National Hispanic Heritage Month is now underway. With this month, we honor people with roots in Latin America and Spain who have helped the U.S. flourish – quite literally, in the case of Latina entrepreneurs.
According to the 2024 Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Businesses report, there are 2 million Latina-owned businesses in the U.S., employing over 845,000 and generating $175.2 billion in revenue. And those numbers are poised to keep growing – Latina entrepreneurs launch roughly 400 new businesses per day, research by American Express reveals — with Gen X women representing the highest number of Latina business owners.
To celebrate their significant contributions to our economy this Hispanic Heritage month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, we’ve compiled inspiring quotes from 10 successful Latina women entrepreneurs and business leaders.
“Don’t fight back that rhetoric with words, but with actions.”
Paty Funegra is the founder of Kitchen of Purpose (formerly La Cocina VA), a community kitchen that offers culinary education to Latin-Americans looking for jobs in food establishments. In the wake of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration stance, and following high-profile hate crimes against Hispanic Americans (including the 2019 El Paso shooting), Funegra became even more committed to helping the most vulnerable. Her quote is a testament to her belief that fighting back with the same hurtful speech won’t do the community any good.
Selena Gomez at the 2024 Golden Globes. (Credit: IHeartRadioCA YouTube video, Wikimedia Commons)
“Being rare is about being comfortable with yourself. I've stopped trying to be perfect. I just want to be me.”
As an actor and award-winning artist with 425 million followers on Instagram, Selena Gomez is rare. And in 2020, she entered the world of entrepreneurship — naming her product just that: Rare Beauty. Gomez’s beauty line sells makeup, which is made without animal-derived ingredients and byproducts. Sustainability is even weaved into the packaging, which is 100% recyclable. And thanks to her brand, Gomez is now in the billionaire’s club — another achievement on her long list of wins.
Co-Founder of EBY Renata Black. (Credit: EBY)
“The nutty thing about success is that it is an ever-changing goal.”
EBY, a company that sells seamless, comfortable underwear for every body type, has won fans, followers and accolades thanks to its co-founders, Renata Black and Sofia Vergara. Ten percent of EBY’s sales are donated to women in poverty in the form of microfinance infusions, giving women the opportunity to start their own businesses. The company counts numerous celebrities and influencers among its customer base, and says it has empowered 15,000 women and girls to take charge of their financial freedom.
Founder and COO of The Honest Company Jessica Alba. (Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
“When you come from people having zero expectations of who you could be, there’s a fearlessness; you can only go up from there.”
The Honest Company, created by actress-turned-entrepreneur Jessica Alba, provides baby, beauty and home products that are created and produced with customers’ health in mind. In interviews with NBC’s “Today” and other media outlets, Alba has said people doubted her abilities to build a successful business when she first started up. While the company has weathered lawsuits over the years related to how ingredients are labeled, Alba seems to have exceeded expectations. The Honest Company is now a publicly traded company with a reported revenue of $318.6 million.
Beautyblender founder Rea Ann Silva. (Credit: @reaannsilva on Instagram)
“You have to embrace – not fear – the challenges. Dream, be fearless, and follow through.”
Fun fact: Makeup artist Rea Ann Silva was featured in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as the original inventor of the egg-shaped Beautyblender sponge used by makeup professionals and everyday consumers (and replicated by many leading cosmetic companies). She rose to popularity by being one of the first makeup artists to adapt and understand ethnic skins. Her brand has grown since its start, now producing cruelty-free beauty blenders, makeup, facial cleansers and other makeup accessories.
Co-Founder of Cooler Cleanse and Blend It Yourself Salma Hayek. (Credit: Harald Krichel)
“I’m making a commitment to my health and hitting the reset button.”
Back in 2008, actress Salma Hayek began partnering with New York chain Juice Generation to create two juice cleanse brands: Cooler Cleanse and Blend it Yourself. Hayek, who grew up in Mexico, has credited her grandmother with instilling in her the concept that beauty starts in the kitchen and swears (on Juice Generation’s site) that juicing is one of the most important tools in her beauty regimen. Hayek works with expert Eric Helms to create the blends.
“We hope, 50 years from now, the food system is totally different.”
This quote speaks to the ambition of Tatiana Garcia-Granados, who seeks to fix the nation’s broken food distribution system. Two decades ago, she was upset by the lack of healthy food in her high-crime Philadelphia neighborhood, and took action by developing The Common Market. The nonprofit connects about 144 family farms to schools, hospitals and workplaces to bring nutritious foods to local communities. While it began in Philadelphia, The Common Market has expanded far beyond city limits and into other U.S. regions.
Geisha Williams has since left her role at PG&E and was appointed to the Artera Services board of directors in 2021. (Credit: PR Newswire, Artera Services)
“I'd like to see a world where there are so many Latina women leaders – and women of all different backgrounds – in the top jobs around the country. When that happens, we've succeeded.”
As an accomplished business woman, Geisha Williams fully knows what it’s like to be a trailblazer. The Cuban native was the first in her family to graduate from college, graduating with a degree in engineering from the University of Miami. She then went on to serve as CEO and president of the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), making her the first Latina of a Fortune 200 company. That’s not easy when the statistical odds were against her, with Latina women only making up 1% of top management positions. Yet, working in a space dominated by men — with some seeing her as an outsider — Williams preserved and took the high road: “I didn’t let them bully me,” she told Time Magazine. “I just took it in and decided to respond very professionally and respectfully.
Julissa Prado (Credit: Julissa Prado, LinkedIn)
I am a believer that what is meant to be will be. As long as I walk in my purpose, the right doors will open.”
As a child, Julissa Prado was often made fun of for having curly hair. It wasn’t until high school that she started embracing her hair, rather than feeling ashamed of it — and that ultimately led her to a successful beauty career. In 2017, Prado launched Rizos Curls, a haircare line with products to strengthen and maintain curly hair. Within only the first two years of launching her brand, she generated $1 million in sales, she told the Awakened-Woman digital site. Prado’s business has been 100% self-funded since its beginning — a testament to her entrepreneurial spirit.
“I knew I wanted to reflect my culture in my brand because it is what truly inspires me and pushes me forward.”
Troubled by the lack of Latina voices in news, Marivette Navarrete in 2018 launched The Mujerista, a digital publication that shares Latinas’ stories along with tools, resources and support. It’s a venture she solely funds and operates. Having a background in social media marketing, she also established the “M Space,” a safe place for women to connect and share their stories, and aims “to broaden our message to all women who feel left out of the conversation,” she told Forbes in 2019. What propelled Navarette was her ability to take risks. “Don’t hesitate,” she said, giving advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. “Just go for it.”
(This post, originally published Sept. 15, 2023, has been updated for this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month.)
*Claretta Bellamy contributed to this piece.
