Hilda Abbott, COO, WePartner Real
Estate Investments and Management.
Hilda Abbott, COO of WePartner Real Estate
Investments and Management, is excited by the
spirit of entrepreneurship that has risen among
Latinas in the Atlanta area.
“I believe that Latina entrepreneurs are
impacting Atlanta’s economic landscape by
creating businesses that help serve and support all
members of their diverse community,” she states.
She believes that about Latinas because they are
“truly intersectional individuals.” “These women
can relate to and influence their communities
through both their gender and ethnicity,” she adds.
Like Rivera, Abbott also emphasizes the need
for Latinas to get involved with the Chamber, citing
specifically the Cultivating Hispanic Leadership
Institute, as well the Hispanic Business Center, two
programs she had the honor to be a part of. She
endorses both by saying, “Both organizations
provide Hispanic businesses with the education
and resources they need to support and accelerate
their growth.”
Yvette Moise, president and Co-Founder of
the Georgia Latino Film Festival and Alliance, and
an Atlanta-based entrepreneur who has taken on
many roles in both business and non-profit
sectors, echoes another of Rivera’s
sentiments – connections are important.
“There is no such thing as a self-made
woman,” she shares. “It takes a village. You can be
the best at what you do, but if you don’t have the
right partners around you who believe in you and
support your dream, you won’t make it.”
“I believe that Latina
entrepreneurs are
impacting Atlanta’s
economic landscape by
creating businesses that
help serve and support all
members of their diverse
community.”
— Hilda Abbott.
Moise encourages emerging entrepreneurs to
find a mentor who will provide open and honest
feedback and suggests making the most of every
opportunity that presents itself. She states, “It’s only
by putting yourself out there that you will truly learn
what you are capable of.” Moise believes that even
the things she’s done that haven’t worked out for
the best have benefitted her. “Bad is good, too,
because you learn from it,” she shares. “We win or
we learn.”
A recurring sentiment from all three
entrepreneurs was that the emergence of Latinas
in business is creating generational wealth and
opportunities for the next generation to prosper.
“Latinas are impacting more than
just the economy in their roles as entrepreneurs,”
Rivera states, “Their impact is creating generational
wealth for their families and forging pathways for
future entrepreneurs from their own children,
families and circle of influence. In the long run, this
creates a compounding effect that, if it is directed
correctly, can lift up our community as a whole.”
Moise adds, “If we focus on producing instead
of consuming, we can move our community
forward.” Based on the numbers, Atlanta seems to
be heading in the right direction.
On the practical side, Liccette Shumaker,
IRS Stakeholder Liaison, recommends small
business-owners keep up to date with tax-related
business issues. Like the GHCC, the IRS provides
information on filing and paying business taxes,
recordkeeping, starting a business and operating
a business. They also have an online resource,
Small Business Taxes: A Virtual Workshop, video
lessons to help business owners complete with
subtitles in Spanish for those who may need
linguistic support. She also recommends they use
social media to keep up with the latest news and
information.
LS
“It takes a village. You
can be the best at what you
do, but if you don’t have the
right partners around you
who believe in you and
support your dream, you
won’t make it.”
— Yvette Moise.
Want to comment or have any
questions on this article? Email
us at info@latinastyle.com
Yvette Moise, president and Co-Founder of
the Georgia Latino Film Festival and Alliance.
20 www. lat inastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol . 26, No. 1, 2020
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