E15: Growing a Food-Based Business with Viridiana Ponce

EPISODE 15

“VP: We saw those folks that they weren’t able to tap into those resources because they weren’t permitted or they hadn’t done their taxes. We do transition from hobby to a business. We’re able to take advantage of tax laws that exists out there that can help us out. We’re able to tap into different grants, into different plans. If thinking about the future and like you said, the legacy that we want to build but there are a lot more opportunities if we are a formalized business.”

[INTRODUCTION]

[00:00:38] AW: You’re listening to the Transcend Podcast. I’m your host, Asha Wilkerson, an attorney by training and an educator at heart. This podcast is all about empowering you to build a business and leave a legacy. Here’s the thing, the wealth gap in America is consistently increasing and while full time entrepreneurship is not for everyone, even a side hustle could change your financial landscape if you’re intentional about using your business to build wealth. I’ve run my own law firm for over 10 years, and in that time, I’ve helped countless California businesses go from idea to six figures. On this podcast, we talk about what it truly takes to build a sustainable business and find financial freedom. Let’s dive in.

Hey, y’all. Welcome to another episode of Transcend. I am super excited for you to listen to this one. Now, you probably now by now. I’m sure I’ve said it before. I am not a numbers person, but numbers are so important for running an efficient business and a tight ship. Because if you don’t know what you’re spending, what it cost you to make certain things, you won’t be able to make adjustments in your business to not only save money, but to increase your profit margin. At the end of the day, we all want to make sure that our businesses are giving us the money that we need, which means more profit.

My guest for today is Viri Ponce. She is a consultant who works with Latina business owners and is the owner of VP Consulting. She helps entrepreneurs and small businesses formalize, launch and grow by providing training, coaching and consulting services in both Español and in English. She supports clients with developing financial projections, managing finances and accounting system, assessing capital, strengthening operations, marketing development and ongoing business support. Over the past six years, VP Consulting has worked with 1000 entrepreneurs in the Bay Area. Tune in, take notes, pay attention and let me know what you think about this episode.

[INTERVIEW]

[00:02:42] AW: All right. Welcome, Viridiana to the podcast. I am so excited to have you here.

[00:02:48] VP: Thank you so much for having me. It’s so great to be able to share a stage with you again.

[00:02:55] AW: I’m thrilled to have you here. We met a few months ago, I think it was November when you jumped into a workshop that [inaudible 00:03:02] and I were doing about accounting. I just loved to learn about the work that you were doing. Can you tell us a little bit about who you work with and the work that you do?

[00:03:12] VP: Absolutely. I also – when I did that workshop with both of you, I knew I was like, I need to know who this woman is and we need to connect and work together. So amazing that we are here. My name is Viridiana Ponce and I’m a small business consultant, trainer and coach. I help businesses launch and grow. The majority of my clients are Latina women who are in the food industry. My clients tend to have really awesome products. I’m over on to really great food and drinks. But they need guidance around finances or setting up systems, mapping out operations and really taking their business to the next level. That’s where I come in.

I really help them understand their numbers, which is one of the things you will always hear me talking about. It’s just really understanding your finances, helping them out formalize their business. I love what I do and who I’m with, who I work with and who I’m around because it’s really dope women with really great products.

[00:04:20] AW: That is so awesome. How did you choose your specific niche? I mean, I’ve got so many questions, but I want to know, how did you decide to work with Latina entrepreneurs in the food industry first?

[00:04:31] VP: Yeah. First of all, it wasn’t really planned. I’m a planner, so I knew I wanted to work with women who were in business, maybe anywhere from like one to three years. It just so happened that the people that were part of my network were a lot of women in the food industry. It just kind of happened organically in my business plan. I had women, small business, one to three years, but food wasn’t necessarily on there. But that’s just who – when I started going to events, and then reaching out to my network, that’s the group of folks who were part of my network. Then those referrals grew and then I just realized –

I think when I finally like came up to take a breath after being in business for like two years, I was like, “Wait a minute! They all have something in common.” That’s where I really deliberately started to focus my attention and doing a lot more research in getting, really diving into the food industry.

