(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Good evening, and welcome to "Horizonte", a show that takes a look at current issues through a Hispanic lens.

I'm your host, Catherine Anaya.

The Mexican consulate in Phoenix has a new program dedicated to helping women become business owners.

It's called the Consular Entrepreneurship Program for Mexican Women Abroad.

It's a six month program that trains women on how to start and run a business, which is not only empowering for them personally, but helps create jobs and helps boost the economy.

We will hear more about the program from the Consul General, but first, let's hear from one of the participants.

- [Narrator] Her hands mix the masa and other selected ingredients to make a unique meal.

(Imelda speaking Spanish) - [Imelda's Translator] It contains a piece of potato, a piece of carrot.

- [Narrator] Imelda Hartley owns Happy Tamales, a local catering company.

She inherited the tamale recipe from her Mexican family, but she added her special touch.

- [Imelda's Translator] It's a typical Sinaloan Tamale.

The Hope tamale is made out of chicken with a special sauce.

- [Narrator] The NFL and the Arizona Super Bowl host committee selected Hartley's business to sell her product at the 2023 Super Bowl.

(Imelda screams) - [Imelda's Translator] When I heard the news, I screamed with emotion.

I'm very excited that people will taste my famous happy tamales.

- [Narrator] Hartley was part of the Mexican Consulate Entrepreneurship program, which helps Mexican women start and grow their businesses.

- [Imelda's Translator] This course gave us mentoring.

When you have a mentor, you have an expert who guides you in that step.

- [Narrator] The Super Bowl is a big deal for Hartley.

It represents reaching a dream after facing many barriers when arriving in the United States.

- [Imelda's Translator] Life has knocked me down in many ways, but it has never defeated me.

I'm still standing.

- We will hear more about the program from the Consul General right now, he joins me, Jorge Mendoza Yescas, he is the Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix.

Thank you so much for being here, appreciate it.

- Thank you for the invitation, it's a pleasure to be here.

- So congratulations on the success of this program.

It's only two and a half years old, and already it's just creating more opportunities for women.

I wanna talk to you about how this program developed.

What made you think of creating a program like this?

And you've already expanded on your original idea, right?

- Yes, well, first of all, the idea began when we were invited by the Thunderbird, the School of Global Management, to learn more about a platform that they are promoting, which is DreamBuilder.

So then we learn about it, and we decided to use it in order to invite women to participate with this platform.

But then we began adding elements to this program.

And then it is how it was born.

We took advantage of the position that the consulate has in the community, in the sense that we have access to several business leader, not only business leader, but community and political leaders.

And then together we create like a whole program that not only trains women to make a plan business, which is the original purpose for the DreamBuilder.

But also, how they can learn about the different aspects that has a business, it is not just how to plan business, it is how to best invest in the business, but also the marketing, the social media.

And it's just a lot of things that women need to know in order to have a successful business.

Then we create that consular program for women.

- It's so fantastic.

It's a six month program.

You talked about a little bit of what these women learn.

Can you be a little more specific about how you train them?

Because like you said, it's not just about creating a business plan, a business proposal, but it's also how are you going to make that business thrive, right?

- Right.

The school Thunderbird, the School of Global Management, they offer us the DreamBuilder platform, but we consider that also we needed to have these women in contact with real business leaders.

That's why we create different stages in the program.

So first, they finish the DreamBuilder, then they go to a stage in which they have contact with business leaders that become their mentors.

If they need something for their business to be applied, they can ask directly to their mentors.

Those mentors are very well known business leaders in our community.

But also, we added workshops, courses, conferences with people who specialize in the diverse topics that a business has to have in order to be successful.

- And this mentorship component of the program is really crucial, right?

Because sometimes these women come in and they don't know how to ask for help, or network, or just go out and introduce themselves to somebody who might be of service to them, right?

- One of the idea of the program, it's to show to all these women who participate, the different access that they can have.

Before the program, we have noticed that they, they feel like isolated, that they don't know what doors to knock in order to ask for help and assistance.

Once they are integrated, and they are part of the program.

So we try to connect them with all of these people, and agencies, and companies, so it's when they realize that they're not alone, and they can be helped and supported and continue their path in order to be successful.

- It's so fantastic.

28 women recently completed the program in Phoenix.

120 total have graduated from the program since its launch in Phoenix, more than 1000 nationwide.

It really is fantastic, but this is also more than just creating jobs and boosting the economy.

This is also an empowering opportunity for women as well.

Can you talk a little bit about how that can empower them with financial freedom?

And also maybe on a personal level, breaking cycles of domestic violence, walking away from an abusive situation?

- It's about the possibility that they have to make their dreams a reality in the sense that all these women, have this idea, this intention to create something that they can advance in terms of, in economic or professional terms, but they don't know how.

Once they are part of this program they know different options and they know how to have access to the tools and the proper information in order to have their dreams become true.

In this sense, it's how they are empowered, because they realize that there are many things that they can do for themselves, not just what they were doing in the past.

And we have several cases of women that were abused at home.

And there, they have been able to overcome those situations.

And it's one of the greatest gratifications that we have with this program.

- And you see these businesses thrive too, that they walk in with an idea and then suddenly you have, you know, a vision, and it becomes reality, and you have a business that's thriving.

Can you give me an example of maybe one of those success stories that is a real highlight for you?

- Yes, well, we have the case, perhaps it's a kind of very well known case so far.

Imelda Hartley, she is a mother of nine children.

She was a victim of domestic violence.

She used to sell tamales in order to survive.

But now with this program, and all the connections and all the tools that she acquired during the program, and then after that, she was, for example, able to be part of the NFL Super Bowl in Arizona, that the taste of the NFL that display a lot of Hispanic businesses, small businesses.

She was one of the examples that we have.

We have also the case of a woman who has a business that has to do with the aesthetics, aesthetician, you know?

- Aesthetics?

- Aesthetics, yeah.

But she was not able to advance, she was kind of almost closing the business, because whilst not... - So she was an aesthetician?

- Yes.

- Mm-hmm.

- Now, she's advancing, and she have two establishments after the program.

So those are some of the examples that we have.

- It's so wonderful.

So you have another opportunity for women to participate in this program, which you will start up again in February.

So how can women go ahead and take advantage of this?

What's the process?

- Yes, now the fifth edition, it's going on in the consulate.

We open every six months, the options, in order to apply for the program.

I have to say that this program was born, was created here in Phoenix in the consulate, but has been expanded to the whole consulate network, Mexican Consulate Network in the US and in Canada.

So that means that the impact is nationwide on Mexican women.

Then in February, we will have also the applications for them in order to be received.

And then, what they can apply, they only need to write a letter of intention.

- [Catherine] Mm-hmm.

- They need to participate in a very brief interview.

And that's it.

The email in which, from they can obtain information is economicospho@sre.gob.mx, I thinks it's maybe on the screen.

- [Catherine] It's right there on the screen, yes.

And they can always go to the website or just pop into the office in Phoenix.

- Yeah, I recommend them to go to the third floor of our council, the building, our building, it's located in the 320 East McDowell Road in Phoenix.

In Phoenix, not too far from downtown.

Ask for Ricardo or Natalia.

They are one of the members of our staff who participate, who collaborate, and coordinate all this program.

- Consul General Yescas, thank you so much for joining me, and congratulations on the success of this program.

You are really changing lives with this.

- Thank you for the invitation.

- Appreciate you being here.

And that's our show for tonight.

For "Horizonte" and Arizona PBS, I'm Catherine Anaya.

Have a great night.

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