Empresas 101: Energizing Washington County’s Entrepreneurs
On April 9, the first 2025 edition of Empresas 101, Adelante Mujeres’ business fundamentals course, came to a close. After ten sessions, 17 entrepreneurs presented their business pitches with determination and pride. Each of them demonstrated a deep commitment to their personal and business growth, taking an important step toward launching their ideas or strengthening the direction of their ventures.
Carlos Lopez Bravo, the new Business Program Manager at Adelante Mujeres guided the students throughout their journey. Like many of the participants, he is also an immigrant, and this is his first job in his field since arriving in the United States in December 2023.
Carlos reflects, “This course was a turning point in my life in almost every sense. I had never lived outside of my home country, and although I’ve always worked in training and development, I had never had the opportunity to support a group so closely, especially one that shares not only business interests but also a common story of adaptation, perseverance, and hope. What we built together was not just technical knowledge, but a sense of community. And in a time of uncertainty and challenge, especially for immigrant communities, feeling part of something collective holds immeasurable value.”
The goal of Empresas 101 is to help people feel confident in their ideas, to refine them, and to take the next step forward. For Mayra Gomez, owner of LunaWolf jewelry, the class was a success: “Thank you for helping us and teaching us… I feel more confident in my business idea and in my pitch. It was a pleasure to be in this class with all of you.”
Mayra was not alone. We also had participants like Erika Tep, owner of E.T. Artisan Treasure; Sandra Merino, baker and founder of Cocina de Sandra; Erik Martinez, owner of Antojitos Coronas; and Visenta Vásquez, founder of El Sabor Oaxaqueño. These entrepreneurs will continue their business education journeys through other Adelante Mujeres programs. Some will transition to Casa Qui, our business incubator, while others will join the new course Cocinemos 101, which is designed specifically for food and beverage businesses.
Other outstanding participants include Hortensia Ramirez, owner of Daisy’s Cleaning Services; Yahaira Can, owner of RC Pressure Washing; and Felipe Perez of Total Lawn Maintenance. Each of these businesses reflects the effort, vision, and resilience of our community, and every participant deserves recognition for their dedication to learning.
We are proud of the 17 entrepreneurs who completed our Empresas 101 course. The success of the course was also personal for Carlos because he was able to witness and contribute to what Adelante Mujeres does best: empowering Latines through education, leadership training, and enterprise opportunities, to become strong, empowered leaders in our community. He says, “Thank you for letting me serve you, for allowing me to accompany you, and most of all, for making me a part of your story.” We are building a network of businesses that are a vital part of the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Washington County. We continue moving forward. Together.