[00:05:35] AW: I love that origin story. Just by looking around at your network and seeing who was there and deciding that you wanted to use your skills to help women. But then not being so tied to the industry and letting that kind of come organically because the skills apply no matter what you’re doing and then you just develop the little niche. I really like that you did that and also, I learned about half the food places in the Bay Area from your Instagram account, and then also from Quality Salsa, every time Yanine post about a collaboration I’m like, “Yes, I’m adding them to my account.” I appreciate both of you all for definitely increasing my Bay Area palate.

[00:06:14] VP: Something that I love is that, whenever there’s a list of top restaurants you should go to in the Bay Area or like some sort of list, I always know that one of my clients is on there. It’s so awesome to see that, to see that recognition as well. Because, like I said, my clients make really amazing products, really amazing food. So, I love that you mentioned that and I’ve had a couple of other folks say, they’re like, “When I see those lists, I know one of your clients is on there.”

[00:06:45] AW: That’s awesome. That’s an awesome claim to fame. I have a question for you. A lot of people, I would say not a lot but handful of people make food on side. Like whether you’re selling cupcakes, or empanadas or doing jewelry or earrings, things like that. What is the difference between someone deciding to do make food as a hobby versus turning it into a business? What is that transition that either you have to help your clients with or that they have and then they come and find you? What is that switch?

[00:07:16] VP: That’s an awesome question, so much. We could have a whole like workshops on this. But I think some of the main differences is, being able to take your business to the next level and really taking it seriously and doing things, for example, you’re going to be doing your health certificate. So you’re going to be going, and learning about the food safety and that’s something that’s really important. I think not only for your clients, but also, it’s going to talk about what type of person you are that you’re really putting public health first. I think that’s one thing that’s really important.

I think the second thing that’s important is that, you have access to bigger opportunities if you actually – if you’re starting to formalize, that you will be able to sell too other stores, that you’ll be able to sell to bigger companies, take on bigger jobs. A lot of times, people are really concerned from taking it, from doing it from their house, to moving it to a different location because [inaudible 00:08:21]. One of the things is that, when you cook out of a commercial kitchen, you’re using bigger equipment and equipment that’s more efficient, so you’re able to cook larger volume in less time and you’re able to serve more people and potentially make more money.

A lot of times, I am working with folks that like I said, they have a really great product and sometimes it can be challenging to justify like why are we – why am I going to start paying insurance? Why am I going to start paying for permit? Why am I going to start paying for rent when it’s working out for my house? But I think we also have to think about long-term, think about opportunities, thing about what we will be able to do if we are positioning ourselves for success.

[00:09:13] AW: Yeah. I absolutely agree with that. I mean, the whole premise of Transcend is that, we’re taking our business, we’re building it and then we’re leaving a legacy. It is hard to do that when you’re afraid to grow. People all over are afraid to grow. I’m afraid to have to pay to form a business. I’m afraid of the responsibility that is going to be required of me. I’m afraid to get the permit. I’m afraid to put myself out there. What if I have a history or don’t have a history, right? Either that could go either way for folks. What is it?

But I really just encourage people to look at it from a position of abundance. There is so much out there and there’s more than enough that moving forward is only going to bring you good things. Staying where you are is familiar, but there’s so much more opportunity when you put yourself out there as a business from working with other business owners to even funding a retirement account, hiring your children, doing all of these different things that will really secure your financial future if you know how to do it. I appreciate that transition.

[00:10:20] VP: Yes. I did want to mention just a couple – a couple more things is that, we saw a lot of people during the pandemic that unfortunately, they were not able to tap into resources nor that – or loans, because they hadn’t formalized their business and they were running it informally. Which you know what, we have to do what we have to do in order to feed ourselves and be able to cover all of our necessities. But we saw those folks that they weren’t able to tap into those resources because they weren’t permitted or they hadn’t done their taxes. We do transition from hobby to a business. We’re able to take advantage of tax laws that exists out there that can help us out. We’re able to tap in to different grants and to different plans. If thinking about the future and like you said, the legacy that we want to build but there are a lot more opportunities if we are a formalized business.

