Familia,
This is your reminder to never let anyone put you in a box.
You may have noticed I’ve been a little quiet this year. Though business is expanding, I have struggled to share my journey with you all due to personal health challenges that have caused feelings of anxiety and imposter syndrome. For months I have been overthinking how to connect with you all and somehow lost sight of my purpose amongst the checklists of to-dos. But thanks to the help of my support system (my jefas), I’ve decided that stops today.
It’s been four years since I started consulting, and I’ve been learning everyday how to better serve my clients, what I truly bring to the table and new ways to fulfill my mission of helping changemakers create impact through growing their businesses and sharing their stories.
Many of you might be following this newsletter because of my book, Jefa in Training, and while that is a huge part of my life, it is only a chapter of my story, and a fraction of how I want to create impact in the world.
I’d love to take this time to share more about my journey, where I’m headed and how I’d love to connect with you all. I’m entering a new era of business and I’m excited to start building it in public.
How my life changed because of a book
In February 2022, I published my debut book, the first Spanglish business-launching toolkit, Jefa in Training. The book was a top seller on Amazon in several categories and has since been endorsed by Eva Longoria, Beatriz Acevedo, Gaby Natale + recommended by Inc, Hubspot, + The Morning Brew as a gamechanger book for entrepreneurs.
Since then I’ve been able to help hundreds of entrepreneurs and corporate changemakers take their businesses to the next level + establish thought leadership in their industries. my consulting, newsletter, book, membership community, retreats and workshops. I’ve been recognized for my work with underrepresented leaders by Business Insider, Nasdaq, Forbes and nominated a “Latinx to Watch” by Hispanic Executive Magazine.
I’ve also had the opportunity to collaborate with corporate companies (Google, Pepsi, Adidas), nonprofit organizations and universities (Montclair University, FIorida International University, Baruch College) to present workshops around thought leadership, identity and entrepreneurship to educate + inspire their community of changemakers, students and employees.
How I got here
For the last ten years I’ve worked with clients to create, develop and execute their business development + communications strategy. Prior to entrepreneurship, I worked on the community marketing teams for Yelp, Fairygodboss and in business development, PR and partnerships for pre-seed tech and media startups.
I am also an experienced nonprofit founder + community builder - In 2016 I established #WomxnCrush Music and for 5 years I led a team of international volunteers through programming, fundraising + marketing efforts to create opportunities for our community of 10K+ rising women songwriters.
Since the dissolution of my nonprofit, I pivoted to consulting entrepreneurs full-time on how to launch and grow their businesses. We go through everything from goal-setting to identifying their USP, developing sales funnels and launch strategies to diversifying their revenue streams + planning for a sustainable future. In our sessions, our goal is to not only build a better experience for their clients but also boost awareness, sales and establish brand loyalty.
I fell in love with educating, inspiring and creating genuine connections while I was building my nonprofit. Naturally, when I pivoted, I began hosting workshops, creating engaging content for partnerships, retreats, live events, a membership community and speaking at universities + conferences.
Writing is my first + forever love. From writing articles to op-eds, newsletters + books - I love it all. Recently my writing has been very business focused but I also enjoy writing about personal development + lifestyle.
My “Why”
This has always been to opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs + creatives.
As a Latina who has always gravitated towards male-dominated industries - I want to make sure that the future generation knows that there is room for us at the table - even if that means that we are the ones creating our own tables.
Whether it’s helping someone grow their business, write a book, speak on stages - I want to help others like me - first-generation, feeling like they’ve been put into too many boxes, having many side hustles and ideas - know that they can pave their own path and dare to be ambitious.
The Big Vision
My vision is to be able to help as many underrepresented creatives, entrepreneurs and thought leaders create impact + start building their legacy.
Currently I’m focused on:
connecting with literary agents who will support my next book
supporting my membership community for Latina entrepreneurs (applications are now open!)
growing my Business Strategy Consultancy to help underrepresented thought leaders thrive
helping aspiring nonfiction authors publish books through the Changemaker To Author Mastermind (spots are still open!)
continuing to collaborate to create content for entrepreneurship + leadership programs for like-minded partners
booking corporate and university speaking engagements for 2024
developing a new media platform to amplify the stories and strategies of diverse changemakers (name TBD), while still sharing my personal insights on La Hoja 🙌
What now?
I believe in the power of building genuine connections and collaboration. If there’s any way I can support you or you just want to say hey - please send me a message! And I hope this post inspires you to share your journey, your vision and your “why” with your community. You never know who it might inspire 😍.
With amor and gratitude,