Tania Multiplies Opportunities for Others!
Tania Rivera constantly identifies and actualizes opportunities for herself and others. She was poised to open her law office when COVID struck and Hondurans were ordered to stay at home. Having experienced spicy desserts while studying in Santa Barbara, Mexico, Tania instead opened a home business making and selling fruit popsicles with a splash of spice. Fittingly, she gave her business a spicy, playful name: Chucherias Koko's! The touch of tamarind in her mango smoothie was a pleasant and refreshing surprise to our tastebuds while a chocolate-covered banana was equally irresistible. Such simple and affordable pleasures lifted her neighborhood’s morale during the pandemic.
When COVID restrictions were lifted, she rented a corner store and enrolled in our StartBook course offered by Emprende, a trusted Creating Jobs Inc partner. Tania says:
"the truth is since I took the course, I’ve had huge growth in my business."
Tania easily rattled off several StartBook lessons she was now practicing at Chucherias Koko's. One of those is our advice to save money weekly for long-term expenses such as new equipment or the slow season. She actually took that up a notch by saving money every single day from her sales to cover her sizeable end-of-the-month expenses:
"Before I started saving money daily, my employees could tell that I was stressed and depressed at the end of each month. Now, when I pay bills, I am happy knowing that there is more than enough to cover them. Once I knew what my monthly expenses were, I learned what I needed to make every day. I now feel more peaceful and restful."
Many small business owners keep their business wisdom to themselves for fear that employees will strike out on their own, but Tania was so excited about what she learned in the course that she gave an employee a copy of StartBook to read, saying:
"You have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.”
Her employee took that and StartBook’s advice to heart and started a beauty supply business. Tania would rather lose good employees if it helps them develop their gifts. That takes courage! in her own words:
"I am truly fulfilled when people take my advice and create successful businesses."
That generosity seems to radiate from her warm eyes and smile. Even Tania's simple apparel and hairstyle suggest that she focuses her energy outward to help others to flourish. She says:
"I see tons of potential in people. I have an eye for it."
Another example of Tania raising up entrepreneurs is when 10-year-old Marco began selling her spicy Mexican candies at school. She showered him with advice, encouragement, and even a wholesale discount. Next, she gathered his friends and gave them a workshop on how to start businesses of their own!
Tania even invited a second business into her own space. When Patricia Herrera (below) was about to close her Mexican restaurant and was praying for an opportunity, Tania invited her to cook and sell meals in her store every Sunday – rent-free at first. This boosted Patricia’s sales and local awareness of her regular, weekday location. Patricia told us she was grateful for the exposure to Tania's wide network and thanked Tania:
"When I was about to quit, you created an opportunity for me."
Tania is an opportunity-maker! In her own words:
"I love bringing things to life - like God."
Like us at Creating Jobs, she's been swept into the thrilling flow of God's generosity, helping people to discover and use their gifts to bless their communities.
Tania is eagerly investing in her fellow StartBook graduates who are now meeting monthly at the Business Table, a mutual support and accountability group that Serve Hope’s Emprende convenes in Siguatepeque. She says:
"in this course (and the business roundtable that follows), I can surround myself with leaders who know what works and what doesn't and give each other positive feedback. They don't just learn, they actually put wisdom into practice.”
This is an important part of the below ecosystem that Serve Hope is nurturing for the common good.
Thank you for investing with us in “business for God's glory”!