[00:11:24] AW: Yeah. There’s so much to learn about it, but let me just tell you all who are listening. It doesn’t have to be scary. The reason why it seems scary and intimidating is just because you just don’t know what you don’t know, but find your resources either in Viridiana or in me, or someone else that you know and that you trust and we will help you get to where you need to go. But there’s so much opportunity that it’s just on the other side of believing, and trusting enough to formalize your business and run it like a business.

Now, when somebody has a business, you told me months ago that you are a numbers person. You love numbers. I am working on my relationship with numbers. I like words, hence my profession as an attorney. What do we need to know, all of us, me included, everybody who’s running a business, what do we need to know about numbers? Why are they important and what do we do if we’re just terrified of them but want to get a handle on it?

[00:12:20] VP: Yes. I see that usually when I’m teaching classes. If we’re talking about like concept., then everybody is so excited and everyone’s like chiming in. Then when I get to the finance part, everybody gets real quiet and I see it in their eyes and they go back. I’m like, “You guys.” I was like, “Please don’t go mute on me.” But I understand that there is definitely like, there’s this fear, there’s like anxiety over numbers. A couple of things that we should know, like what are some of these important numbers if you are going to take your business from a hobby and to make it into a business. I think you need to understand what are the startup cost. What is it going to take in order for you to launch your business and not to say, “I think it’s going to be $5,000.” No.

We have to break that up and be like, “I’m going to need to buy equipment. I’m going to need to buy ingredients. I’m going to have to buy my permits, because everything costs us money.” There’s very few permits and licenses that are free. What we need to do is really identify those startup cost categories, and then we need to start diving into them, and start getting estimates and figuring out how us it’s actually going to take. You don’t want to skip that part of making sure we understand what the startup cost are going to be.

Number one, so we need to all understand our startup cost. Number two, we need to understand if we’re making food, how much does it cost to make that plate of food? How much does it take for you to make that jar of salsa? How much does it take for you to make that pint of ice cream? A lot of people get so excited about the product that they forget to – maybe they don’t forget, it’s just that it could be intimidating, or boring or we just don’t know how to do it. But we really need to do that details and that boring stuff of figuring out how much does that X product that we’re making, how much is it going to cost for me to make it, because that’s going to help us price it.

I’ve seen so many small business that they’re not growing because they don’t know what the cost is of their product, so they don’t price it. We need to understand what our cost of goods sold are and then we also need to understand what are our current expenses are. How much money on a monthly basis is it going to take for us to be able to operate our business? Those pieces of information is going to be really helpful because it will help us figure out what our breakeven points. How much money do I need to make in order for me to be able to cover all my expenses?

From there, if that number seems so wildly high, like we could go back and adjust it, like we don’t have to stick to one model. It doesn’t have to be one way. That’s it. We’re allowed to change it up. I think those are some really key numbers, key pieces of information that we need to know. Startup cost, recurring expenses, your cost of good sold and your breakeven point. I would say that to someone like, “I don’t like numbers” or “This is so hard.” We don’t have to use all those like fancy terms, like breakeven or cost of good sold. We just have to put it like, how much is it going to take for startup cost? How much is it going to take for us to be able to start or grow our business? Your cost of good sold is, how much does it cost me to make this product? My recurring expenses is, what are all of my monthly expenses going to be? Then breakeven, how much do I need to sell?

I think that once we started stripping off maybe those like fancier terms and we really put it in like in terms that we know, we realize that it’s not that intimidating. It’s just really understanding how much are we going to have to put in and how much do we need to make in order for this to make sense.

