By Jennifer Ann | Strong Female Leaders
5 Latina Business Owners and Leading Female Entrepreneurs
The business world is overwhelmingly dominated by men. That's why it's important for us to teach our daughters that women can do it, too. What better way to make this point than telling the stories of leading female entrepreneurs, particularly Latina business owners. Latinas are strong, smart, and more than capable of creating a successful business. Here are just a few of the brilliant women that we should all know.
1. Lora Arellano
Some of us use social media to share the salad we had for lunch. Others of us, like Lora Arellano, use social media to find a job. As a simple retail employee, Arellano was interested in makeup and beauty. She showcased her interest and talent with the help of social media. Soon, she became one of the Top 10 Makeup Artists to follow on Instagram. This helped her catch the eye of the beautiful Rhianna.
While working as Rhianna's personal makeup artist, Arellano and her friend cofounded the popular makeup brand Melt Cosmetics in 2012. It was a brand created to show people the newest products, techniques, and styles in cosmetology. Great for people who look for makeup to express themselves.
This Latina stays busy. Being in the beauty industry, every moment, including her wedding, connects to her work. Staying as busy as she is, it is certain that her net worth will only continue to grow.
2. Maria Contreras-Sweet
Maria Contreras-Sweet was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her success directly demonstrates exactly how important immigrants are to our nation's economy.
Rather than simply starting a Latina business, she started a business to help encourage other Latina businesses. Contreras-Sweet founded ProAmerica Bank in 2006. This bank was specifically designed to help businesses. In particular, it was created to help small, Latino businesses by giving them the advice and loans necessary.
After she sold the bank, she got into the energy business. Not only successful but mindful of the environment, she ran a company specifically known for finding clean sources of renewable energy. This is her ultimate claim to fame.
She continues to undergo other business ventures as well as dabbling in politics. She almost bought the Weinstein Company to help ensure that no other woman go through the same struggles that Salma Hayek did. She also teaches us to pay respect to our mothers. Basically, she's a woman who can do it all, and she does it while being proud of her Mexican heritage.
Some of us use social media to share the salad we had for lunch. Others of us, like Lora Arellano, use social media to find a job. As a simple retail employee, Arellano was interested in makeup and beauty. She showcased her interest and talent with the help of social media. Soon, she became one of the Top 10 Makeup Artists to follow on Instagram. This helped her catch the eye of the beautiful Rhianna.
While working as Rhianna's personal makeup artist, Arellano and her friend cofounded the popular makeup brand Melt Cosmetics in 2012. It was a brand created to show people the newest products, techniques, and styles in cosmetology. Great for people who look for makeup to express themselves.
This Latina stays busy. Being in the beauty industry, every moment, including her wedding, connects to her work. Staying as busy as she is, it is certain that her net worth will only continue to grow.
2. Maria Contreras-Sweet
Maria Contreras-Sweet was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her success directly demonstrates exactly how important immigrants are to our nation's economy.
Rather than simply starting a Latina business, she started a business to help encourage other Latina businesses. Contreras-Sweet founded ProAmerica Bank in 2006. This bank was specifically designed to help businesses. In particular, it was created to help small, Latino businesses by giving them the advice and loans necessary.
After she sold the bank, she got into the energy business. Not only successful but mindful of the environment, she ran a company specifically known for finding clean sources of renewable energy. This is her ultimate claim to fame.
She continues to undergo other business ventures as well as dabbling in politics. She almost bought the Weinstein Company to help ensure that no other woman go through the same struggles that Salma Hayek did. She also teaches us to pay respect to our mothers. Basically, she's a woman who can do it all, and she does it while being proud of her Mexican heritage.
3. Jessica Alba
This half-Mexican beauty is not only a successful actress and model, but she is also the founder of The Honest Company. This lucrative business founded in 2012 was recently said to be worth 1.7 billion dollars. Alba herself has a net worth of $350 million. While not one to confirm information about her finances, it's clear that the superstar is doing quite well for herself. Now, for the kicker- she's a mom, too! How does she have the time? Well, she turned her new job of motherhood into a business.
