“I really saw that there
was still a need for a
mindset shift in the women’s
community where men
don’t really struggle too
much with being confident
and applying for jobs,
they’re not necessarily
qualified for but applying
anyway.”
— Tilde Guajardo.
“We have an entrepreneurship program,
Diplomado Para Emprendedores, which is
directed to the Latino community,” she says.
“This one is in English and Spanish, but part of its
purpose is to assist and empower women.
I believe about 85 percent of women participants
are Latino.”
The chamber’s team is also developing new
programs, workshops and networking for Latinas
and other business-minded women through the
Women’s Resource Group. It recently launched
the panel event, Life and Business on High Heels,
focused on the journeys and successes of
women in business. Santi advises Latinas to fully
Tilde Guajardo, Founder and CEO,
Womanars.
embrace their startup ideas before diving
headfirst into a business venture.
“Sometimes in the process you can get lost.
Sometimes in the process you want to compare
yourself to others. Sometimes you want to align
yourself with people and organizations that may
not be the best fit at the moment,” Santi says.
“But if you don’t lose the point of why you started
then I believe everything falls into place.”
Santi’s wise words resonate with Tilde
Guajardo, Founder and CEO of Womanars, which
provides webinars, seminars, workshops and
programs intended to inspire, educate and
connect women worldwide. She chose to focus
on women because of her own past that included
overcoming child sexual abuse.
“I really saw that there was still a need for a
mindset shift in the women’s community where
men don’t really struggle too much with being
confident and applying for jobs, they’re not
necessarily qualified for but applying anyway,”
Guajardo says. “I still saw women as needing to
build up their confidence, their self-esteem and
self-worth.”
She encourages Latinas and all entrepreneurs
to acknowledge their own power, intelligence and
strength and then seek out personalized
opportunities and support.
Guajardo says the great benefit to the
availability of numerous entrepreneurial-minded
organizations is that Latina business-owners can
join the ones that best connect with their own
needs and visions.
“It’s imperative for any entrepreneur to have
resiliency, to have confidence.” Guajardo says.
“What I teach is just that: If you know why you’re
in business, you’re golden, because you can
always go back to that,”
Nancy Alvarez, who serves as Supervisor of
the 8(a) Business Development Program, in the
U.S. Small Business Administration’s Dallas/Fort
Worth District Office advises Latinas to “seize the
moment” by taking advantage of the wealth of
capital and other forms of support available via
numerous organizations, and to appoint a board
of directors no matter the size of the business.
The local SBA pays about $10,000 per
student for access to Harvard University’s
entrepreneurial curriculum, which is free to
entrepreneurs. Additionally, Governor Greg
Abbott has implemented programs meant to
help Texas become the no. 1 state for women
entrepreneurs.
In Dallas, there is already an influx of
Latina-owned businesses. Since FY2016, the
local SBA has awarded about 230 loans to
majority Latina-owned businesses totaling about
$66.6 million in financial backing. The loans went
to entrepreneurs in a variety of industries,
including personal services, beauty salons, health
services such as childcare and elderly care, and
professional services.
FY2019 hasn’t even ended, but the local
SBA has already made 42 loans out to Latina
business owners, even amid a multi-month
federal shutdown.
“There’s a bright and prosperous future for
Latinas in the state of Texas,” Alvarez says. LS
Want to comment or have any questions
on this article?
Email us at info@latinastyle.com
“There’s a bright
and prosperous future for
Latinas in the state of
Texas.”
— Nancy Alvarez.
Nancy Alvarez, Supervisor, 8(a) Business
Development Program, SBA.
LATINAStyle Vol . 25, No. 3, 2019 www. lat inastyle.com 19
link
/www.latinastyle.com
