Family-Owned Business Brings Wellness to the American Workplace
BN Star of Pasco County
For more than 20 years, Magnolia Munoz, Omar Orjuela, and Tomás Orjuela, a family in Colombia, dedicated itself to improving health and wellness through workplace activities. When the family decided to expand to the United States, they brought their business, BN Star, and their vision with them— helping businesses build healthier, more productive teams.
“We started our business to continue a twenty yearlong business in Colombia and the benefits of our activities to more people to improve health and wellness in the workplace,” Magnolia explained.
The company focuses on wellness and healthy habits for the workforce, offering services designed to boost morale, reduce stress, and promote a culture of wellbeing. Their mission is simple: healthier employees lead to stronger businesses.
To ensure a successful launch in a new country, the owners turned to the Florida SBDC at USF and business consultant Pablo Arroyo. “We have used Florida SBDC at USF and Pablo’s guidance to build a stronger foundation to grow our brand in the American market, also advice and more peer review on how our idea would look in this new country,” Tomás shared.
With support from the Florida SBDC at USF, the business gained insight into legal requirements, financial planning, and branding strategies. The team also participated in no-cost training and received valuable peer review to better understand how their idea would fit into the American market.
“We have felt empowered to know that our idea was viable in this market. So from starting [with] our first clients and building the bridge from clients from Colombia and getting the confidence through market research and different variabilities, it has been really key for our stronger presence in the county and the state,” Tomás said.
That foundation has paid off. The company has established its presence in the United States and continues to grow its reputation as a trusted resource for workplace wellness.
“Our biggest success is with no doubt being able to start our business and in a short time have it strongly running and out there. That has been incredible. When you move from abroad, everything is unknown. Everything is scary, but having a strong foundation and a smooth start has been a great success in a short period of time for sure,” Tomás added.
Looking ahead, the owners plan to continue working with the Florida SBDC at USF to support their expansion and reach more businesses. “As we continue to grow our business, we’re looking forward to using more of the networking resources and also continuing to use all the consulting possibilities that we can get… so from refining our strategies to going into more specific areas of our business, like marketing or financing. I think it would be great to explore,” Tomás said.
When asked what advice they would give to their fellow small business owners, Tomás said: “I would tell other small business owners that are wanting to start, that Florida SBDC is gonna help you a lot so don’t be scared. There are many resources that you can explore, a lot of ways to learn new things and that they’re definitely gonna make it easier.”
The family emphasized how they will surely use the Florida SBDC at USF as their go-to business resource as they continue to advocate for wellness in the workforce and provide their services. “Florida SBDC at USF are wonderful,” Magnolia concluded.
