The second session of Latina Summit 2020 brought together successful women who discussed the importance of the presence of Latina women in business in the United States. It was approached from the experience of four entrepreneurs in different fields: fashion, law, management, public administration jobs and food.
The conference Latinas in Business organized by Hispanic Media with the support of Independence Blue Cross was led by Jazmin de Jesus, Jennifer Gomez, Iola Harper, Madeline Neris Negron. It was moderated by Lissy G.
Each of these successful women has overcome significant obstacles to get where they are. Madeline Neris Negron is the founder of Mari-Sal’s and the newest in the business, but she is an example of success during the pandemic, as her food business grew exponentially.
“I am devoted to the culinary area. I used to use products from other brands until I decided to create my own spices. I do everything with joy and love,” she admitted.
Even Lissy G, in her role as moderator, had a story to tell. Last December she opened a restaurant, but in March, due to the COVID-19, she had to close. The successful women shared their adversities during this difficult time, but they have emphasized having a support system or have acknowledged the need to reinvent themselves, because when you depend on yourself, you look for opportunities to overcome challenges.
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Jazmin DeJesus said that from March to July her business, which is based on beauty, hair and face care, closed due to restrictions. With this second wave of coronavirus, DeJesus is facing another closure, however, she was able to prepare herself a little better using a digital perspective. Her business has shifted to a virtual window; however, it is still a challenge.
“In the past, I wouldn’t have thought about taking a chance on having my own business and I was very involved in my regular jobs. Then I started dividing my time with my business until I dedicated it 100%,” explained the emerging Founder and Managing Market Mentor at MONAT.
Jennifer Gomez, another member of these successful women who works in the legal area, talked about the experience of balancing work and life or personal time. “I feel that when you are starting out you don’t have a balance. She also said that when she started her business she had many things in mind: phone number, logo, website, so she started organizing her business before leaving her regular job.
“I am currently working for an independent law firm. I remember that I quit on a Friday to create my own business and I did it with the logo, the web, everything ready. It’s very important to have this foundation to start with,” added the President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania.
Iola Harper, Philadelphia’s Deputy Director of Business-Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunityadvised women who want to start a business to build relationships with organizations, their bankers, other businesses and to start with logos, websites, business cards and details that are important when starting. “Women by nature know about marketing,” she insisted.
“There is a Christmas commercial where different professionals come together to make baskets regardless of their positions because in the end it creates a bond that is teamwork,” Harper said.
Translated by Jose Espinoza
Noticias Newswire
