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Women entrepreneurs: how to overcome adversity
By
Tatiana Prophet Military hi-tech contracts and bilingual journalism are probably two of the most opposite fields anyone could name. But these two powerful entrepreneurs have at least three things in common: they are both Hispanic, they are both women, and both have gone through dark times, only to become extraordinarily successful. "There comes a point in your life when you think, can I really go on? Is it worth getting up in the morning?" said Nancy Archuleta, chair and CEO of MEVATEC Corporation, a company that earned $70 million in revenue last year and expects to earn $108 million in 2001. "We're going through that as a nation right now. Seven thousand of our comrades have been wasted. But we're here." At this point, said Archuleta, it's important to look at your assets. "We of Hispanic background, better than anybody, know that loss is a part of life. We've got to deal with it." "It's a difficult time right now," said Victoria Chacón, owner of La Visión de Georgia. "But still, if you want to do something, you will do it." Chacón should know. She emigrated from Peru, fleeing military and political strife, and arrived in New Jersey with $15 in her pocket and no knowledge of English. Chacón found her way to Georgia and "fell in love" with the city of Atlanta. She began cleaning rooms at a downtown hotel, and a decade later, is the founder and owner of Georgia's only daily bilingual newspaper, which can be found in any of the city's Kroger, Publix, Winn-Dixie and Cub Foods supermarkets. After the recent terrorist attacks occurred, Chacón said she gathered her staff, all of which come from seven different countries."We're going to have a hard time here," Chacón told them. "Who wants to stay with me, and who wants to go back to their countries?" They said they would stick together. "We need to stick together to be a success," she said. Archuleta said that you can sell whatever you're going to sell, but what business is really about is relationships. "It's
about how you deal with people, how you talk with them and work
with them." "I surrounded myself with people who were smarter than I am, and I stayed out of their way," she said. "Create an environment where good people want to be around you." (www.atlantalatino.com) |
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