Latin Americans are integral to our economy due to their small businesses and startups. Latino-owned businesses grew by 34% in the last decade. Latina lead businesses are an important part of this statistic.
Latina entrepreneurs are making waves in the business community due to their passionate drive to do more. They have been thriving in fields like Tech, Fashion, Food, and Healthcare. Many young girls see them as their inspiration to break barriers and grow more.
Let us explore some Latina entrepreneurs who are nothing short of rockstars.
-
Paola Estefania
Estefania is a celebrity stylist and a haute couture designer who migrated from Venezuela when she was just a young girl. She then actively worked on her dream of making her mark in the fashion industry as she grew up.
It started with textile designing and her first label, Humble Hustler. From then on, she got into haute couture and established her Paola Estefania label, which specializes in custom-designed evening wear, swimwear, and maternity wear. Interestingly, this Latina entrepreneur has also designed ring gears for some iconic WWE celebs.
Paola Estefania has been vocal about the struggles of minorities making a mark in the business world. She is also not afraid to openly talk about her immigrant background. Talk about true talent and openly advocating for your community.
-
Rea Ann Silva
We all are grateful for the magic of a beauty blender, right? You can thank Rea Ann Silva for that.
Her entrepreneurial journey shot off when she created a prototype for a beauty blender. It was a replacement for makeup brushes which would leave very visible streaks on an HD camera and set lights. Interestingly, that prototype was a typical wedged-shaped sponge with its edges chopped off till they were rounded. And that prototype was polished into the hot pink Beautyblender that all girls have today. Her brand has partnered with makeup giants like Sephora and Ulta Beauty. It has also won several awards.
Rea Ann Silva also openly acknowledges her Latino background, being Mexican and Spanish from her mother’s side. She is Portuguese and Irish from her father’s side.
-
Sofia Vergara
Apart from being known for Modern Family and proudly owning her accent, Sophia Vergara also has a knack for business.
As she got into the world of entertainment, the Columbian actress felt the shortage of Latino-centric talent management companies. With a dearth of Latino representation in Hollywood, Latin Americans also faced problems with honest guidance for navigating the tricky terrain of Hollywood. Sofia recognized a wrinkle and ironed it out by launching Latin World Entertainment.
‘It’s fun to shock people with my business ideas.’ – Sofia Vergara
Apart from her multi-million dollar firm, Vergara has some worth-mentioning side hustles too. She has a furniture business in collaboration with Rooms To Go. Vergara has collaborated with Walmart to showcase her jeans, intimate wear, jewelry, and home decoration collections as well. Recently, she launched her coffee brand as well called Dios Mío! Coffee, which is grown specifically by Columbian women. Go women empowerment!
-
Tanya Menendez
There are a lot of entrepreneurs who are focused on solving real problems and they build their businesses around it. Tanya Menendez is one of them and follows through on solving complex problems, one after another. For this, she has made it to People en Español’s Most Powerful Latinas apart from being featured in Forbes and NY Times.
She has co-founded Maker’s Row and Snowball Wealth. Maker’s Row is aimed at joining people with US-based manufacturers and has helped over 200k businesses. Snowball Wealth solves a problem that has been personal for Menendez i.e., student debt. The platform helps people pay off student debt in a way that allows them to save more. It frees people from their financial struggles and empowers them to invest the money they saved.
Previously, Tanya has also worked for big firms like Google and Goldman Sachs.
How Can You Interact With Latino-Led Businesses?
It is our social and cultural responsibility to support businesses from our community. Even if you are not Latin American, you should support minority-led businesses. Let us explore ways you can support these businesses and interact with their brands.
- Follow them on their socials.
- Leave reviews on their website and Google.
- Spread the word and recommend them to your family and friends.
- Invest in them if you can.
- Buy from them (obviously).
Since we are on the topic of Latin-focused businesses, Optimum Español is worth mentioning here. Apart from providing seamless connectivity through cable and Internet, Optimum has a dedicated customer support for their Spanish-speaking users. This just goes to show how our country is finally cracking the code on diversity and inclusion.
This list is by no means exhaustive. There are more Latina entrepreneur turned rock stars, who are dedicated to making a change through their business mindset. We should actively support minority-led businesses in hopes of seeing them grow to eliminate problems like pay gaps. Here’s to hoping to see more Latin-led businesses!