SAN DIEGO — Gabriela Kabande was born in Mexico. She says her passion for fashion started at a young age. She sketched fashion bags on drawing paper, sparking the inception of her own business crafting purses, leather goods and accessories.
"Since I was a little girl, I was always fascinated by the fashion industry," said Kabande. "My eagerness in this dream never went out."
Latina-owned businesses in San Diego County
Kabande now has her own showroom in Chula Vista and credits much of her success to the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce.
"This organization helps Latina women to network with other women and helps you with giving you tools and information that you need to create your business and grow your business," said Kabande.
San Diego-based Latinas who want to kickstart their business ideas can start with MANA de San Diego, a non-profit organization that helps Latinas of all ages with resources to start their own businesses.
MANA's Director of Grants and Research Cristina Sanzhez-Kerr says Latinas nationwide are starting more businesses than ever before.
“What I do know is nationally, Latinos are actually the largest segment of new entrepreneurs," said Sanchez-Kerr.
She says during the pandemic, many Latinas started their own business while also being caretakers at home and the trend continued.
“So, a lot of them looked because we are resilient people. We really look for opportunities to still survive and make ends meet. And so, a lot of women started businesses during that time and continued do so in 2022 and 2023," said Sanchez-Kerr.
She says MANA de San Diego provides a network of support and organizations to help with business development.
Here are some helpful resources to get your business started:
If your dream is to start your own business, Kabande says you can make anything happen.
"You need to be a problem solver. We Latinas, we want to leave a mark. Latinas are coming in strong more than ever. We can make it happen!" said Kabande.
WATCH RELATED: Fronteriza brings multicultural blend to National City coffee shop