Monserrat Macias from Centro de la Familia teaches a program called Ella Pueda ("She Can") for Latina business women Tuesday at the Pikes Peak Library District's Sand Creek Library in Colorado Springs. Ella Pueda teaches business basics to women in Spanish.
A new initiative is giving Latina women across the Pikes Peak region the foundational tools they need to launch their businesses and empower them to know that whatever their business goals, "ella puede" (she can) reach them.
Centro de la Familia, a nonprofit that provides a range of advocacy and support programs to the local Hispanic and Latino communities, and the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in early April launched Ella Puede, a support group that offers weekly learning sessions and other resources to help aspiring Latina entrepreneurs who are just starting their business journeys.
The informal program was designed specifically for beginner-level Latina entrepreneurs, many of whom do not have formal business education or training, and may not yet have a fully formed business idea, representatives said.
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"It's informal and it's open entry," said Jackie Jaramillo, executive director of Centro de la Familia. "People are welcome to come and glean the information they need. There is no formal curriculum, requirements or graduation."
Ella Puede instead adapts to the lived experiences, fears and goals of the Latina women they teach, the organizations said in a joint news release last month. Program facilitators meet the women -- many of whom are monolingual Spanish speakers -- where they are; they can build confidence and skills at their own pace.
"Sometimes they do not understand U.S. institutions, plus the language barrier is huge. Second to that are cultural barriers," Jaramillo said. "There was not a way for us to access those different ecosystems in the community and we are still outside of it. (Through Ella Puede), we're trying to bridge that gap so Latinas can become a more integrated part of the business community."
Two-hour weekly sessions in Spanish, held on Tuesdays at Sand Creek Library in southeastern Colorado Springs, focus on foundational skills, including how to correctly use email and search engines like Google; smartphone basics for selling and marketing; pricing, payments and organizing business ideas; communications and decision-making skills; insurance basics; and others.
"This gives us a lot of information, strategies and tools," Enna Ortega said through a translator. Ortega is an aspiring social media influencer -- in fashion or home cooking -- who has taken introductory business classes through Ella Puede for about a month. "This helps a lot, because Latina women don't have a lot of opportunities available in general. It's very difficult to learn in other languages; it expands the mind and your communication when you are learning in your own language," she said.
Ella Puede's program facilitator Monserrat Macias added: "Accessibility is huge. Many agencies and organizations ... say they have Spanish-speaking resources but then they don't guide (Spanish-speaking clients). Sometimes that can be discouraging. There are many barriers, so people may not know where to look for their resources."
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Joe Aldaz, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber, said the Colorado Springs community must support the Latinas who contribute so much to the local and national economies.
He pointed to the inaugural U.S. Latina GDP report released in August that found Latinas contributed $1.3 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2021. This is up from $661 billion in 2010, and the growth rate over this decade outpaced that among non-Latinos by nearly three times, the report found. The study was conducted by professors at UCLA and California Lutheran University and funded by Bank of America.
"Latina entrepreneurs are now the driving force of our economy," Aldaz said. "It's important for us to lift up a culture that is marginalized in our community. ... I think we have the tools to do that."
Aura Herrera, an entrepreneur who has attended a handful of Ella Puede learning sessions and wants to open her own business doing housecleaning or selling food, said she has found Ella Puede's marketing and networking resources the most helpful.
"And, when you're motivated to learn something new, you will learn it very quickly. You just need someone to teach you," Herrera added, speaking through a translator.
Ella Puede is part of the broader Latina Initiative, a joint effort between the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber and Centro de la Familia that provides tools, mentorship and access to business essential programs.
Once Ella Puede participants gain necessary skills and are ready to take the next steps to open their businesses, program administrators encourage them to transition into other structured entrepreneurial programs, including the Hispanic Chamber's Avanzar Business Accelerator or other similar resources.
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"One misconception about immigrants is they're here for a handout," Jaramillo said. "That's untrue. They have a lot of perseverance. We hope what we accomplish with Ella Puede will give (the women) tools for economic stability and growth."
For more information on the Latina Initiative or Ella Puede, visit the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's website at cshispanicchamber.com/latina-initiatives.