Valeria Pasmanter and How Her Startup Helps Foreigners Find Rooms in Argentina
Finding a place to stay in Argentina is not just stressing but also dangerous. That's why most of the foreigners who had visited the place would often complain about their demoralizing experiences. Some of them would say that they have wasted so much time. Other would say that most of their money was spent in a worthless search. Some would even testify their experiences where they were asked to pay inflated rates because of their accent.
When Valeria Pasmanter, an Argentinian who used to work in AIESEC, an international NGO that generates "work exchange programs for students abroad," learned about how these foreigners view her country she decided to offer them the comfort they need. That was when she started her own business focused on "promoting positive exchange experiences."
The idea of her business started when Pasmanter heard that most of the international students catered by AIESEC were having a hard time looking for a place to stay in Argentina. In 2008, she decided to launch the Spare Rooms Buenos Aires Company, which served as an intermediary between tourists and landlords after she had lost her job.
According to The Next Web, launching her business was difficult. Due to privacy and security concerns, Pasmanter had a hard time convincing landlords to open their rooms for her business. But she didn't lose hope instead she persuaded them even more. As the result, the company is now managing more than 300 rooms and planning to branch out to other cities as well.
After almost seven years in the business, Spare Rooms Buenos Aires has grown into a startup that people, especially foreigners, trust.
"Each person who has stayed in a room is a great success for us! Work that we like is a success for us. To help other people to find a place to sleep, in which they feel comfortable is a success for Spare Rooms Buenos Aires," Valeria Pasmanter shared in Story Exchange.
To Valeria Pasmanter, the person who has greatly influenced her was her father. It was her dad who taught her how to focus and be responsible in life in order for her to grow and be successful.
"My model is my dad. He, through his daily example taught me the culture of work, responsibility and to be devoted to one single thing and focus on it. My dad is the one who grew up poor and he built a medium company," she shared.
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