When she became a new mother, Alba realized that she needed a lot of stuff for her new babies. However, it's difficult and time-consuming to research products to determine if it's what you want to use for your children. You want things that are healthy for your child and good for environment while also working. Alba decided to make an entire company based around giving mothers the type of products that you can always trust. Now, there's no research involved. You can simply get your items all in one place. There's even stuff for mom, too! Plus, you can get discounts when you bundle.
Ultimately, Alba took her passion of caring for her family and turned it into a business that can help other women as well as keeping her bank account flush. Now that's killing two birds with one stone.
4. America Corrales-Bortin
America Corrales-Bortin came to America at the tender age of 14 after her beloved mother passed away. When she got to America, she didn't even know how to speak English. She did know how to cook, though. That is part of her mother that she brought with her to America.
After a wonderful marriage but a few bad business ideas, she and her husband decided to start the famous America's Taco Shop chain. The chain now makes 2.4 million a year.
A large part of the success of the chain came from the authentic options on the menu. People loved the fresh ingredients and new items on the menu compared to the other Mexican restaurants in an area filled with Mexican restaurants. The good food allowed Corrales-Bortin to turn one small restaurant into a large chain that just keeps growing. To think, it was her authentic Mexican food that brought them to their success. Also, if you are in Southwestern America and haven't tried America's Taco Shop, it's time to give it a taste.
This half-Mexican beauty is not only a successful actress and model, but she is also the founder of The Honest Company. This lucrative business founded in 2012 was recently said to be worth 1.7 billion dollars. Alba herself has a net worth of $350 million. While not one to confirm information about her finances, it's clear that the superstar is doing quite well for herself. Now, for the kicker- she's a mom, too! How does she have the time? Well, she turned her new job of motherhood into a business.
When she became a new mother, Alba realized that she needed a lot of stuff for her new babies. However, it's difficult and time-consuming to research products to determine if it's what you want to use for your children. You want things that are healthy for your child and good for environment while also working. Alba decided to make an entire company based around giving mothers the type of products that you can always trust. Now, there's no research involved. You can simply get your items all in one place. There's even stuff for mom, too! Plus, you can get discounts when you bundle.
Ultimately, Alba took her passion of caring for her family and turned it into a business that can help other women as well as keeping her bank account flush. Now that's killing two birds with one stone.
4. America Corrales-Bortin
America Corrales-Bortin came to America at the tender age of 14 after her beloved mother passed away. When she got to America, she didn't even know how to speak English. She did know how to cook, though. That is part of her mother that she brought with her to America.
After a wonderful marriage but a few bad business ideas, she and her husband decided to start the famous America's Taco Shop chain. The chain now makes 2.4 million a year.
A large part of the success of the chain came from the authentic options on the menu. People loved the fresh ingredients and new items on the menu compared to the other Mexican restaurants in an area filled with Mexican restaurants. The good food allowed Corrales-Bortin to turn one small restaurant into a large chain that just keeps growing. To think, it was her authentic Mexican food that brought them to their success. Also, if you are in Southwestern America and haven't tried America's Taco Shop, it's time to give it a taste.
5. Vivian Nunez
Many of you have probably been to www.BeChicMag.com for beauty and style advice even if you don't know it. Vivian Nunez created the business in 2007. While it didn't become successful right away, patience and dedication proved to pay out for the young entrepreneur. In 2010, when she started focusing on her project more, it started to generate more attention (and more money).
Nunez only used this as a jumping point. Her successful website allowed her to also get on television where she continued to share beauty and lifestyle tips. In her spare time (ha!), she works in public relations for a college in New York City. to think that a simple content writer can turn a passion into something to pay the bills and then some.
Leading female entrepreneurs are paving the way for future generations. No longer will young girls assume that their place is behind the secretary's desk, but they will know that they, like these Latina business owners, belong behind the boss's desk. If these women can do it, we can do it, too. And remember to buy from a Latina!
