Over 200 Latinas attended the Texas installment of the LATINA Style Business Series, a dynamic one-day seminar designed to provide business solutions for Latina professionals. The seminar connects its participants with agencies and corporations that offer critical resources for today’s entrepreneur. Escaping the humidity in Dallas, the attendees gathered inside the Westin Hotel on Aug. 15 for a day of networking, fun and professional development. 

Kicking off the event in an exhibit-filled room, attendees had an opportunity to visit and consult with many of the sponsors and scheduled speakers (see list below). The atmosphere was charged with exciting networking opportunities as the women exchanged business cards and handshakes, saturating the room with inspirational ideas. But the day was only getting started as the attendees took their seats to hear the highly successful guest speakers disclose their strategies for success. 

It was diversity at its best as motivating guest speakers from a variety of professions shared their expertise on several entrepreneurial concerns. Topics included securing financial assistance for your business, balancing work and personal life, insurance needs, growing your business with technology, marketing, advertising and essentially making your dreams a reality. 

The day was jam-packed with solutions and learning discoveries. 

"I hadn’t thought about insurance," said entrepreneur Raquel Guardado referring to the information she learned through the speakers. "I met a patent attorney here today who is more cost effective than the one I’m using," said inventor Sylvia Acevedo. "The Small Business Administration information was like little nuggets of gold!" said business owner Neyra Acevedo. 

Although it seemed that the Latina Style Business Series couldn’t get any better, the raffle at the end of the day was like the lime you add to your Corona. The finale’s random drawings included valuable gifts by the Series’ sponsors: AETNA, American Airlines, AT&T, Cisco Systems, Citibank, Office Depot, New York Life, Principal Financial Group, State Farm, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. Postal Service. 

Aspiring Latina entrepreneurs and current business owners seeking solutions can check out the LATINA Style website for the next Business Series seminar. Jay Acosta of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who assisted in marketing the Dallas event, spoke with confidence to the potential for successful Latino business ventures. 

"We as Latinos have the entrepreneurial spirit" he said. "If we don’t find a job, we’ll create our own!" 


"I want to open up my own restaurant," said Cyndi Ryan, currently a stay-at-home mother whose main purpose for attending the seminar was to learn the tips and secrets to start her own business. 

"The only secret is hard work," said insurance agent Carol Martinez, one of the many powerful speakers who shared her personal struggles of establishing her own business. "I didn’t know a thing about insurance, but the best decision I ever made was to start my own business." 

Electricity filled the room during the luncheon, which was generously sponsored by Office Depot, as keynote speaker Nina G. Vaca, President of Pinnacle Technical Resources, Inc. took the podium. Vaca began by sharing her life challenges, including the tragic passing of her father that thrust her into running the family business at a very young age. Attendees absorbed words of wisdom and encouragement from an accomplished Latina entrepreneur as Vaca detailed her successful climb in the technical consulting field, an industry traditionally dominated by males. 

"Surround yourself with people who have the same vision and passion as you do" Vaca said. She added that having a mentor who believed in her played a vital role in her success.