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HATTIE: From her Miami headquarters with satellite offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Detroit and New York, Tere's 70-person team works to craft the precise message that will speak the language of its target market.

HATTIE: In 1973, Tere opened her own ad agency with the encouragement of friends who loaned her office space and a typewriter. Today, she owns this building and will handle $80 million in billings for a list of blue chip companies, including American Airlines, Ford Motor Company and S.C. Johnson, maker of Windex, Ziploc, Pledge and many other consumer products.

TERESA: First, my husband started a small business of his own which really didn't go very well. So one day, he said to me, `I think that you should look for a job'--I had secretarial skills--`because we have to declare bankruptcy.' And as a typical, obedient Cuban wife, I looked for secretarial opportunities in the classifieds.

The first attempt I made was an insurance agency. Believe it or not, they did not hire me because I was Cuban.

The second job (interview) I went to was an advertising agency. And I didn't know anything about advertising. I didn't even know how to use an electric typewriter because I had learned on a manual. And the person that interviewed me--everything he asked me--he would say, `Do you know anything about advertising?' And my answer would be, `I don't know, but I'll learn,' and so forth. And every time he--`I don't know, but I'll learn.' So that was a Friday. And Monday morning, I get the call that I got the job. And then I asked later on--Mr. Gilmore, who was my boss, Al Gilmore, I said, `Why did you hire me?'

He said, `Because I have never met a more honest answer in interviewing any person, because you did not try to fool me. You know, you were straightforward and said, "I don't know, but I will learn."'

HATTIE: Did he go on to say, `I want to hire people who want to learn'?

TERESA: Yes. When I told my husband and my father that I was going to start my own business, they both told me, `You'll never make it because you're a Cuban and you're a woman.' And that's precisely where I saw the opportunity because I figured I'm a woman, I'm 34 years old. I am the primary target for any kind of advertising, you know. Women 25 to 49, that's the target for anything.

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TERESA: I'm a Cuban. I know the culture of the Hispanic world. I have traveled extensively. So I know all the little idiosyncrasies of the various countries that make up this entire Hispanic world. So I said, `These are assets. These are not weaknesses.' These are my assets. This is how I'm going to make it.

HATTIE: Let's talk about the power of being a woman. Why does being a woman--why is it an advantage?

TERESA: I don't mean to sound--I mean, I am not a woman's libber. I have never joined a liberation movement because liberation is really up here. I do agree on one of the terms of the women's lib, and it is that we're entitled to make the same amount of money as a man as long as we know the same as the man.

HATTIE: Right. Equal pay, equal work.

TERESA: Equal pay, equal work. But on the other hand, if you really sit down and think back, men and women have always been told what to do by a woman from the day they're born. It's the mother, it's the nanny, it's the older sister, it's the first girlfriend, it's the teacher, it's the secretary, it's the wife and then it's the daughter. So in essence, if we don't become bullies--because that's the problem--some women because they need to prove that, `Yeah, you know, I'm powerful,' then they come in, and they become so assertive that they become threatening.

But I am Mama Zubi, and everybody calls me Mama Zubi. Even some clients call me Mama Zubi because I do it with that maternal instinct.

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HATTIE: Tere's two children work for the agency. Joe Zubizarreta focuses on clients.

JOE ZUBIZARRETA: I mean, I've got $100,000 in research and $250,000 in production that can be used over time.

HATTIE: A team meets in Joe's office to begin work on Zubi's first Internet client: a Web portal, Latino.com.

Unidentified Woman #1: ...Los Angeles, Miami and New York are the three markets that are...

Unidentified Woman #2: ...the top three markets.

Joe: Most of my job is making sure that our clients are receiving the strategic direction that they need to move their businesses forward. Making sure that the agency has enough volume of revenue coming in in terms of getting new business and making sure our current clients are happy. It’s really sort of a laison between the client and the agency. There are a lot of people here that expect me to give them direction and leadership and there are a lot of clients that expect me to give them work. So I have to find the happy medium.

HATTIE: Daughter Michelle manages internal processes.

MICHELLE: We really try to stress the fact that every minute of your day counts.

HATTIE: You've got to show your client this is what this person did and how much time they spent.

MICHELLE: Absolutely. Because we've got it--in all of our contracts. And we do it openly and we do it honestly. In all of our contracts, our clients have the right to come in and audit our books.

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HATTIE: Michelle hired Stuart Miller, the company's first full-time information systems person. So what did you find when you came here?

STUART MILLER: I found a mess. I found very old technology. But I was given an opportunity that just said, `Please fix us. Get us past our competitors.'

TIM SWIES: Why work at Zubi? It's Tere Zubi.

HATTIE: Tim Swies has been at the agency for 14 years.

TIM: She has an ability to walk into a room and absolutely captivate a room, regardless of who's in there. And I've seen her do this with the captains of industry.