Many of you have probably been to www.BeChicMag.com for beauty and style advice even if you don't know it. Vivian Nunez created the business in 2007. While it didn't become successful right away, patience and dedication proved to pay out for the young entrepreneur. In 2010, when she started focusing on her project more, it started to generate more attention (and more money).
Nunez only used this as a jumping point. Her successful website allowed her to also get on television where she continued to share beauty and lifestyle tips. In her spare time (ha!), she works in public relations for a college in New York City. to think that a simple content writer can turn a passion into something to pay the bills and then some.
Leading female entrepreneurs are paving the way for future generations. No longer will young girls assume that their place is behind the secretary's desk, but they will know that they, like these Latina business owners, belong behind the boss's desk. If these women can do it, we can do it, too. And remember to buy from a Latina!
How to be more assertive at work, and not aggressive?
There is a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive in the workplace. You want to be respected at work, increase your command presence, and speak up for yourself and for your team, yet you also want to avoid appearing hostile, putting others down, and making accusations. In high-stakes situations, being kind AND assertive at the same time is possible, as long as you put forth the effort to learn and practice this trait. When your natural people skills are sharpened to tackle tough conversations, they can help you become more influential at work, gain others' trust and respect, thrive in your career, and be seen as a true and deserving leader.Below are some ways you can be more assertive at work, without being aggressive.
1. Be More Direct
Many women speak with passive language, in order to appear nice, only to appear soft. For example, instead of stating that "I need those documents completed by 5 p.m.," they say, "I was sort of hoping that you could finish this assignment soon."Words such as "sort of," "I think" and "It would be great if" lessen the importance of the task at hand, as well as the importance of the person assigning the task. Setting specific deadlines, spelling out details and speaking with a firm tongue can only improve your image as a respectful female leader, and correctly communicate the assignment's expectations and your own significance.
2. Be Open Minded
When pushing for your own agenda, strike a balance between passion and empathy. It's great that your solution appears to be the most brilliant; however, other team members offer valuable insights too. Having an open mind gives you control over your emotions in situations that you don't have control over. You may not get your way all the time, but you will have more information to make a decision with, and do it with confidence.3. Be Ready to Walk Away
During tough negotiations such as negotiating salary increase or contracts, be ready to walk away if the situation becomes combative. As great as it is to stay loyal to your organization or nab that contract from competitors, if you don't get what you are worth, then you should look for more attractive opportunities. You are better off focusing your energy on seeking new opportunities than selling yourself short.Still can't walk away? One method is to separate your options into one of two categories: a must-have section and a nice-to-have section. If anything in your must-have section is not met, then ready yourself to walk away, respectfully, assertively and with your head held high.
4. Have Contingency Plans Ready
Let's face it: you will never get everything you want. In order to face disappointments with grace, you can stay confident by preparing contingency plans. A fear of failure exists in even the most successful individuals. To ease your own fear of failure, having Plan B in your back pocket, even if you don't need it, can help you be more assertive in tricky situations.5. Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Many women suffer from Imposter Syndrome, which is "a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud." Feeling like an imposter can paralyze you to speechlessness in high-stakes situations when you need to be heard the most. If you believe that you don't deserve the job that you have or the accomplishments you have worked hard for, then you will never assert yourself the way a successful female leader should.One way to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to focus on the process, instead of how you feel and what others think about you. Focus on what you are doing, right now, and what you hope to accomplish, right now. Be action-oriented and not judgement-oriented. And just pretend that everyone wants to see you succeed. So, why shouldn't you?
6. Visualize Positivity
Being assertive in the workplace isn't all seriousness. You can be happy, smiling and still assert yourself confidently and respectfully. To do so requires having a positive mental attitude, full of affirming thoughts.What are you grateful for today? Who makes you happy? When was the last time you really laughed? What are your happiest childhood memories?
Point is: there are many ways to fill your head with positive thoughts. During tense times at work, you may need to look harder, so start practicing, and practice often. And, if all else fails, just stand tall, pull your shoulders back, and smile.
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