My name is Julieth Carolina, I am from Colombia. Nine years ago I arrived to Canada with my husband and two children.
I met the Mennonite New Life Centre through a friend who gave me their contact information. When I called, I was connected with several of their programs. The one that caught my attention the most was the Entrepreneurial Excellence and Leadership (EXL) program. They put me in touch with the program’s instructor, a very professional individual who guided me through everything related to organizing and creating my dream business.
The first step was deciding what business idea I should focus on. Then we worked on the value proposition and created a business model canvas that guided me through clear processes and a vision for my business.
I worked with the instructor on each of these processes.
She helped me understand the importance of choosing the right name for my business. I chose the name Latinazofood: my business sells Colombian food products.”
I learned how to build a client database, how to formulate goals, objectives and how to design solid strategies. Every day and every meeting brought me joy; I realized that my goal can be achieved if I continue to work hard and be consistent.
Sometimes I was discouraged by small things, but I always remembered what my EXL instructor told me: if you dream about it, you will achieve it. It was not an easy path, but today I am proud of my achievements.”
I was able to include my daughter, my husband and my niece in this dream. They are now part of this great business. They help me with managing my customer database, inventory control and brand identity, marketing and advertising on my social media. Everyone plays a very important and valuable role.
I will use the grant to invest in advertising to expand my business infrastructure and purchase more products.
