In Spanish, “Qué tu buscas?” means “What are you looking for?” and for Fannie Lansch, founder of QueTuBuscas.com, the answer is ”“ a new way to connect.
On a steamy end-of-summer afternoon in Tarrytown, the seven-month-pregnant Lansch arrived both chic and prepared to talk about her venture, a laptop and portfolio tucked under arm.
These days, she”™s busy.
Dinner plans and a potential ad client conference call awaited her.
In her work as president of the Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Sleepy Hollow resident said that both professionally and personally, she acted as a sort of pseudo-Yellow Pages.
“I”™ve always been asked, ”˜Who should I hire”™ and ”˜How do I advertise my business?”™” she said. “For the past few years with the Chamber of Commerce, those questions have multiplied.”
Seven months ago, Lansch began developing a concept for a global marketplace that fostered job growth and connections between employers and job candidates.
She wanted to promote bilingual education and break down language barriers during the process.
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“I came here knowing no English at all and it takes a long time to catch up or at least get to a point where you feel comfortable speaking and performing at any job.,” Lansch said of her life as a fashion model in the Dominican Republic before moving to America. “For some fields, it”™s not as important to communicate as in others. If you”™re in a manual labor job, it may not be as important, but it still helps.” She noticed a need for the understanding of technology and the knowledge bank it brings.
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“Some people don”™t even know social media exists,” she said. “With the Chamber of Commerce, we had an event a couple of months ago and taught people how to get ahead in business using social media. Some people are on it, but don”™t know how to benefit fully from it.”
Getting and staying ahead in business meant hitting roadblocks because of the economy.
“Right now with the slow-running economy and drop in sales, it”™s hurting people like sole practitioners and people in the restaurant industry,” Lansch said. “Then, you have unemployment and many that have had to change careers because they were laid off in their area of expertise.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that among major worker groups, the unemployment rates were: adult men, 10.1 percent; whites, 8.9 percent and Hispanics, 13 percent.
The overall unemployment rate climbed from 9.4 percent to 9.7 percent.
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She had transitioned from banking and real estate to a full-time web entrepreneur just months ago.
“In the Hudson Valley, I see many businesses open and close, which is sad,” Lansch said of the Latin-American community. “It”™s good to have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, but it”™s sad to see resources that aren”™t there or that are hard to find. It takes a lot of time for benefits to get to small business owners.”
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Lansch sought to connect employer and employee through QueTuBuscas.com.
The Experts”™ Gallery was designed as an online showcase of freelancers and independent contractors from the U.S, Latin America and Spain.
A classified section sans the pop-ups in employment listings, real estate opportunities and other business resources.
There is a messaging system to keep email addresses private.
Membership is $5.95 per year and varies according to selected profile.
