Susana Castañeda-Ricardi Vicini
Spices and Blends
Turn adversity into opportunity

Susana Vicini had been working for Creative Spices in Union City, California for a couple of years, two years before the company owners announced they were going bankrupt and would close their doors. With $50K in savings, she purchased the company’s existing equipment and launched the business as Spices and Blends in 2001. Today, the business is selling to commercial kitchens that provide pre-packaged foods for school districts and prisons in California, Utah, Montana and Indiana. In addition to her primary customers, Vicini is also creating, producing and packaging custom formulations for restaurants and specialty food makers.

At $700K in annual sales, Vicini is pleased with her achievements but continues to plan for much more. She envisions having her own line of gourmet products that would meet the needs of the many ethnic groups now living in the U.S. “I want to focus on the cultural cuisines of the country so I can provide easy-to-cook meals at home that are nutritious, tasteful and easy for busy families to prepare.” She is particularly interested in a line of products to help diabetics keep their special diet and still enjoy their cultural cuisine.

Vicini, married and mother of 6-year-old twin boys and a 9-year-old daughter, was born and raised in Mexico. She came to the U.S in 1991 after graduating with a doctorate in chemical engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico. From an early age, Vicini learned to be self-reliant and ascertained that being self-employed was the norm. “I grew up hearing from my mother and all my aunts and uncles that no matter what you choose to be in life—whether it is a doctor or lawyer or engineer—you will be in your own business. I knew early on that it would be better for me to be in business for myself. This is how I grew up. I saw so many in my family run their own businesses so it was natural for me to want to have my own business. I also knew it was more responsibility but I was willing to take that risk.”

While her work takes a great deal of time to manage and juggle the needs of her family, Vicini takes the challenges and remains confident about her future. “I know what I am doing. I know that I will grow the business and be able to have a significant market share and create more jobs within my community. That’s very important to me and it is especially important to work with other entrepreneurs.” Even the challenge of dealing with something new and different each day energizes Vicini. “I love that sense of adventure and solving a different problem every day.”

Her advice for a would-be-entrepreneur: “Be sure that this is what you want or else your dream can turn into a nightmare. It takes more focus and energy than you might think at first. There is no one who will push you to do what needs to be done. You have to be driven and passionate about your work in order to succeed.”

Deb Shaw
Multi-Ethnic Success Ventures, LLC
Dream BIG! Enterprises
Failure is not an option

Deb Shaw, author of the bestseller Dream BIG! is a serial entrepreneur launching three different businesses each with their own astounding track record of success. A year ago, she sold her first business, Umbrellas Plus—a multi-million dollar import company that started in 1987 and sold products to national retailers like Wal-mart, Costco and Toys “R” Us.
Her second business, Dream Big! Enterprises was born out of a need to manage her many speaking engagements all spawned by her best-selling book and appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and numerous programs on all the major networks. Her presentations on diversity, personal empowerment and business strategy inspire, dazzle and inform audience members to take control and take actions that can make their dreams a reality. It’s no surprise why corporations in the Fortune 100 seek her advice.

Yet her latest venture is perhaps the most personal and one that will bring her the kind of rewards she cherishes. The child of Puerto Rican immigrants, Shaw was raised in Spanish Harlem by parents—a minister and social worker—who dedicated their lives to serving their community and helping others. Multi-Ethnic Success Ventures, LLC will allow Shaw to follow in their giant footsteps. “I am committed to teaching the universal success strategies that work no matter who you are or what your circumstances are. It’s time to bring the best and the brightest success mavens on the planet to work on growing our levels of success.” Multi-Ethnic Success Ventures will bring a subscription based coaching service to small business owners and individuals who want training and professional growth, but have not been able to afford individual sessions.
Shawn attributes her entrepreneurial spirit and success to the strength of her family and the ability to see through the myths of being a business owner. Three big myths—(1) just being a good person and working hard is enough, (2) you can do it all alone and (3) entrepreneurs can be overnight successes. “The biggest challenge is that we are too often willing to entertain fantasy instead of reality. Latinas must do their homework—pay attention to market conditions, align with and learn from people who have already been there, done that…We insist on being the heroines in our own lives—often to exhaustion, frustration and poor results. Get the help you need.”

