Latinas: Natural-Born Entrepreneurs?

Good News on Attractions, and Not Only Sensationalism, may find a Market

By Jennifer Riley
October 1999

Having read one too many traveler- beware stories about her native Mexico, journalist Mayte Rodriguez Cedillo decided to counteract the negativity. The result of her pro-Mexico campaign debuted on newsstands last year and will reappear this November in the form of the second issue of BajaTraveler magazine.

Developing BajaTraveler from a mere idea to a glossy, upscale magazine displayed on the racks of national bookstores Barnes & Noble, Crown and Borders was no easy task for the 31-year-old entrepreneur.

But with a 40,000 audited circulation that extends beyond the United States. Canada, and Mexico to Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England, the publication is an international hit. The addition of Japanese-language sections to the     quintilingual mix will expand the reach of this year’s edition.

“Someone looking at my life might think it’s glamorous having my own business, but it’s a lot of work,” admits Rodriguez, who lives in San Diego. “It’s not for everyone, but I love it! Sometimes I work 18 hours a day, but I’m in charge of my own time. I never liked being on someone else’s schedule, but we all have to pay our dues.”

As a Latina who has become her own boss. Rodriguez is in good company. Hispanics as a group are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other minority group. Between 1987 and 1997, according to the U.S. Small Business administration, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses grew 232 percent. At the same time, the number of female- owned businesses saw a tremendous jump. In fact, more than one-third of all businesses in 1997 were female-owned.

Caroline Sanchez Crozier who owns Computer Services and Consulting Inc. (CS&C) in Chicago, says that Latinas are natural born entrepreneurs because of their independence and organizational skills: “You can see it in how we run our house-holds.” The former CPA left corporate life twelve years ago to raise her two children. She started doing part-time consulting out of her home, but the job quickly evolved into a full-time business.

Working with a large company helping the Chicago public schools integrate technology into curriculum in 1989, Sanchez Crozier was at the right place at the right time. A new budgeting system for the school district gave each school an individualized budget. At the same time, an Affirmative Action push by the city government set aside a certain number of city contracts for minority-and female-owned businesses.

“The IBMs tried recruiting smaller companies to partner with.” says the 40-year-old business owner. “The companies needed people on the street, and they needed companies with minorities or women. I went from being a one-person consulting operation to hiring five people in one year” CS&C now has 30 employees and generates more than $3 million in annual revenues.

“I’m originally from Mexico, and our parents advocated a strong education for us to make it in this country.” explains Sanchez Crozier. “So [this job| brought me back to earlier years, being a professional now on the other side of education where I can make a difference.”

Building her business from the ground up, Sanchez Crozier drew from a talented pool of helpers: her ten brothers and sisters, all but two of whom have worked for CS&C at some point over the last decade, and her husband. She says their willingness to volunteer enable her to compete against larger companies. Sometimes being small has its advantages though. AS the owner of Dallas based marketing and public relations firm ABRAC Consulting, Carmen Garcia explains that entrepreneurs have a better chance of forming personal relationships with fellow business owners and with local vendors. The networking she does with other women who own small businesses in the Dallas area has brought her new contracts and new ideas. And being on a first-name basis with her banker paid off when the banker held a business check that wouldn’t have cleared without Garcia first making a deposit.

Garcia, 52, spent thirteen years in governmental affairs at ARCO oil and gas company, and several years working in Texas state government before she thought of putting her experience to work as an independent consultant. Right off the back, she landed a contract with AT&T to handle the giant corporation’s outreach to the Dallas Hispanic community.

“I’ve decided to focus on larger contracts,” says Garcia, who along with her college-student assistant, partners with large companies on community relations, public relations, and marketing projects. “By partnering I have the opportunity to showcase, be creative, and move on to other contracts. “Sometimes it’s not always about dollars. Sometimes it’s having other companies see what we do, liking it and hiring us. It’s so competitive nowadays.  Before starting a business, ask yourself, “Do I have enough clients to survive?’

Having found clients at bookstores, in the public schools. and in corporate America. these women have been fortunate to answer the question in the affirmative.