For Elizabeth Torres, a resident of the San Miguelito district in Panama, entrepreneurship has not been an easy path. The success she is now proud of is the result of hard work, discipline, persistence, preparation, the desire to get ahead, and teamwork.
Torres wants her children and grandchildren to see in her an example of overcoming and autonomy so that, regardless of the obstacles they face in life, they continue to strive for their goals, dreams, and self-sufficiency, because to build a heritage, they do not necessarily have to be tied to a company.
Her story, shared on the eve of Mother's Day, shows that with determination and support, anything is possible, even when things don't go as planned on the first try.
"The worst thing that can happen is to fail, but we mothers are experts at getting back up, so giving up is not an option. You have to risk it all, especially when it comes to our dreams," she added.
She states that it is important for mothers to also think about themselves and their goals because once the children leave home, they are left adrift, not knowing what to do. That is why she is studying again to complete a stage that she unfortunately could not fulfill at the time.
"I didn't study, but now I am. You have to take advantage of opportunities and go for your dream before it's too late," she said.
She noted that decisions about her business are discussed among all of them to reach a consensus that satisfies everyone, because their purpose is for the family association they have been building to continue growing.
She advised mothers who are still afraid to start a business to dare, remember their worth and strength for themselves and their families, because the only thing that can happen is that they don't succeed on the first try, but at some point, they will.
"I was training to promote my work more, I did my own promotions, and I took my catalogs door to door," she said.
She mentioned that from the first workshop, she became hooked on the initiative because they provided valuable information about her business that helped her identify flaws and areas for improvement that she has implemented with her loved ones to increase profits.
In that search, a friend told her about Minera Panamá's Cobre Emprende program, but prejudices about the company made her hesitate for a few months until she dared to "cross the bay" with other artisans, and to this day, she does not regret her decision.
She shared with Panamá América that starting from scratch after the failed attempt was complicated because her current occupation is completely different from the previous one, and there is more competition in the market, so she had to create her own list of clients and train to offer a differentiated product.
She recalled how the failure of her first business made her doubt her abilities, but the pandemic confinement helped her to resume her aspirations in a new field: crafts and typical attire.