[00:16:31] AW: Yeah. I totally agree with that. If you have a service-based business, it’s the same idea. I think we just skip over that a little bit more because we’re not making a plate. Then once you, especially if you have an evergreen product, once you make it, it’s just kind of out there. But it is really important in any kind of business to understand, what is it going to cost for you to get started. Number one. Because also, if you can price that, there are also money opportunities available for you. But I think that there’s something – especially like in African-American community, I think we really feel like we can’t ask for help when we’re not supposed to ask for that money. Or sometimes, there’s the thought that like, “Well, someone should just fund it completely.”

But if you have been around little kids and a kid ask you for a dollar, you’re going, “What are you going to use this dollar for? How are you going to spend it? Are you going to make good decisions?” It’s the same idea. Not that we’re children, but if someone’s going to give you money or an entity is going to give you money, they want to know how you’re going to use that money because they want to support you toward success, not just throw money at you that’s not going to go anywhere. Understanding what is it going to cost you to get started, it allows you to also be able to look to different sources for some funding options.

Knowing your numbers and what it costs for your reoccurring expenses. How can you make adjustments when you don’t know? In the food industry, a lot of restaurants startup go under because it is so hard to get that profit margin right. If you’re not doing it with precision, I think you’re setting yourself up to not be as successful as you can be and just like, Viridiana just said, once you strip away the language that’s unfamiliar, then it becomes familiar. It’s like learning a new language. I’m learning language. I love learning languages. When there’s some concept that I don’t understand, my teacher breaks it down into simpler terms.

Then now, all of a sudden – not all of a sudden. But then eventually, I learn what the word means and can use it in context. It’s the same thing, so don’t be intimidated. Or if you are intimidated, recognize that bit don’t let it stop you. Just recognize that as a point where it’s important for you to go and get some support, because everything that we have talked about, you are capable of doing. It is there for you and there is support around you to move forward.

[00:18:44] VP: Absolutely. Something that I also want to mention, especially in the food industry that based on like 2020 industry benchmarks, profit margin is only 4% for single location restaurants. It’s so critical that making our plate of food is just as important as knowing the cost of it, and knowing your numbers because it is – it’s not only competitive, but it’s just – that’s the market. It’s the industry. It’s a really low profit margin. Now, can this 4% be of a huge number? Absolute. But it’s just as important that our recipe is amazing, that we also understand our finances, because knowing our numbers is going to make a difference in our business.

That’s why we sometimes see that there’s food out there that’s not even that food or restaurants that are not that good that do really well. It’s because they’ve got a system. They understand their numbers. Then you have other folks who make really good food and they’re struggling, but it’s because they’re not putting the same emphasis on understanding and really reviewing their numbers.

[00:19:57] AW: Yeah. Thank you for that. We’ve talked a little bit about the business structure and sort of logistics I guess, if you will. The business side of running the business. But now I’m interested in learning about some of the transformation that you have seen in your clients when they have decided to take the next step and really run their business. You have worked with tons of people just through the classes that you teach and through one-on-one coaching. But I think entrepreneurship is one of the hardest but most rewarding things that you can do. I don’t have kids, but I feel like it’s got to be like raising kids. It’s this beautiful experience that will challenge you, and try you, and make you want to pull your hair out and then you just love the baby that you’ve created and all of these things.

Are people more empowered? Are they more confident? How has it changed them as entrepreneurs and then also change their families?

[00:20:46] VP: I love that. Yes, the transformation is amazing. One of the things that I really, really love is that, my clients really see what they’re capable of. That for me is just so powerful, because I love when clients say, they’re like, “Wow! I didn’t know how to do this and now I’m able to do this.” An example would be, I have clients that didn’t know how to use a POS system before, and now they’re selling things on their POS system online. Or they didn’t know how to, I’d say, write a professional email or negotiate with the vendor, and now they have that capacity and that capability. That in turn makes them feel more empowered and they feel badass, where they’re like, “Yes. I was able to do this.”

They also feel more confident because they have more clarity. They see the potential for their business because a lot of times when I’m working with folks, we’re just thinking – or they come to me kind of just thinking of like, “How do I make money now and not really looking at long-term because there’s so many things that are coming up at the present moment?” Sometimes it’s really hard where you’re like, “How am I going to think about three months from now when I can’t even deal with this week, I can’t even deal with this challenge?”

