Nicole Quiroga
President and CEO of the Greater
Washington Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce.
“We are empowered by the very same
communities we seek to empower, and we
have proven that that’s a pretty solid
business model,” she shares.
They believe that Latina businesswomen
who empower each other may be the key
to their success in cities like D.C.
“Washington, D.C., has certainly become
more diverse over the past decade, both
socially but also economically,” shares
Geraldine Barrientos Roig, who also serves
as President. Latina business owners
continue to play a significant role in that
socio-economic development, but that role
has grown even more with better access to
capital and resources over the past years.”
Their firm was birthed on the idea that
campaigns by multi-national organizations
targeted at the Hispanic market were
culturally inappropriate and ineffective and
used one-size-fits-all outreach strategies.
With the Latino market continuing to
grow they point out that it’s not an option
but rather a necessity to reach Latinos.
“There are a number of successful
Latinas in communications, and the
number will only grow in the coming
Washington D.C. has a myriad of
resources to assist with business growth.
Quiroga’s advice is to do research before
launching a business and fully understand
what resources most benefit you. In addition
to visiting the Chamber another place to start
is the District of Columbia Small Business
Resource Center - a hub of key District
agencies that offer information and services
to entrepreneurs and companies looking to
launch and strengthen their business.
Quiroga said they can take advantage of
technical assistance available to businesses
at GWHCC, including guidance on marketing,
financing, strategic planning, management,
product development and sales.
“Opening your business is one of the
most intimidating and satisfying experiences
of your life,” Quiroga states. “Be confident
in who you are and your ability to succeed.
Understand that you are surrounded by
people who want to help you and ask for
help when you need it. Being a Latina
today is powerful. We have grown and
evolved over the years to become strong
and inspirational voices to our family,
friends, coworkers and community. That
means we must be responsible and
diligent about the way we contribute to
society…and strive to continue educating
ourselves, growing in our workplace,
participating on boards and voting.”
LS
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years,” shares Mariana. “The gap is wider
than the existing agencies, like ROIG, to fill
and we’ll absolutely need more Latinas in
communications to help engage the
Hispanic community in the economic
future of this fast-changing Washington,
D.C., region.”
As President and CEO of the Greater
Washington Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce, Nicole Quiroga knows first-hand
the importance of empowering and
supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of Latinas.
“As our population increases and we
grow our share of voice, the need to nurture
this entrepreneurial spirt becomes even
more urgent. Although we are still working
to the higher ranks of wealth other groups
do --- such as white males --- we are
extremely consistent with our paths to
success,” Quiroga says. “We provide jobs
for family members and others in our
communities, sustain our families as
head of households in many cases, send
money abroad and always look to educate
ourselves to achieve more and more.”
She says Latina entrepreneurs are no
longer sticking to industries perceived to
be traditionally Hispanic, but rather, deep
diving into technology, IT, digital media,
manufacturing, health care, finance and
consulting. There is room for Latina
leaders to grow in the engineering and
construction realms, however.
Geraldine and Mariana
Barrientos Roig
Founders of
ROIG Communications, LLC.
LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 3, 2018 www.latinastyle.com 21
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