Community matters: from Brazil to East Belfast

An interview with Juliana Germinio, founder of marketing agency Yellow Zest

After meeting her future husband while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Brazil, Juliana Germinio took a trip to Northern Ireland and never went home. Now she’s the founder and CEO of marketing agency Yellow Zest and has a prominent role in the local community, bringing entrepreneurs together through networking and mentorship to foster stronger ties and build business. She muses on the highs and the lows of creating a company in her adopted country.

How business-friendly is Belfast?

Very. What has struck me most is how much collaboration there is between business owners, even within the same field, rather than pure competition. Organisations like Belfast Chamber and the Belfast Business Promise (run by Belfast City Council) really foster that – I’m part of both, and they’ve made me feel genuinely engaged with the wider future and wellbeing of our community.

There’s a great energy and momentum here right now – people are keen to start businesses, get involved, and connect. We also have fantastic support programmes, like Go Succeed, which helped me hugely as a founder. I went through it myself and now mentor other founders through it too. 

There are good grants and subsidies to help with hiring your first employee. I do think we need more foreign investment, though – we’re strategically placed between the Republic of Ireland and mainland UK, giving real access to both markets.

What help did you receive in setting up your company?

Go Succeed was central for me. I went through the programme and it helped me find the right resources and the right people. I’d recommend it to anyone starting or growing a business here. I also connected with Women in Business and Enterprise NI along the way. I haven’t received direct funding from them, but the network of support around founders here is strong.

How easy was it for you moving to another country and building your business?

Being a businesswoman is challenging anywhere in the world, but I’ve found Belfast genuinely welcoming. I’ve met wonderful people and built a really solid community and set of connections here. 

However, as a business owner and a mum, one real challenge has been the cost of childcare – though that’s not unique to me, it’s something every family in Northern Ireland feels, since we have some of the most expensive childcare in Western Europe.

What was your biggest challenge?

Understanding the humour and wit of the locals took some time. You can speak the language perfectly and still need space to tune into the culture and its nuances. Beyond that, the bigger leaps were practical ones – hiring my first member of staff, and signing the lease on our first office. Both felt enormous at the time, but I’m very glad I took the plunge.

What would you like to see more of for founders?

Early-stage founders have excellent support here, but once you’re a bit more established, local resources start to run out, so I would love to see more support for that next stage of growth. 

On policy, simplified and lower tax would make a real difference, especially for hospitality, which is one of my key sectors. Ireland recently cut its VAT rate for hospitality by over 4% and I think Northern Ireland could really benefit from a similar move, which would enable businesses to reinvest the saving. I’d also love to see more done with our derelict high-street buildings, giving business owners the chance to renovate and take on affordable premises for their first physical space. And I’d love to see more summits, conferences and founder-led events here – we have incredible venues like the ICC and Titanic Belfast that could host so much more of this.

What’s your standout business achievement so far?

Winning Best Startup at the Eastside Awards was a huge moment, but becoming an official employer has meant even more to me. I remember how apprehensive I was taking that leap to expand, but now I have a team I can count on  and the ability to help them grow. Beyond drawing my own salary, I’m now creating jobs for the local economy, and that means so much!

How well do you feel you have integrated into your local community?

It’s been easy, honestly. I think being appreciative and respectful of local culture goes a long way. I’ve always been a strong advocate for East Belfast specifically, and about two years ago I set up my own network for local business owners, the East Belfast Business Meet Up. It’s still going strong and I’ve made wonderful friends through it. Being open, genuinely curious about other people’s stories and wanting to see them succeed has made integrating so much easier. I’ve found the local creative community especially warm and fun, and I now have lifelong friends here who feel like family.

What does your future look like?

We want to keep growing the agency and taking on meaningful work. We recently designed branding for educational materials used by the Education Authority to teach children about the African continent, which was a brilliant project to be part of. I’m also in the early stages of launching a podcast that will feature businesses across Northern Ireland and their founder stories. Alongside that, I want to keep building partnerships and friendships with businesses both locally and abroad, and keep growing our East Belfast Business Meet Up community, supporting one another as we all keep building.

Connect with Juliana at yellowzest.co.uk