While growing up, Eveline Pierre spent her summers in her parents’ native country of Haiti. She realized what she saw in media didn’t reflect the richness of her family’s homeland. After jobs in entertainment and politics, she decided to open her own museum celebrating Caribbean culture in Miami. See her journey to becoming her own boss.
The gig: I run a museum and curate dreams for other people. So many unique people come through the museum. Interacting with them empowers me. I help people who might not have the courage, or the tools, to navigate in the tech space and museum world.
The journey: I have always really connected with my culture. At a very young age my parents would send us to Haiti for the summers and I loved it. I realized that what the media was portraying about Haiti was inaccurate. Right after my stay in Los Angeles working as an agent assistant, I felt the strong need to give back to my community and I founded the museum. I wanted to create a cultural legacy. Now I am scaling up what we do in the Museum to include the entire Caribbean region.
On being her own boss: Eleven years ago I lost my job as aid to the Mayor of the City of Miami. I did not like that feeling. I decided then that I would never work for someone ever again, and I have never looked back. It has not always been easy, there were times when I did not have a client and didn’t know how I was going to pay my bills, but I kept going and everything worked out.
Her biggest lesson learned: I learned that you have to be mindful in discussing your intellectual property. I recovered from this by making sure to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to protect my intellectual property and myself.
The smartest advice she’s ever received: Always be prepared, because when the opportunity happens, if you are ready, this moment will be magical.
Her key to work-life balance: You must schedule everything.
Her theme song: “No Limits, No Boundaries” by Israel Houghton and New Breed.
My tech must-haves: My iPad manages everything. I love the EchoSign app for fast signatures and the Free Wifi finder app.
My beauty bag: I love MAC n9 Studio Fix and my Salle Hansen Tickled Pink nail polish.
My power accessory: Anything purple will do. It is the color of royalty and I absolutely love it.