When we think about women entrepreneurs, we may imagine a superheroine from a comic book. But the truth is that the story of how these women got there is a story of effort and dedication. These are women that trained hard through education and observation, women who had an idea and decided to take the leap and women who, holding strong values in mind, started the long way towards their goal finding a path full of obstacles but also satisfaction.
Rebeca Toribio, founder of Superchulo —a restaurant and lifestyle start-up—, Angélica Pimentel, founder and CEO of POiN —a leisure and services platform for parents with children— and Victoria Blanco, founder and CEO of Ábaco —a financial adviser for gig-economy with an alternative credit-score to the traditional banking sector in Latin America—, shared their experiences with us at our last EAE On Session that took place as part of our Women Initiative programme.
1.Crises Must Be Tackled Face to Face.
Setting up a business in 2021 may seem much more than just a challenge, but we can turn it around and find great opportunities in adverse situations. Angélica, Victoria and Rebeca are good examples of this.
Angélica Pimenter found her great opportunity through her start-up POiN, a leisure and services platform for parents with children that was launched soon before the pandemic started. Exceptional circumstances forced her to adapt her offer but she never lost track of her mission — making life with children easier. Thus, POiN focused on “life online”, so common during confinement in this pandemic, getting parents and children to equally enjoy leisure time under the new circumstances.
The same happened with Ábaco, the start-up created by Victoria Blanco. She developed a risk model that allows her to offer financial solutions to unbanked segments in Latin America. Victoria has managed to rocket her business thanks to the acceleration of the vision they had on the labour market, granting financial inclusion for people whose work was based on platforms: “As delivery peaked, so did our business”.
As for Rebeca, she has gone through a rough situation during this past year with Superchulo — her hospitality business that was profoundly affected by the pandemic. But, far from giving up, during this time, she has bet on reinforcing the brand and delving into its meaning, while finding new ways to reach people and transmit her philosophy. This has given way to new creations, different to the hospitality services, that keep her business more thriving than ever.
2. May Obstacles Serve Us as a Ladder.
As amazing as it may sound, cases of entrepreneurs that started their business in their garage and became millionaires in a few years are extremely rare. These types of cases have created a sort of idealisation of entrepreneurship and make us forget that it is actually a complex journey in which a great deal of obstacles will come our way.
Bumps in the road, moments of darkness, hindrances, one no after another… call it what you may, it’s inevitable to come across such moments. And, however, they are a valuable part of the journey towards our dreams.
But there’s one thing that the three women agree on: every obstacle, every adversity, they’ve done nothing but strengthen their vision and confidence in their idea while learning and increasing their resilience. That’s because a bump in the road may be transformed into steps of a ladder that will help us lose our fear, open new doors and adapt to every change.
3. Education and Cultural Change to Foster Women Entrepreneurship.
All three agree that, in spite of all the progress that has been made in the last decades, there are still certain stereotypes about women that we need to address. There are a series of labels that, in many circumstances, make the entrepreneuring process harder.
“We must start raising awareness on the fact that women can get anywhere they want and whenever they want”, Victoria stresses. Thanks to her experience in Latin America, she’s been able to observe that, even if there’s a long way to go, there are many initiatives that address this issue.
Angélica, a Brazilian by birth, agrees. She admits that in her country there’s still social pressure towards women regarding marriage and children. “Leaving that idea behind is complicated, but there’s already a transformative process going on”.
As for Rebeca, who launched her own business at the age of 22, “not pigeonholing ourselves and not assigning ourselves stereotypical labels” —which often happens because of the education we receive as kids— still requires a lot of hard work.
4. From Great Names to Society Itself: Role Models.
What’s the source of inspiration for these women entrepreneurs throughout their long distance race? Are there other women that serve as role models in their day to day?
Rebeca’s role models are women who have reached a leadership position staying true to themselves, having their own voice and always having a clear understanding of their position. Journalist Oprah Winfrey, Madonna or Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg are some of the examples she offers.
As for Angélica, she thinks that, beyond people with names and surnames, her source of inspiration comes from observing society — something that helps her understand what she wants to do and what she wants to avoid. And, more importantly, her biggest role models are other entrepreneurs that are moving their projects forwards in spite of the difficulties. “They give me the strength to change things”, she says.
Victoria also gets most of her inspiration from everyday examples. Through her company’s activity she has the possibility to give opportunities to Venezuelan immigrants coming to Colombia, “quite often, women with a difficult history that go out and work every day to provide for their families”. In this way, Victoria is doing all she can in order to improve a situation that is being caused by a great exile crisis and help those who need it the most.
5. Companies with a Soul, Companies that Transform.
If there’s something that characterises the entrepreneurial ecosystem is its change philosophy. It’s no longer enough to have a successful business model — having a purpose that’s beneficial for society, improving the environment, moving the world… it all has to be part of every start-up’s DNA.
Rebeca thinks “it’s essential to connect with values. The purpose of a business can’t be only economic”. What we’ve all lived through this last year is proof of that. “Even if we lose money, I feel we gain a lot. Because I have a community that is more faithful than ever, a team always next to me and a brand that is becoming more and more diverse —she says—. If your project doesn’t come from your soul and it doesn’t move the world, then it’s not necessary”.
As for Ábaco, the project’s purpose is unequivocally social and it’s focused on giving opportunities to people. “That’s what drives me —says Victoria—. Business models that are not purpose oriented are a step backwards”.
Lastly, Angélica thinks it’s crucial that projects have that orientation towards goals that bring benefits to society and every environment. And, that’s something that also helps attract talent.
6. Successful Entrepreneurship is a Journey, Not a Destination.
To conclude, our speakers gave us their “magic formulas” in order to successfully walk the entrepreneurship path.
Angélica claims that the key is in “having a very clear mission and getting with people that share your belief”, while Victoria summed up her formula in “trusting yourself and having a clear strategy”.
Lastly, Rebeca shared with us a beautiful and inspiring phrase: “The road towards conscience is the true revolution. Revolution is needed in everything we do”.