Arabel Alva Rosales
AAR Enterprises
Timing is everything

A serial entrepreneur, Arabel Alva Rosales, owns three businesses under the holding company AAR Enterprises based in Chicago: A consulting firm that advises on technology infrastructure, a closet furnishings and cabinet company, and now Power Solutions. This most recent venture emerged when the increasing cost of gas began to skyrocket across the nation and everyone felt the impact, Rosales, whose budget includes operating vans and trucks felt compelled to take action. Power Solutions will develop and distribute a product called MPG Cap to save money on fuel and reduce emissions in cars.
For Rosales, success is about being in the right place at the right time and seizing an opportunity. MPG Cap was invented for NASA over 30 years ago but was not needed at the time. When the patent rights were returned to the original inventor, Rosales struck a partnership to develop the product and expand its sales throughout the U.S. and internationally. Testing of the product is currently underway in Mexico and proposals are in place to put MPG Cap into government fleets for fuel conservation and cost cutting.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants and business owners in Chicago, Rosales has practical advice for entrepreneurs: “If you’re not making money, then get out and move on.” On the value of being an entrepreneur, Rosales says, “You get to be the captain of your own ship. This carries with it a lot of responsibility, but with that comes a lot of freedom. You get to be an artist, and your business is your canvas. You get to create it, paint it. It isn’t always easy but it is a lot of fun.”
Rosales credits her success to having strong family values and the opportunity to learn from several mentors and supporters. She also is firm that Latinas learn to take care of themselves so that they can thrive. While she doesn’t mind the long work hours associated with being an entrepreneur, she insists it cannot come at the price of exercising, spending time with family and friends, or giving back to the community.

The qualities that make successful entrepreneurs have been studied many times. A tolerance for change and ambiguity, risk-taking, and a strong sense of self-determination are just a few of the attributes associated with successful entrepreneurs. The unique qualities of Latina entrepreneurs, however, are just beginning to be understood. A key measure of success mentioned by each of the women profiled here was the importance of giving back to the community and sharing knowledge and experiences with the future Latina entrepreneurs. We are all the wiser and stronger having heard these remarkable stories and just a few gems of their lessons learned.

Our expanded coverage of Latina Entrepreneurs will run in every issue of LATINA Style Magazine throughout 2007. In addition, read complimentary editorial content and resource information at www.latinastyle.com.

Business Entrepreneurs Must Also Be Activists Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), the new Chairman of the U. S. House Small Business Committee and the first Latina to chair a Congressional Committee, has been a tireless advocate for the small business committee. Her unwavering belief on the role that the Small Business Administration needs to play in supporting America’s entrepreneurs and small companies is one of the main reasons the agency is around today. As an advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurship, Velázquez has worked on initiatives to expand financial services to underserved communities. Her key policy efforts have impacted many women-owned businesses, especially Latina-owned businesses. “It is clear that Latinas are making great strides in our country today. We are holding more leadership roles than ever before and are only continuing to rapidly expand our culture and presence here in the United States,” says Velázquez. “It is truly an honor to be named the first Hispanic woman to ever serve as Chair of a full House Committee, and I am proud to serve in this capacity to represent not only the needs of our nation's small businesses, but also the Latino community.” Velázquez not only encourages economic development, access to affordable housing, quality education, community health protection, and health care for New York families, she also establishes small business legislative priorities that cover tax regulations, access to capital, trade, health care, federal contracting, technology and also pension reform. Initiatives that are important to Velázquez were recently introduced as a legislative package that addresses several ongoing concerns that New York City families and small businesses have faced for several years. Initiatives include: ensuring access to a healthy diet, addressing the affordable housing crisis, ensuring low-income communities have access to technology advancements, transforming unusable land into safe, vibrant locations for residents, and helping small businesses grow. According to Velázquez, “today’s initiatives are just the beginning of a renewed commitment to improving the environment for our residents and entrepreneurs.” Barbara Kasoff co-founded Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) five years ago in order to unify the voices of the nation’s associations and advocates for business women. Kasoff understands that small business owners must wear many hats all at once. A business owner herself, she knows the challenge of generating enough business, managing it and then watching the bottom-line. But her message for a ‘would be’ entrepreneur is that “you cannot do it alone” and getting involved politically does two things: it protects you and your community’s interests and it creates connections among people who are in a position to help you succeed. “When a business owner is also seen as a leader, that respect you get will get for ‘doing the right thing’ is key to gaining attention from potential contractors. Get the profile of a leader and that will catapult you into new heights,” says Kasoff. According to Kasoff, three specific policy arenas that are vital to small business growth are the following: Health Care: Small businesses must be able to provide health care if they want to attract a competitive workforce and if women business owners want to provide this benefit. Watch for the emergence of Association Health Plans. Minimum Wage: Despite the perception that raising the federal minimum wage can hurt a small business, the overall impact is actually positive. Small businesses are hurt if they keep replacing workers who cycle in and out of jobs looking for better wages. Low-income workers also consistently place a burden on the nation’s health care system by relying upon emergency room use, which everyone ends up paying in skyrocketing insurance premiums. Livable wages help everyone sustain their economic status. Federal procurement programs: In 2001, legislation passed that 5 percent of federal contracts were to be set aside to be awarded to small businesses. Unfortunately, it has yet to be enacted, and instead, yet another study has been commissioned to see if this is needed. Small business owners must speak out and lobby that this legislation be put in place so that they also have access to contracts with the federal government.