How do You Help People Who Help People?
An interview with Joey Zumaya & Mariana Zumaya, owners of The Zumaya Group
I was introduced to Joey Zumaya and Mariana Zumaya of the Zumaya Group by Claudia who, for the last several years, has worked with them in various capacities. She spoke so endearingly about the remarkable contribution they were making in our community that it became clear it was time to interview them for our Kinder World of Commerce campaign. The Zumaya Group is a full-service firm advising non-profits, businesses and government agencies on all things talent and strategy. Joey Zumaya is their Founding Partner and Mariana Garcia is the Managing Partner.
ML/CR: I know that your purpose in life is to help people who help people. What exactly does that mean to you?
JZ: Both my wife, Mariana, and I come from humble beginnings, where we were the first in our families for many different things. Some of those things were accomplished with little to no help. We navigated through obstacles alone and knowing how much a helping hand would have been crucial in our lives, we’d like to be that helping hand for others who are also experiencing something for the first time, or simply want to get better at it.
It also means giving people who have dedicated their lives and careers to helping others the resources, tools and connections they need to be successful. This includes increasing their capability to increase their impact. Developing someone’s ability to effectively utilize an advisory board so it can help execute their mission would be an example. It can also be as simple as helping someone set a plan for career growth or career change or providing leaders with assistance in their body language, public speaking skills, setting expectations for their team or dealing with imposter syndrome to name a few. Other examples of more involved engagement are executive coaching, board development and/or strategic planning.
ML/CR: Was there a pivotal time in your life that set you on this path of helping others in need?
JZ: Yes – living in a homeless shelter as a teenager. It was a rough time in my life, and I needed security and encouragement. There was a staff member who spent time providing that for me, and his work inspired me to help people the way he did if I ever got the chance. Having someone help me was a pivotal time in my life: it made me see that all it takes is one person to support another, and lives can be changed for both people involved.
MZ: For me, it was seeing the kindness I received from strangers when we immigrated from Mexico. When I was in 5th grade, I had classmates who would pull out a Spanish/English dictionary so they could write me notes which made me feel included. My teacher, Mr. Rodriguez, spent extra time with me to help me learn this new language, always reassuring me that it takes time and that I would be fluent in no time. It was this help that made a difference in my life, and I promised myself I would do the same for others.
ML/CR: How did that life experience contribute to your finding success in Santa Barbara and starting the Zumaya Group?
JZ/MZ: My family has been in Santa Barbara for generations. We have always felt a sense of pride being from here. When we decided to create The Zumaya Group, we knew it had to be in Santa Barbara since that is where our stories began, and that’s where we’d like this legacy to continue. Our son who is in high school already has plans to attend UCSB, so that makes us very proud!
ML/CR: What are the vision, mission and values of your company?
JZ: Our Vision is to increase the impact of organizations doing good in the world and our mission is to increase the capability of organizations doing good in the world. As for our values, 1) we are motivated by the love of God; 2) we prioritize people; 3) we take our work seriously but not ourselves. Additionally, we aspire to create a culture that provides a purposeful, impactful, transformational, and fun experience for our employees, partners and clients.
ML/CR: How do you and your employees put those values into action every day?
MZ: We have dedicated ourselves to our vision and our mission. Our culture is who we are and aspire to be. And our values are what we use to make decisions on a daily basis. Every client meeting exhibits one or all of our values and serves as a reminder that every project we undertake with them is impacting people through our work.
On our social media platforms, we like to highlight nonprofits who are doing good in the world; we post free resources for people in the impact sector, and we like to post lighthearted content as well because we believe in having fun along the way!
Our values are front and center for us whether it’s at a team meeting, a working lunch, or through our branding – it is what makes the Zumaya Group a values-driven company.
To learn more about The Zumaya Group, visit www.ZumayaGroup.org. Joey Zumaya can be reached at [email protected] and Mariana Zumaya at [email protected].