If you join or upgrade to an annual HudCo membership before April 1, a portion of your fees throughout the year will go to the Women’s Enterprise Development Center (WEDC). They provide incredible programs around educating women on the keys to entreprenuerial success, as demonstrated by business owner Jessica Mejias of Los Andes Bakery.
Jessica and her husband Francisco immigrated to the United States in the mid 1980s from Chile. Francisco came from a family of bakers, so they opened a Chilean bakery when they didn’t realized there was nothing like that in their neighborhood. They make the most delicious empanadas, sandwiches, cookies, pastries, and cakes.
“In the beginning we didn’t have a lot of support, it was only my husband and me who believed in the project. After a couple of years we received an SBA loan which served to open our second business,” Jessica said. “What it surpised us the most it was the many hours of work, patience, tolerance, and endurance that we had to spend to make our business successful.”
Jessica was referred to the WEDC through another non-profit organization. “In my case, WEDC was an excellent tool for ordering ideas, organizing my business, and understanding better our numbers,” Jessica said. “When you have a business, you focus so much on work and to keep producing that sometimes you do not realize the importance of having everything organized in the business like the administration, management, and the accounting part of a small business.”
Jessica is a huge fan of the WEDC and strongly recommends it to those starting their own business. “I would strongly advise them to let themselves be guided by WEDC and to definitely take the classes and workshops that WEDC offers,” she said. “I would like to thank WEDC as it has helped me grow both as a person and as a business owner.”