Entrepreneur trades printing press for million-dollar LED display business

In my life, I worked as an ice cream maker, a painter, a sheet metal worker, a barbeque cook, and a printer. I even handed out brochures to make money. No matter what I did, I always sought out the best in life, and a way to get ahead.

Mariano Junco

2 years ago
November 22, 2022

4 min read

Careers

Javier Miranda launched Grupo Uno LED, creating a million-dollar international business | Photo courtesy of Grupo Uno LED's press arm

Interview Subject

Javier Miranda is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of recent years in Argentina. He maintains a low profile and is, at the same time, very eccentric. He built a million-dollar business which he shares with his ex-wife. Javier is the father of twins. He abandoned his printing company to take advantage of an opportunity to start over with an LED screen display business now called Grupo Uno LED. Javier has since written a book called “No bajes los brazos” in which he tells his story of overcoming.

Background Information

Grupo Uno LED creates display screens and in recent years billed over a million in sales throughout the world. Javier has opened branches in Spain, the Ivory Coast, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic. He also thinks that Latin America should abandon exports from Asia and his goal is to enter the Chinese market.
The company has shown exponential growth since 2013, leading to maximum exposure in Argentina when it installed a 12×6 meter screen in the remodeled soccer stadium of the Club Estudiantes de La Plata, an institution with a great popular tradition in Argentine sports.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina ꟷ I have always fought for my career and my family, through job changes and rising debt. Sometimes I struggled to maintain a vision for the future, especially when things were not going well. Then, in 2013, a simple phone call led to a new opportunity and today, as President of Grupo Uno LED, I run a million-dollar business selling large LED display screens as part of the tech industry.

[Grupo Uno LED sells indoor display screens, outdoor billboard-style screens, and movie screens. Forbes Magazine called Javier “an enlightened man” for reinventing himself and overcoming a barrage of challenges to achieve success.]

From laborer to President in big tech

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In 2013, I ran a printing press business. That same year, my twins came into the world. I owed two months’ rent on the house where we lived and three months in back payments on the printing press. As I sat in the living room, burdened by our financial situation, and haunted with worry, I needed to find a solution.

Then, one day, a call came in. I took the call in the dining room and the person on the other end of the line asked if I sold 3×2 meter LED screens. With my daughters and their mother nearby, I looked on, clueless about these so-called screens. I had no idea what they were. My partner didn’t know either, but we desperately needed the money, so I promised to send a quote the next day.

Quickly searching the internet, I found a seller 500 kilometers from my house and went looking for the screen to resell. I felt hopeful about the order and confident taking on the challenge of making the sale. The long trip to the client felt endless. Six hours turned into twelve and I had my daughters with me. While the sale proved to be a difficult one to execute, with the income I earned, I paid off my debts and had money left over. The next day I closed the printing shop and started my screen business.

Entrepreneur gives a hand up by helping other business owners grow

Grupo Uno LED grew exponentially because of the way we work. We treat clients like family. Some clients invest in new screens by selling vehicles, borrowing money, or withdrawing their savings. We believe in them. Often, we execute the contract or sign a promissory note in the hopes of giving our clients the opportunity they need to make the money back by selling ads on their large indoor and outdoor displays.

We often encounter clients going through situations similar to ours before we started the business. I like to give people a hand up – to help those wanting to start their own businesses. We do not just sell screens to customers. We provide creative and technical support so buyers can enter new markets; and we assist them 24 hours a day. Through the entire process, we stand beside people.

I love telling my story – a story about a guy who started from the bottom and fulfilled big goals. What a joy to motivate people! When I write my blog, I consider this, and seek to transmit positive energy. Everything I write comes in the spur of the moment. Nothing is scripted.

I like to say, you should always have 50 dreams and 50 goals. Taking my own advice, I am constantly busy with projects. We may be the first Argentinian company to sell LED screens in China, entering a new market. When I focus on my list of dreams and goals, little by little, I cross each one off and forge forward.