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TIM: Our niche that we've kind of carved out for ourselves in terms of `What are we bringing to the party that no one else can?' is an insight into the Hispanic market that we don't think our competitors, to a large degree, possess. And we've kind of narrowed that down, in its simplest form, to erasing stereotypes.

JOE: We’ve come a long way in our society understanding that different cultures and different languages are an added benefit to this country not a determent to this country.

TIM: Moira! Would you do me a favor, sweetheart? Would you go into Joey Castro's office--the giant eraser--the Erase Stereotypes kit? This is kind of a door opener, a first step. We would have a reel, an agency reel, and a little note that would suggest to them that if we could have five minutes of their time, we think that we can make a difference in how they may be approaching the Hispanic market.

JOE: Now we have an opportunity to communicate to Hispanics in almost three different languages.

HATTIE: Oh?

JOE: The total Spanish, Spanglish and English. Spanglish. Spanglish is (Spanish spoken)--`How are you feeling today?'

The average age of the employees right now is the early 30s . They are all cross over bi-cultural Hispanics who understand both what it’s like to live in the general market and in their Hispanic culture.

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TERESA: We depend very, very much on research. We do not do anything for any client unless we research it fully. We needed to get into the consumer mind-set that was going to buy his first new car. Now comes the time to buy your first new car, brand-new. And then you walk into a dealership. And when you walk into the dealership, you walk in with a lot of hesitation because you're Hispanic. And you don't know if they're not going to treat you right because you're Hispanic, or they're going to take you for a ride because you're Hispanic. So you walk in with a certain apprehension and fear. You usually bring the family to get the approval.

HATTIE: Right.

TERESA: ...or if you're single, you bring a friend to get the approval. Now you buy your new car. And most Hispanics' new car has a lot of customizing to it because it's your own. This is you. So, you know, you may see, you know, the steel bands or-- you know.

HATTIE: Right. The extra chrome.

TERESA: The extra chrome, etc. Now you walk out of there in your car, and you're going to parade it through the neighborhood. And that's going to be the symbol that, `Hey, Pepe, you made it. Look at him. Did you see what he's driving?' He bought--wow, he must really be making it.' That's the mind-set that we wanted to get to. And we got that by doing research, one-on-one, psychological and anthropological with the potential customers of Ford in two key areas: LA and San Antonio. And that's how we developed the entire campaign. And the entire campaign, the slogan is `Your spirit of accomplishment inspires us.'

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Unidentified Woman #3: So we have the kids talking, and we have this guy talking to them.

HATTIE: Maria Elena de la Noval explains the television ad making process.

MARIA ELENA DE LA NOVAL: This is a storyboard. It's created by the creative team, an art director and a copywriter. And basically, this is what we use as the first outline to go out and look for a director that is most appropriate for this job. A director takes a board and just brings it to life.

HATTIE: Tell me about a time when you got to do something that was sort of off the chart, totally cool.

MARIA: I think it was Zorro. I mean, in my career of, like, 15 years in this industry, Zorro has been the most exciting experience that I've had (Excerpt).

MARIA: We didn't think it was even going to make it. And we took them to test, and it just broke records for the testing. So then we approached the Zorro company, and we told them we want to do--we have this idea, how much would it cost, can we do it? And then they sent us to Columbia Pictures--Sony Columbia TriStar. And actually, they said, `Well, we'd love to do that with you. How about if we even bring Catherine Zeta-Jones in it?' And we said, `No problem.' So they brought Catherine. We got the stunt woman that doubled her in the film. We got their wardrobe. Everything that was authentic from the film, they gave us, and it worked.

HATTIE:And it sold Mustangs?

MARIA: Oh, it sold.

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TERESA: We consider the clients our partners, because if not, then we only become--we're only a supplier and not a source.

HATTIE: And that's crucial.

TERESA: Yes.

HATTIE: OK. Do you want to stop there a minute? What's the difference between a supplier and a source?

TERESA: A supplier is somebody that you subcontract to do something for you based on the instructions that you give them. A source is somebody that partners with you, takes a particular problem or a particular situation and jointly tries to come up with a strategy to solve it. That's where the agency comes in. We sell ideas. We deal with getting your mind-set changed to buy a product or use a service that you hadn't thought of doing before.

So you need--more than textbook knowledge, you need to have that inner feeling, emotion, that you know what your customer needs and you know how to talk to him. But there have been clients where I have no chemistry, and I walk away from it.: Because I'm very perceptive of body language. I rely extremely on the way that people shake hands. And I rely extremely on the way that, when I meet somebody, do they look at me or do they shift their eyes?That person has nothing to do with me.

HATTIE: OK. So if we shake hands right now....you're going to be able to tell something about me.

TERESA: Yep.

HATTIE: OK. OK. So let's just pretend I just met you. And, Tere, I'm Hattie Bryant.

TERESA: OK.

HATTIE: I'm really thrilled to be in your building. In fact, we drove up, we loved the colors. We love the palm trees. OK, so what did you find from my handshake?

