December 13, 2023 – On October 3rd, we ran our first Business Bootcamp of the year at the Municipal Institute of Women in Tijuana for a cohort of 17 women. This very exciting, even life-changing program, included a Business Plan Competition, during which we selected promising projects for incubation, which includes the provision of seed grants to help successful candidates create or boost their small businesses as well the provision of backstop and mentoring by WPDI specialists. In Tijuana, a city marked by many challenges in terms of poverty and violence, creating entrepreneurial opportunities for underprivileged backgrounds is critical as it not only fosters economic self-sufficiency but also contributes to building foundations for long-term community growth.
In this light, our program is designed to help participants navigate and thrive in the business landscape, enabling them to break the cycle of poverty, drive local commerce. The program also contributes meaningfully to the community’s overall socio-economic advancement, fostering the resilience capacity of the community which will be thereby poised for enduring progress.
As a business incubation platform, it therefore serves to promote local entrepreneurship by giving community members access to concrete skills that will enable them to launch successful businesses, or reevaluate and improve their existing business strategies.
The competition was held at the Municipal Institute of Art and Culture. Many of the trainees who did not participate in the competition attended the session in order to learn and practice for future participation and to support their fellow trainees. The competition included many different kinds of projects: baking services, a book publishing company, a well-being project focused on aroma therapy, candles and soaps, and coffee distributors. The projects were judged by a jury of experts that we gathered to ensure that the selected business plans respond to local market needs and that the very process of awarding funds is fully transparent and accountable.
The members of the jury were: Mariana Rivas, from the Municipal Ministry of Economic Development, Josè Cristòbal Hernàndez, a teacher at one of the most prestigious business universities, CETYS Universidad, Eduardo Valtierra representing local entrepreneurs, Marìa Teresa Riquè, the Director of the Opera of Tijuana NGO and Mayrette Velàzquez, representing WPDI Tijuana.
Ultimately the three winners were:
- Bonita jewelry (handmade jewelry)
- Cecilia Novoa (pet food producer)
- Bibiana Ruth Lòpez (bespoke embroidered sweatshirts)
Estela Sànchez, who won the competition with her Bonita Jewelry project, explained how this prize will help her transform her business and her livelihood: “Being a single mom, I am always looking for opportunities, but I could have never have guessed in my wildest dreams that I would be the winner! Thank you WPDI for allowing me to dream, to create and set a positive example for my daughter. I will be buying equipment and opening up my studio really soon with these funds. Thank you WPDI!”
We are very proud of all the participants and delighted to be able to accompany the winning projects in the next step of their business development!
Bibiana Ruth, whose embroidered sweatshirt business came third, expressed her joy at being given such an opportunity: “This is my first time participating in any kind of competition and I am really shy, so I can’t believe I won. Thank you so very much for allowing me to be a part of this training, thank you to the Municipal Institute for Women for putting this group together and especially thank you to WPDI for creating this training and giving me a grant for me to buy new equipment and expand my brand!”
Business training can really be a transformative force in underprivileged communities like the ones where we operate in Tijuana. By equipping residents with essential entrepreneurial skills, WPDI aims not only to facilitate immediate economic empowerment but also lays the groundwork for sustained community development fostering resilience, self-sufficiency, and long-term progress towards a more sustainable future in Tijuana.
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