Berenice Guadarrama, co-owner of Central Coast Candle Co., helped launch the North County Latinos in Business program for the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce. Now, she's helping other business owners overcome obstacles she says she faced as a member of the Latino community.
“There’s a lot of tools and resources that they don't know about that I'm able to give to them," Guadarrama said. "So I think that's like where it all just kind of started and this is what my next chapter is, so I'm excited."
The program aims to address limited access to resources, language and cultural barriers, and a lack of visibility in the broader business community by offering bilingual support, workshops and networking opportunities.
Mixers will be held every month starting in January. Guadarrama says they're still finalizing a date.
“We want to be able to bridge the gap for them," the program director said. "So they know that we're here to support them and that they have a community to be a part of and they can comfortably come into the door and have access to all the resources that we are providing to them.”
Corvus Wealth Advisors has also experienced a language barrier with clients and recently joined the initiative with nine other small businesses.
“Many people I've interacted with, no one could explain to them the details of their retirement plans," said Administrative Assistant and Interpreter Emily Hockett. "So they just missed out on this big opportunity for years, in some cases, unfortunately. So I'm really happy to bring that to them.”
According to Hockett, the lack of resources available in Spanish prompted their involvement.
“I'm just excited for the community that this opportunity is being explored and really embraced," said Chief Operating Officer Giselle Crout. "It's such a needed area of our community and we need to embrace it and do everything we can to help everyone in our community have access.”
The cost for the annual membership is $250. According to Guadarrama, anyone who considers themselves a part of the Latino community or an ally who is starting a business or already owns a business is welcome to join.
