The American dream, what exactly is it? Many people pursue it, but not everyone manages to achieve it. This is not the case of Carlos Barbagallo, an Argentine man who landed in our country without even speaking the language. The only thing he brought with him was a catalogue with the products that his family manufactured in Argentina. And a great desire to have an opportunity. Today, his company invoices millions of dollars a year and has managed to establish itself in the market. This is his story.
What is the American dream?
Let’s say that it is like the idea that anyone can be successful in the United States if they work hard and take advantage of the opportunities that come their way. It is based on believing that with effort, perseverance and talent, your life can improve in a flash, but it is not always so easy. There are barriers that prevent many from continuing to persevere along the way (language, lack of money or legal barriers).
Who is Carlos Barbagallo?
We are talking about an Argentine businessman, who is now 54 years old and makes millions a year, but he came to the United States on a vacation trip with two other friends. In his family, it was common that if someone left home, they would take a catalogue of the father’s company “just in case” (the father worked in a factory of electric kettles, but became independent in the sale of tableware). So, when he set foot in the United States he had two contacts to talk to, but only one of them would answer him. He presented his products and returned to Argentina.
But life was good for him at that time, and it was in June 2000 when he was offered the chance to travel to New York to sell his products. And he went, of course.
Hard beginnings, but with determination
In 2001, Barbagallo had just enough in his wallet, but he really wanted to work. And basic English didn’t stop him from moving around to make calls. Little by little he began to sell his products. In 2002, he made the final decision to move to the United States. On this journey he was accompanied by his wife Noelia, who also did not hesitate to accompany him to continue studying in the United States.
The giant leap: entrepreneurship.
As we already know, entrepreneurship can go very well or it can go very badly. But, for Barbagallo it was time to take the leap and take a risk, if it didn’t work out it was as simple as going back to what he was doing. So, together with his contacts from his country of origin, he began to import and sell his own utensils. It wasn’t easy. Of course, import costs went up and Argentina entered into a great economic crisis, but he didn’t regret it or give up. He had another idea.
The Big Bet
Once he realized that he needed to find another place to import his products from, he decided to move production to India. This allowed him to reduce costs and compete with the big brands in the United States. Years later, he decided to use Chinese technology to add titanium dioxide to porcelain. This was a product that no one else had, since it was porcelain with a metallic finish that did not lose strength (or functionality). Pampa Bay, his company, was creating a completely new category in the market.
From a small business to a more global market
According to Barbagallo, his products are sold in more than 3,000 stores in the United States, as well as in 15 different countries. He was a huge success, until in 2018, a larger company claimed in court that the products they were selling were theirs. It was just a strategy to get them off the market, but Barbagallo managed to emerge unscathed from those accusations.
As a lesson from his career, Barbagallo teaches us that we must always adapt to market changes and not give up in the face of any difficulty, no matter how hard the day gets. The American dream exists, and he achieved it!