Entrepreneurs in the world: Women who set the path to follow
Talking about women is always a challenge, especially because they are amazing beings in any facet they develop. As a result of the migratory process that many women have had to face, we find talented women who have had to venture into entrepreneurship to move forward, and sometimes even to survive and support their families.
From this perspective, we will present three women who have demonstrated through their entrepreneurship that it is possible to achieve success. They are Esther Sangiovanni, Cira Pelekais, and Andrea Boscán, who will share their stories with all of our readers.
I am Esther Sangiovanni from the Dominican Republic. I left my country at the age of 19 to fulfill a childhood dream – to live in Berlin, Germany. It was there that my firstborn son, Marshell Sangiovanni, was born. Seven years later, I had my daughter Ayanna Kelly in Buffalo, USA. My son Marshell retired from the Army and Ayanna Kelly from the National Guard. Both are role model young adults who represent their Afro-Latino culture very well. I am a proud mother and grandmother of the family that God has blessed me with.
Today, I am a woman who lives and enjoys the opportunity to have 4 beautiful grandchildren. I graduated with an Associate degree in Business from Bronx Community College in Bronx, New York, and earned my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo, New York. I also have a Master’s degree in International Business from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
I am a natural-born entrepreneur, as my father always says that he doesn’t work for anyone because he doesn’t make anyone rich with his time. Due to life circumstances, I always have my own business ventures alongside my career in corporate banking, which started in 1998
Since I was a child, I started my entrepreneurial journey by knitting clothes for newborns, tablecloths, and women’s slippers. As an adult, I have continued to have multiple ventures. I sold women’s shoes, handbags, and accessories, and invested in real estate.
However, one of the ventures that I have managed to consolidate is Esangibeauty, a company where I have developed over 100 skin and hair products. Currently, I create private labels for female entrepreneurs who are starting their own lines of customized products. I also sell my products through my website. In the same company, I offer entertainment courses for women to learn how to make creams, soaps, and candles.
Today, after 25 years of a career in corporate banking, I realized that there was a need for a Latina to speak about money to educate female entrepreneurs on how to obtain credit for their businesses. So, I proceeded to create ‘Esther Avanza Academy‘. From this platform, on social media, Esther talks about money. The main idea is for female entrepreneurs to learn how to use the money they can get from banks to finance their projects, under the name of their business, and report to the business credit, not their personal credit. This way, they can protect their assets.
Entrepreneurship to improve quality of life
A case for reflection…
Some time ago, I made the decision to make some changes in my life. I had always been a dependent worker, satisfied with a biweekly salary, and was not daring enough to take control of my work activity as I was quite comfortable. However, I eventually realized the opportunities that the market offered for someone with my professional background. At that moment, I understood that I had lost valuable time and proceeded to create my own company. This involved traveling to different countries to promote a venture that I started with a friend. Our goal was to position our company, which met an existing market need: training in a specific area of knowledge – Business Management and Strategy. However, due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the emergence of the venture, we overlooked one of the fundamental issues: conducting a prior market study. This would have been the appropriate step to measure the demand for the service offered.
We understood at that moment that in the case of Centro de Estudios Superiores en Gerencia C.A., the objective was vague, hardly achievable, and believable, and therefore did not respond to a specific need of the market. Starting with the premise that to start a company on the right foot, the first thing is to set an objective that meets the following characteristics: measurable, clear, achievable, challenging, and especially that addresses a specific need.
Based on the situation we were facing, we made the decision to reinvent our business model and try something new, considering that entrepreneurship is fascinating, but risky. So, we redesigned our commercial model and business strategies to adapt to the market, and at that moment we became an international consulting company in quality matters, offering quality assurance for processes in university organizations.
Of course, we have had to overcome a series of difficulties, especially due to the turbulent times caused by the pandemic that humanity has experienced, but we continue to move forward in order to position ourselves in a highly competitive market.
Today, each one of us has taken different paths, because migration has become part of our particular reality. However, independently, we have continued to move forward with our projects, hoping to achieve the set goal and addressing our own personal scenario.
The moral to this life story is: Let’s face any difficult situation we may be experiencing, assuming each of these circumstances as a life lesson. The important thing is to make the decision to change and redesign a new strategy that makes it possible to achieve our goals. And this reflection should also be put into practice in the workplace.
Entrepreneurship with Balloons
My name is Andrea Boscán. I am a Venezuelan lawyer, wife, mother of two treasures, an immigrant in the United States, and in my wildest dreams, I never visualized myself doing what is now my passion: ‘The Art with Balloons.‘ I never imagined it, but God always has a perfect plan for each of us, and today, I am extremely grateful that he has arranged this for me. I started this beautiful project called ‘Boballoons by Andrea‘ in an extremely difficult year worldwide. A pandemic called Covid-19 had arrived to surprise us all, and it paralyzed the planet for several months, something we never thought could happen. Being unemployed, and with the aim of generating income for my family, this opportunity presented itself to me.
I have always liked party decorations, and everything related to this; I was the person in the family who was in charge of decorating and planning celebrations, but I never saw it as something I could dedicate myself to, let alone monetize it. I began to observe through social media, that in that difficult year, everything related to balloon arrangements had become popular, and many people in this industry were offering online courses; it was then when I decided to take my first online course on balloon decorations, and I was simply in love with everything that could be created, however, I was full of many doubts and insecurities, but I decided to face them and with the love and support of my loved ones, I was able to materialize it, and believe me, it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, because sharing love, joy, and happiness through this beautiful art, I love it and it fills me with life.
No one said that starting your own business would be an easy task, but behind every mistake and setback, there is a learning experience. The most important thing is to always trust in yourself and continue with the goals that you have set for yourself. Being consistent and persevering have been the keys that have helped me achieve success in my business. So, to you who are reading this article, don’t let your fears paralyze you. Face them and go after what you want. I am sure that what awaits you is much better than what you can imagine.
