When asked about the best part of her day, Lissett, a hair salon owner in Sololá, talks about her children. Her greatest hopes are that she can empower them to be themselves, be financially independent, and emotionally intelligent. “I tell them they do not have to be like someone else,” she says.
Driven to expand her business
As a client of our Bridge to Success program, Lissett also is driven to expand her business. A personalized program to support women entrepreneurs as they can increase their sales, become leaders, and create jobs in their communities, Bridge to Success serves the “missing middle” segment of women business owners in Guatemala.
The program addresses financial needs by providing individual loans as well as a range of non-financial needs including business training. Since entering the Bridge to Success program, Lissett has created six new paid positions at her salon and increased her profits by 29%.
Challenges to growth
She says that one of her biggest challenges is finding employees who are as committed as she is. “I am open to teaching and mentoring others, but it is hard to find staff who are reliable, open to learning, committed, and who will represent the business like I would,” Lissett explains. “It is not only about having abilities [to do the job], but also about mindset. I want to teach employees to change their mindset.”
Bridge to Success helps with this by connecting Lissett with more like-minded individuals who share her commitment to entrepreneurship. Lissett refers to such people as chispuda women—those who have a certain spark or energy, and are quick learners. She dreams of having a chain of salons that operate with the same model of high-level customer service, which she would teach, so that more women in Guatemala can become their own bosses like she is.
“We are coming to understand that we can empower one another as women and thrive with our families,” Lissett says. “We do not like to be dependent on others and are not looking for a man to save us.”
When a woman builds a business, she builds opportunity for others too.
Since 2021, our Bridge to Success program has been mentoring and training women business leaders in Guatemala, like Lissett, with high potential for growth. Your gift can help more women entrepreneurs gain the training and support to lead businesses that lift up the people around them.