TERESA: First of all, you have a strong handshake, which means that you mean it. : Secondly, you always looked at me in the eye while we were shaking hands. Now let me show you how I don't--the person that I don't want to do business with.

HATTIE: OK. All right.

TERESA: Good to meet you. No, just let go.People will go, `Good to meet you,' and they take it away.

HATTIE: Oh, without shaking. OK. So if they don't want to have any of this physical contact--if they're afraid of that ..then you're saying, `This is not going to be a potential client for me.'

TERESA: It cannot be. Yep. And it's worked. And it also works in hiring people. : Because again, you know, we are like a big family. And we are--because we're a small business--even though we have grown, we're still a small business. And so we're like one big family, and we have to fight together and cheer together and rejoice and cry together. And so if the person does not show me this commitment to Zubi....because the first thing I tell somebody who's going to work for us is, `You work with me, not for me. I am the coach. You are part of the team. I am but one person. This is Zubi. Everything that you see here is Zubi. I am only the leader, the coach, because I founded it, because of the experience, but everybody is entitled to my own opinion as long as I agree with their opinion.'

HATTIE: Give us some tips. H ow do you best manage this generation X group?

JOE: Flexiblity is the key to today’s younger work force. You have to understant that priorities these days are more self-fulling goals than corporate goals. In a company of our size with 60 people you know everybody by name . Y ou know their kids and you know their hubands and wives. If somebody is sick or traveling for two days in a row, you cut them a break and understand there are other things in life other than being here. The agency business is not a 9-5 business. We will work ' til midnight and come in at 10 in the morning. Most of our creative department doesn't work on standard office hours. All we ask is we adjust ourselves to the time tables of our clients.

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HATTIE: Use your intuition in the selling process. Tere told us, `If I don't feel right about a potential customer, I run the other way.' She is always asking herself in the selling process, `Can we work together over the long haul? Do we have the same values? Can we build a real partnership?' She doesn't just want to make a sale. She wants to form a long-term relationship. She also wants the client to take her advice. She truly believes that she and her team can deliver for the customer, but they have to have the freedom to do so. You may have to fine-tune your intuition, and when you do, it will work for you more powerfully than any spreadsheet.

Use your intuition to attract the right customers, then you'll probably keep them for life.

At smallbusinessschool. org there is self-help study for people who want to a business and for those who want to grow the business they have. From the home page choose steps to start or steps to grow. Next you'll find eight steps or stages of growth. At each step you'll find links to more recources. Also from the home page you can choose learn online for access to streaming video and interactive study guides.

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TERESA: On a personal note, after 20 years of marriage, my husband said he wanted to see me, and I gave him an appointment at the office. And he came to tell me that he had had it with me, and he divorced me. And rightly so, because I had a lover, which was Zubi Advertising. Well, we remain very good friends. And during the three-year process of our separation, we actually sat down and talked. Because the problem is that I'm in the communications business, and I was not communicating at home. OK?

HATTIE: To him, right.

TERESA: So we communicated. Long story short, we were remarried three years later on the same day as the first wedding. And our children were the ones we invited to the wedding. And for now, we have been married for 40 years because I tell him those three years were three years of leave of absence without pay. No, but I'm saying is the obstacles don't just come in the business end, but they also come in the personal life. And it's important--we women, we're so used to having to take care of everything, you know. You have to be a mother. You have to be a wife. You have to be, you know, a career person. You have to be a community. And then there comes a point where you have to prioritize.

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TERESA: Let me tell you a little incident. There have been years--I mean, the advertising business is very fickle. And there have been years where we have closed the year in the red. But everybody has busted their butt to make it go. So my philosophy is, `Well, if I'm in the red already and these people have worked their butts off' with me all year long, they are entitled to a bonus even if I'm in the red. Because if I'm going to be in the red for $100,000, I'll be in the red for $150,000. I mean, I'm already in the red.

And so I give everybody a bonus.

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TERESA: In addition to that, the way that we conduct business--for instance, we don't give clients presents for Christmas. We take the amount of money that we would spend on presents and we do a charitable act in their names, and we send them a letter saying, `Our Christmas gift to you this year is' whatever.

HATTIE: Do you feel pressure to be as good as she is or be as smart as she is?

JOE: Oh. Yeah, I don't think that I or anyone else will ever be as good as my mom is and has been. You know, the pressures that she faced and the challenges that she faced in the '60s and '70s don't exist anymore.

MICHELLE: I can't fill my mom's shoes.

HATTIE: What do you say?

TERESA: When I wake up in the morning, sometimes I say, `Gee, I would love to stay sleeping a little longer.'

HATTIE: And...

TERESA: And when I'm driving on the expressway, I say, `Gee, Tere, you've come a long way, baby.'

In the Studio

HATTIE: Target your effort because you can't afford to reach the whole world, and you probably don't want to, anyway. Tere says to fine tune your intuition, and when you do, it will work for you better than any spread sheet: Use your intuition to attract the right customers then you'll probably keep them for life.