, English, French, Spanish and Créole. Read on to find out how she learned these languages and more about her hair supply and hair care business.
BGLL: Thank you so much for agreeing to share your story! Tell us about yourself. Who are you and what do you do?
Leisy: I’m Eddyleisy Figaro, but you can call
me Leisy for short. I’m a Caribbean gal. Straight outta Dominican Rep/Haiti
but I currently live in Switzerland. I work as a Sales and Marketing Associate
by day. By night, I own a blog called Dear Ms. Figaro (formerly LovelyMuffin),
and a hair supply and care business called Figaro’s Allure by night.
My native languages are French Patois (Créole) & Spanish. I also speak English,
German, and French (although I’m not as fluent in French as I once was).
BGLL: How did you learn the other languages?
Leisy: I grew up in Germany, so German is like
my third native language. I learned English in school since it’s a mandatory
class in Germany. I always loved English because I found it so easy to learn
and most of my favorite songs are in English. In order to understand them, I
needed to understand English. I’ve learned it mostly with lyrics of my favorite
songs. I read them, listened to the music and tried to translate them helped a
lot. I loved to play video games with a story line (like Zelda) when I was
younger. Dialogues were always in English at that time, so I had my dictionary
with me all the time. I always understood French because of the language spoken
in Haiti (Créole), therefore, understanding it was never an issue. I wanted to
speak, spell and write in French so I attended a class for 2 years during
college. I also understand Italian, but I don't speak it at all. I only know
some words, but we have Italians in our family, that's why.
I use English mostly for my job because I work for an American company and French, too because we have plenty of French speaking customers. My next goal is to speak French fluently, so currently I'm watching a lot of French TV and speaking to my family members from Haiti in French instead of Créole.
BGLL: Which of your foreign languages are your favorite and why?
Leisy: Probably English and Spanish. English is super easy to learn and when travelling it's a big help, too. So many people can speak it - it's a world language. It's a MUST! I also love Spanish, because I love how it sounds. It's really a passionate language and the first language I've spoken at a young age. Hearing people speak it sets a lot of memories free and, of course, because I'm a sucker for Latin music. I don't speak it as fluently anymore because I don't use it that often.
BGLL: Tell me more about your blog Dear Ms. Figaro and your hair supply and care business Figaro’s Allure.
Leisy: My blog is my space to share fashion,
beauty related subjects and also life stories with people who are interested.
Right now, it's more about fashion but that will change in the future. I want
to give my blog substance, more value. Helping others with relatable issues
I've been through and building a great community, is my focus with it.
Since I was 16 years young I've been
loving extensions. Not because I hated my real hair but because I love the
diversity of it. I wanted to build a business around something that has been
around me since I was a teen and that’s what I did with Figaro’s Allure. My blog, Dear Ms. Figaro has helped me with
that.
BGLL: What three tips you can offer those who are trying
to learn the languages you know?
Leisy: Attend classes, don't be afraid to say something wrong, meet people who speak those languages and DON’T GIVE UP! It's a long process but it's worth it!
BGLL: How can we keep up with you on social or find out more about your hair supply and hair care offers?
Leisy: Attend classes, don't be afraid to say something wrong, meet people who speak those languages and DON’T GIVE UP! It's a long process but it's worth it!
BGLL: How can we keep up with you on social or find out more about your hair supply and hair care offers?
Leisy: My blog site is: www.dearmsfigaro.com, my Instagram account for my blog is
@eddyleisyfigaro and my twitter is @eddyleisyfigaro. For my hair supply and
care business my site is www.figarosallure.com and my Instagram account for the
business is @figarosallure.
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