In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elena was out of work and travel restrictions made buying groceries a challenge, so she decided to sell the meat from one of her cattle to people living nearby. She completely sold out of all the beef she had available that day, and from there, she started to buy more cattle and continue selling meat by the pound during the weekends.
Elena quickly realized she had identified a new market, one that represented an essential need for her community—local access to food. She then decided to create a more formal business, which she ran from a small table in an alley behind her home.
In August 2022, Elena joined our Bridge to Success program. She was ready to grow her business even further and was thrilled when she received an individual loan, which allowed her to build a storefront in her home and offer meat delivery services.
After receiving the loan, Friendship Bridge also supported me with advanced business training sessions, and I learned to control the finances of my business. The Bridge to Success program has helped me a lot. They have helped me to grow [and] motivate me through their trainings.—Elena, butcher shop owner and Bridge to Success client
Recognized for her success
Later that year, in December 2022, Elena entered Friendship Bridge’s Women’s Entrepreneur Awards and won first place in the Successful Entrepreneur category. Elena used the prize money to buy even more cattle, and then leveraged her profits to buy a bone cutter and meat grinder. The financial award was key in helping her to improve the quality of her products.
“In addition, as part of the award,” Elena added, “I participated in a Neuromarketing workshop to learn more about my clients. I got innovative ideas to improve my business and offer new products to my clients!”
With newly gained insight about the customers she serves, Elena began offering an array of imported goods and produce, including fruit, vegetables, and convenience store items. Now her goal is to keep reinvesting the profits and continue to expand her business as much as she can.
“My message for women is to motivate them first of all, to never lose faith, to always have hope, and to fight for your dream, […] because if I achieved it, you can also achieve it,” she said. “You are capable of getting ahead […] You are women fighters, and you are women entrepreneurs.”
Bridge to Success helped Elena thrive
Our Bridge to Success program helped Elena grow her business even further with an individual loan, which allowed her to build a storefront in her home and offer meat delivery services. Your gift supports more women ready to grow their businesses just like Elena.
