Jeneth D’Alonzo is a managing partner of DMSI, an international manufacturer of high-tech Fiber Optic Connectivity Products. She was chosen as the “International Business Person of the Year 2022,” by the Tampa Bay Organization of Women in International Trade.
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN YOUR CAREER? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THOSE CHALLENGES?
Building a manufacturing facility in the Philippines. DMSI was the first fiber optic connectivity manufacturer in the Philippines. This strategy presented all types of challenging issues. There were supply chain issues, training, power issues, logistics and even managing local corruption. These difficulties would have deterred most people, but we found a way to maneuver the obstacles to be successful in this endeavor. You learn to be resilient.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST LESSON IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY?
The greatest lesson is that however good you are, you will make mistakes; you will fail and you will be discouraged. But if you take these challenges as a hindrance then you will never succeed, and you will never grow. Failure is only a failure if you quit. If you take these challenges as a gift and a way to grow, then you learn to be better than you were yesterday. Then you begin to set yourself up for success. To be successful is to have a great mindset. You do not quit, you keep on pushing yourself and you keep the faith that you will be successful.
