More than a million women in Texas are making history every day. They own businesses. They're fueling the economy and the fire to strike out on their own.
"Currently, Texas has about 1.4 million and counting women-owned businesses with Latinas as the fastest growing demographic. With those numbers, we can't deny the kind of economic power we have and Her Texas is here to help those entrepreneurs be the bank," said Amanda Arizola, founding member of a statewide network for female entrepreneurs called Her Texas.
The platform counts thousands of members in 66 cities from Austin to Denton, El Paso to Rowlett, and Lubbock to Laredo with the Dallas-Fort Worth area included.
"Texas is a wide wealth of women who are really responding to their entrepreneurial journey and calling because we want better flexibility We want to be able to be with our families. We want to incorporate all those things but we also want to make sure our communities are taken care of and how better to take care of a community than by creating a business within that community," Arizola said.
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A recent outdoor event in Fort Worth called Watch Women Werk featured almost three dozen woman-owned businesses. They are women who saw a need for a mobile hair salon.
"I am running into a lot of clients that are having car trouble and don't have transportation. So it's easier for me to come to them," said Dheopolis Bell, owner of D Hair Junkie.
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Or, they needed something themselves like flexibility.
"I was a court reporter in New York City, then when I had my daughter, I desired a slower pace in life. My hormones changed everything in me," said Cecelia Navarro who owns Creatively Beaut Goods.
Navarro moved to Fort Worth and turned her passion for DIY projects into a jewelry business. She sold her modern boho jewelry at pop-up events and then got an opportunity to have her own brick-and-mortar store on Race Street four years ago. Navarro loves the life she's built that allows her to close the doors to her shop when she needs to be with her daughter.
Still, there are challenges to overcome like paying herself a salary when most of what she makes goes back into the business.
"I was met with a realization that I had to close my doors or change," she said. "So, I'm now pivoting from retail and also providing a space for people to book from a business standpoint."
Navarro has opened up her space to other artisans and small business owners to sell products and services or even stage workshops and events.
Helping members navigate challenges anywhere on their journey was a big motivation when Her Texas launched in 2019.
"Her Texas is all about bringing forth the information and the support that's needed for women entrepreneurs that are in the journey, that have been seasoned entrepreneurs but also those who are not even looking at entrepreneurship. Individuals who want to learn and to know 'cuz we're in our era of side hustles and side hustles turning into full-time jobs," Arizola said.
For Bell, her job as a hairstylist was the pursuit of a passion she had as a kid at the age of 10. She graduated from beauty school in 2012 and went on to open a salon. Her full-time job as a hairstylist reverted to more of a side hustle when coronavirus crippled the economy.
"It was a full-time business but due to the pandemic, it shifted when we had to close down salons and everything. So, I had to find a different way and a different niche," Bell said.
She took her business mobile and now goes to her clients. The mother of three also took on a full-time job at an assembly plant.
Even with the hurdles, Bell and Navarro love owning their business and in the struggles, learning how to do it better.
"When I first started making money, you see all this money, You're like money, money, money. Now that I'm older and more grounded, I allow the money to come in. I put it in savings. I put it in my business account," Bell said.
"Realizing how to work with others because I can't do it alone. Learning how to delegate tasks," Navarro said.
Arizola says there are two obstacles that can cause a woman to stumble on her path.
"Sometimes it's our own self. We get in the way. Sometimes as women, we see these obstacles or we think that we can't do it. Women have an intrinsic power within themselves in just being caretakers, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a good best friend to be able to really harness that power," Arizola said. "Secondary is always funding. Being able to write a good business plan. Sometimes that can be very intimidating to take that to a bank or to look at all the paperwork. So, as quickly as we can break down these barriers or to provide that information, in a succinct manner or put her with an expert individual in that field, that's what Her Texas is about."
The experiences of those who've been there are a fundamental component of the work of Her Texas. Network events bring women together where they can share lessons learned in the trenches and champion one another.
"If you are looking for a space that is open, that is diverse, that is focused on your journey and wanting to help you through that journey, Her Texas is that place," Arizola said.
Vision, determination and resiliency helped Bell and Navarro survive and thrive, and they'll gladly share what they've learned with other women who to be their own boss.
"The only advice that I know has been true for certain is to listen to my truth," Navarro said.
"Always keep your head up. Stay positive. Regardless of what happens today, the sun will always come out tomorrow," Bell said.
