A very successful LATINA Style Business Series kicked-off in San Jose, California on Thursday, July 23 at the Doubletree Hotel, 2050 Gateway Place. Hundreds of Latina entrepreneurs, professionals, and aspiring young Latinas gathered to take part in learning how to successfully structure their businesses. As the day began attendees enjoyed a networking breakfast which gave them the opportunity to explore the exhibit area. The event included experts such as Griselda Quezada-Chavez, Director of the Board and Immediate Past President of the Greater San José Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Monica Amador, President & Chief Operations Officer of El Observador, a Bilingual Weekly Newspaper and Immediate Past Chair of the San Jose Silicon Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who were the co-chairs for the series. Through these events, both Quezada-Chavez and Amador continuously show their dedication to the Latino community. Small businesses are an integral part of San Jose’s economy, nearly 10 percent of Santa Clara County businesses are Hispanic-owned and 27 percent of Santa Clara businesses are women-owned. “As a former small business owner, I realize the challenges many entrepreneurs face when starting up or expanding a small business,� said the Honorable Mayor Chuck Reed of San Jose in his welcoming opening remarks. “That is why I work so hard as Mayor to ensure that San Jose is the best place to start and grow a business. We’ve streamlined our permit process, expanded our enterprise zones and redevelopment areas, offering new opportunities for entrepreneurs and existing businesses. San Jose is working hard to be the best city in America to live, work, and raise a family.� There were many informative workshops that provided essential tools on how to build a business. “Accessing Capital in Today’s Economy,� moderated by Michael C. Elkin, Assistant District Director – Entrepreneurial Development of SBA, included panelists Charles Askanas, Venture Capitalist of SCORE; and Sol Oquendo, Banking Center Manager Assistant Vice President Western Market of Comerica Bank Inc. This panel provided information in the areas of what to expect when applying for a loan and searching for capital to build capacity.

“The Essentials of a Successful Business� was moderated by Gabriela Ruvalcaba, an Agent at State Farm Insurance. Panelists included Christella A. Sanchez of Internal Revenue Service; and Hilda Ramirez, President of Hispanic Association of Realtors & Affiliates. Speakers discussed ways to structure your business, to protect it, and make it flourish. They also provided insights on the establishment of a proper accounting system, the right legal structure, the correct tax reporting system, proper insurance protection and strong employee clearance which will insure that you do not lose your business due to poor preparation. The “Greening Your Business� panel, sponsored by Wal-Mart, was moderated by Maria Galbraith, Marketing Team Leader of Sam’s Club; and speakers included Kathy Chavez Napoli, Co-owner of Santa Clara Truck Wrecker endow with education, insights, and solutions to help small business owners see the value and relevancy of “Going Green.�

The “Lessons Learned-Latina Entrepreneur’s Financial Survival Guide� panel was moderated by Monica Amador, COO of El Observador Publications, Inc. & Imm. Past Chair, SVHCC. Panelists included Alexandra Anderson, State Farm Insurance Agent; Griselda Quezada-Chavez, Director of the Board & Imm. Past President of GJSHCC; and Yvette Mayo, Founder & Owner of Yo Soy Expressions. These successful entrepreneurs discussed how they have made headway through the challenges encountered and ways to overcome them. They also shared ways to be ready for growth and new opportunities. Megan Markoff, Small Business Policy Analyst of Women Impacting Public Policy presented valuable information on federal procurement marketplace during their business program “WIPP’s Give Me 5.� Another informative presentation was “Technology Solutions to increase Business Productivity, sponsored by Cisco Systems and moderated by Terry Anderson, Cisco VP Corporate Communications. Panelists included: Charu Mungale, CEO Team Logic IT (Cisco Partner); Nancy Terrazas-Dube, Owner Simplex Bookkeeping Specialists; and Robert Hernandez, Business Consultant. Experts discussed how you can affordably build your customer base, enhance your brand, and grow your business by utilizing technologies such as Web 2.0/Collaboration.

Our title sponsor Macy’s, Inc. presented “Look Successful…Be Successful� a composed by professional experts that showcased ways to present your best possible self to others. This session was moderated by Wilka Varela Toppins, OVP Diversity Strategies of Macy’s, Inc. Presenters included Brenda Enriquez; and Franchesca Laudon. The acclaimed Blanca Garza, host of “Your Voice in the Community� on Telebreves 48, served as the Mistress of Ceremonies. This year, the LATINA Style Entrepreneur of the Year for the city of San Jose was Kathy Chavez Napoli, co-owner of Santa Clara Truck Wreckers. She was born in San Jose and grew up on the East side. She is the first woman elected as president of the Santa Clara County Auto Recyclers Association, is a Delegate for the White House Conference on Small Business; and is a recipient of the Exemplary Leadership in Business-HDC City Commendation-Presented by San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer. “The LATINA Style Business Series offered a variety of information to its audience ranging from makeup tips, dressing for success, access to capital, banking, technology, procurement 411, business experiences from other Latina Entrepreneurs,� said Griselda Quezada-Chavez, “The LSBS is the only business program that can successfully incorporate a style magazine into an educational workshop,� she added. “The LATINA Style Business Series offered a variety of information to its audience ranging from makeup tips, dressing for success, access to capital, banking, technology, procurement 411, business experiences from other Latina Entrepreneurs,� said Griselda Quezada-Chavez, “The LSBS is the only business program that can successfully incorporate a style magazine into an educational workshop,� she added.

National Sponsors: State Farm Insurance and Wal-Mart Stores. Single City Sponsors: Comerica Bank and Cisco Systems. Thanks to our Partners: The Greater San Jose Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GSJHCC), the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), the National Latina Business Women Association (NLBWA-SAC), the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers - Silicon Valley Chapter (SHPE), infobayarea.com, Latina-Connection Consulting, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley, the San Mateo County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, California Hispanic Professional Association (CHispPA), The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce’s (CHCC), SCORE Silicon Valley Chapter, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Media Partners: Telemundo, KTNC-TV42/Estrella TV, Clear Channel Hispanic Radio San Jose/Salinas/Monterey, La Preciosa 100.7 & 100.9 FM & K-Ocean 105.1 FM, El Mensajero, El Observador, Alianza News and PR Newswire. By Melissa Bencosme Photos by Rosaura Sandoval