WIMAUMA, Fla. — A Wimauma organization is increasing the economic prosperity of women.
Twice a week, a group of Latina women gather at Wimauma Opportunity Center to learn the ins and out of entrepreneurship. Amarilis Dellus just opened a 360-photo booth business. She’s been attending the small business development class for a couple months. She said without the class she’d be lost.
“Right now a lot of stuff that I didn’t know that I can do for my business, I’ve learned in the that class," Dellus said. "It’s helping me a lot. I’ve already started promoting myself on Instagram."
Enterprising Latinas hosts the nine-week program for new and aspiring entrepreneurs. The organization which focuses on women’s economic empowerment offers the class as a free resource that many of these women otherwise would not have access to.
“Also invite bankers and we invite attorneys and we invite other folks that have expertise in different areas: legal, accounting and tax," Founder and CEO Enterprising Latinas Liz Gutierrez said. "Someone to come in, really have that one-on-one conversation with our members who are also students, so they can understand and learn what it takes you to run a business."
Enterprising Latinas is now partnering with Raza Development Fund, the largest Latino-focused national community development financial institution, to provide entrepreneurs with capital.
“We’re very excited that this week we’re going to be launching a partnership we have with the national organization, where women will be able to access over $1 million in capital to be able to fund and grow their business,” Gutierrez said.
Further supporting women like Dellus to realize their professional goals.
“When we start in the class in the beginning, you can see the attitude in the people like I don’t know if this is for me, but after months you can see they are very confident in what they want to do, where they're going to be in the future. I think it’s amazing,” Dellus said.
For more information on Enterprising Latinas, click here.
