Soak in the wisdom of powerhouse Latinas who have forged their own path. These tips will give you first-class knowledge so you can do the same!

If you are building your business, surrounding yourself with Founders who have been in your shoes is a surefire way to catapult your growth. The inaugural #WeAllGrow Las Founders event gathered so many powerhouse Latinas in one room that the jefa energy was palpable. So, we’ve collected hot tips directly from these mujeres that you can apply to your business. 

1. You need to hire people.

“There is no empire that is run by just one person. And that means that you have to step into a leadership role. You have to train people to do things you’re doing and learn how to build a team. Think about #WeAllGrow – it’s not one person. It just can’t be right. And so, if you have a big vision and are ready to scale your brand, you probably need to learn how to hire. And you probably need to hire sooner than you think.” 

– Sandra Velasquez, Founder of Nopalera

2. Ask for more money. 

“I think that as Latinos, we especially tend to doubt ourselves. But, there are a lot of other founders, especially white men, who raised a ton of money with an idea scribbled on a napkin. There are less than 90 Latinos that have raised more than a million dollars. I’m very fortunate to be one of them. And I would say more Latino founders need to ask for more money because one – you’re going to need more money than you think. Two – your company is valid and probably has a lot more substance than many of these other companies that are getting funded, so always ask for more money.”

– Kayla Castañeda, Founder of Agua Bonita

3. Trust.

“I got told this tip when I got started. I tattooed trust on my wrist before launching Only Child. I had quit my job. And within a month, I had everything ready. Everything, to me, is about trust. Trusting myself, trusting that everything will work out, trusting my team. If there’s no trust, then there’s nothing.”

– Lina Cordero, Founder of Only Child

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4. Build mental fortitude for yourself and your business.

“Focus on strengthening the mental muscle like you would any other body muscle. All these challenges that come along as an entrepreneur it’s one after the other. But that mental strength is everything. Talk to yourself in the mirror, and say, ‘I am a badass. I’ve gotten this far because I am. Let’s keep going.'”

– Corrisa Hernandez, Founder & Owner of Xelas and Nativo

5. Make sure you love it.

“That passion has got to be there. Trust me; it’s going to be a rollercoaster that has a lot more dips than highs. But don’t you worry, you get to a point where it keeps going up and up. And you have to look forward to that.”

– Julissa Bermudez, Founder of Republica Skin

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6. Perfectionism will only hold you back.

“At the beginning, I was more worried about making things perfect before I rolled them out. I wasted a lot of time doing that. I wish I had been more scrappy, sent out the first version, and done much more experimentation to test things out. Perfection is the enemy of done. I didn’t have to wait for things to be perfect for me because my perfection has nothing to do with your expectation.”

– Vanessa Duran, Founder of DDC Accounting

Sandra Velasquez said it herself – we have to normalize what success looks like and that in part comes with surrounding yourself with the people who are doing the work and are in the trenches of entrepreneurship just like you and using their insight for your business. So take these tips amiga, and if you have any additional tips you’d like to share, comment them here! 

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