By Reynaldo Mena
There’s one word that could define Lemy Argueta: fight.
He fought at the age of six when his parents divorced, and he had to return to Guatemala to live with his grandparents while his mother attempted suicide.
He battled when he was part of the national soccer team of his country in his childhood and, even though he wasn’t a starter, he worked hard to become one.
He didn’t give up when he decided to meet his now-wife at a party he wasn’t invited to.
He fought when he decided to migrate once again to California, the country of his birth, and started carving out a path in a space that was unfamiliar to him.
He didn’t give up when he had to build his career in the sales field in various companies before starting his own business projects.
His grandparents taught him what it was like to live in a family structure. (Lemy Argueta)
And he woke up when alcoholism began to take away the most cherished things in his life, and he could have lost what he valued the most, his family.
“I reached a limit; I realized that if I continued like this, my wife would leave me. I couldn’t have accepted that. It would have killed me,” says Lemy Argueta. “I think I lost communication with God; I wasn’t talking to Him. So, I returned to communicate with God, and I was able to overcome that problem.”
Lemy Argueta is someone who doesn’t give up. From selling computers when he arrived in this country, to having a successful sales career at some of the best radio stations and at Telemundo. Later, he ventured into entreprenuership stablishing both a successful sales company and an advertising enterprice. His favor achivement, however, is his latest endeavor – “El Clásico Trips,” where he organizes thrilling trips to watch the epic Real Madrid vs. Barcelona soccer clash in the heart of Spain.
“I wouldn’t change my childhood,” he says. “Although I went through very tough things, I had a family structure in Guatemala that supported me and helped me move forward. I lived with my grandparents, just like one of my uncles. They enrolled me in one of Guatemala’s most exclusive schools thanks to the dollars my mom sent. My father disappeared after the divorce; I didn’t see him again for four years. He showed up at my grandparents’ house with a bicycle one day, as if nothing had happened,” says Argueta.
The separation from his father was tough for Lemy.
“He was my best friend. I spent a lot of time with him because my mom worked all the time. But suddenly, he chose another woman and left,” says Lemy.
When his grandparents learned what had happened, they traveled to Los Angeles to get him. They drove back with him to Guatemala by car.
“Imagine, I was six years old, I was the only one who spoke English, and I was responsible for communicating with people whenever speaking English was necessary,” he adds.
With his mother, she welcomed him with open arms upon his return from Guatemala. (Lemy Argueta)
He could have gone to a private school, a very expensive one, but that didn’t mean he didn’t realize he didn’t belong there. All his classmates were really rich; they didn’t come from a mom who worked hard in Los Angeles to pay for tuition.
Seeing his classmates inspired him to pursue education with determination. He wanted to ensure that his future children would have everything they needed.
“My family kept me grounded. It was important to have a family nucleus, and that helped me,” he adds.
“Of course, my grandparents put me in my place if something happened; they gave me my share of discipline, with the belt, something unthinkable in the world we live in today. My wife, Regina, says it seems like those ideas come from the caveman era.”
Guatemala is always in his heart. He was born in the United States but considers himself Guatemalan.
“Guatemala changed my life; there are many people there who have money, but they are like everyday normal people. My mom had a succesfull company before the divorce. A clothing factory with about one hundred employees. She lost everything, she preferred to get rid of all her money rather than give it to my dad,” he says.
As the years went by, Lemy became interested in computers but soon switched to marketing.
“I met my wife. My friends and I went to a party we weren’t invited to, and there she was, she was-one of the prettiest girls there.” (Lemy Argueta)
“Important things happened. Among them, I met my wife. My friends and I went to a party we weren’t invited to, and there she was, she was-one of the prettiest girls there. My friends made me a bet that she wouldn’t dance with me. I went to ask her to dance, and she refused. I sat down next to her and offered her a cigarette; she said she didn’t smoke. I lost 20 quetzales, which, at the time, felt like the most expensive los of my life. Now, we’ve been married for 33 years,” he says with a laugh.
Later, when he visited his father-in-law’s house for the first time, It was clear to Lemy that he had money. Lemy was impressed and asked him what he did; he was a marketer.
That’s when the idea of this profession got into his head.
He was starting to build his work history in Guatemala. He had worked for a computer company and then for an advertising agency. They were living modestly.
“We had our daughter; she was our firstborn. We went to a public hospital because we couldn’t afford more. However, she died. I blamed myself for her death; I promised myself that I would make money so that this situation would never happen again, not because of lack the money,” he adds, reflecting.
He decided to return to California. If he couldn’t achieve his dreams in Guatemala, maybe he could do it in the United States.
“It happened to us like with many immigrants. I told her everything was temporary, that in three or four years, we would save enough money and return to Guatemala. It didn’t happen,” he adds.
“My mom welcomed us. It’s very important to have that support when you arrive in another country. However, the coldness of the culture affected us. We both found jobs. I worked for a computer company, and my wife worked for a travel agency,” he says.
And then, at a meeting, the Marketing Manager of La Pizza Loca said to him, “You are educated and speak English. What are you doing selling computers?”
Lemy was looking to work in the sales department at Telemundo and the Marketing Manager gave him the contacts at Telemundo and Univision.
His trips to the Clasico have given him the opportunity to meet players like Lionel Messi. (Lemy Argueta)
He persisted and persisted until one day the Sales Manager of Telemundo took his call and scheduled an interview.
“I’m giving you this appointment because you won’t stop calling. I need people like you to do the same with clients,” Julio Lucero, in charge of advertising at Telemundo, told him.
“Telemundo was a great school. It served me well,” he says. “My idea was to fight and become an executive, with my own office and everything, an executive at a big company.”
Then he went on to work in radio, first at K-Love and later at what is now La Raza.
“My youth, enthusiasm, and hunger set me apart. Those who had been there for a long time only answered phone calls. They were just waiting for copanies to call to advertise,” he says.
He went through that sales career phase and then decided to found an advertising agency. “My wife told me to put in the effort, and that’s what I did.”
His daughters: From left to right: Lucia, Daniella and Marielisa.
“Things were going well, but one day, along with a group of friends, we decided to go watch a classic match in Spain. We enjoyed it immensely. Other people asked me how much it had cost us, how we had done it, and that’s where the idea of starting ‘El Clasico Trips’ came from. My wife had experience in travel, and we started. We began offering these packages in 2016, and every year we travel with 50-150 people. Everyone is very satisfied; many thought we would cheat them. You know, Latinos are very suspicious, they think many things are hard to believe,” he says.
Argueta would like to see trust in his compan increase among potencial customers. He has received many positive reviews from his clients, who speak about their positive experiences and the return on their investment.
He believes that his 33 years of marriage can be summed up in one phrase.
“I realized that ‘two are much stronger than one,'” he concludes.
One day I woke up and realized I couldn’t continue like this. I would start losing everything, my family, my wife. (Lemy Argueta)
However, setbacks also came.
During the pandemic, he developed a taste for alcohol. He had to fight to overcome it.
“Now I have it under control. One of my projects fell apart, and we were in lockdown, and I started drinking and drinking. One day I woke up and realized I couldn’t continue like this. I would start losing everything, my family, my wife… and if that happened, I would kill myself. I was very depressed,” he confesses.
“I told my wife about it. Words alone don’t fill the void; she saw that I started to change. If you want to quit, you need mental strength. I lost communication with God, but I have found it again; I found a way to communicate. Humans are capable of ingratitude when they have a lot,” Lemy Argueta reflects.
Now, once again, he is looking for new avenues. Together with his wife, they will embark on a new venture, selling life insurance. Someone like Lemy Argueta understands it. He has decided to have life insurance for himself and his family.
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