But I see that after working together, they really are able to see past just the present and they’re able to have more clarity and really see what they can be doing right now is going to impact the long term. I think their confidence in themselves grows. Then one of the things I really love is that, a lot of them start charging more. That is so important as well because there is this maybe misconception that like [inaudible 00:22:44] products should be cheaper or they should be cheap. A lot of these products, they’re so labor intensive. It doesn’t matter if the ingredients are not that inexpensive, but the labor, the recipes that are going into them. I tended to see clients charging more, because they understand their cost, they understand what their worth is. Once again, because they see their capacity, they see that confidence, so that in turn means that they’re making more money.

The impact that all those factors have on their families is amazing to me, because we’re impacting our younger generation as well and their children are also saying like, “Yes. We can have product that’s expensive. We can be in a location where there’s like tech companies. We are capable. We do belong here.” It’s really powerful and really exciting to see those transformations.

[00:23:48] AW: Yeah, I bet. I mean, historically in the United States, the labor force was initially black folks and then transitioned into more Latinx folks. Both groups understand what it is like to be in the service industry. Wherein for the large part, we’re still there, but we are not – our services aren’t valued. They’re the ones that you’re trying to get on the cheap, right? Culturally in the context of being in the United States. I’m not saying that that’s how it should be, but that’s what it is. Lot of times when we’re breaking into this producer mode, this entrepreneur mode, we don’t even realize how many mindset cobwebs we got to clear out and shake off because – and it doesn’t necessarily come from family, but you learn how to operate in a society, you learn sort of what your “place” is and to break out of that, and to stand in your power, and to say, “No. This is my expression of who I am.”

Because your business really, especially as a solo entrepreneur in the beginning, it is an expression, it’s an extension of who you are. Being able to stand up in that and saying, “This is what the value is, this is what I deserve to be paid and I’m not going to give it to you for less” is huge. It’s transformative, and especially for women, we’re just – our roles are generally to support and not to play second fiddle necessarily, but to support more than I think men in our society are asked to support emotionally and that other way coming around.

That transformation I have seen in my own clients as well is huge. Even just in myself, I feel like, there – I don’t know everything obviously, but I feel like there’s nothing that I can’t figure out. My problem-solving skills have gotten better. That also helps with law school too. I’m like, “Well, just tell me what the question is and I’m going to go find an answer.” But personally, that is like so transformative. Then the kids in your community see that, the other people in the community see that. You get to hire people. You get to train people. It’s a ripple effect when you empower yourself make this difference and to do something that you love, turning it into a business. It doesn’t just stop if you’re really, truly changing your community.

[00:25:51] VP: Absolutely. I used to work at an organization that was focused on women entrepreneurs. They did a lot of research and had a lot of stats about how to invest in women, what that ripple effect is in our community, because women tend to hire more folks. We see that, also that dollar that you’re investing in a woman’s product that she is then investing that in hiring, then paying taxes and then inspiring. Like we said, like inspiring and really changing that fabric in our culture. But it really does have an impact in our community and financially as well, because of the taxes, because of hiring out. I think it’s really powerful when women are starting businesses, and then financially and also how we’re feeling as well. That empowerment is so important to see, especially I think in communities of color. Historically, women [inaudible 00:26:52] communities have not had those opportunities to be the heads of the households or just to have that financial power is really important for us.

[00:27:03] AW: Yeah, absolutely. One of the things I also tell my audience all the time is to bring your full self to the job, bring who you are. Once I got to a point and it took me a while in my career. Starting out in law is very, very corporate. It’s a lot of older white men that are, and then older white women. We have to wear these suits that are boxy and unflattering. I remember, my mom had told me when I first graduated law school, I think I had twist in my hair and she was like, “Oh! You better take those out and straighten your hair, because they’re not going to keep you at the law firm.”

I was in a position where I understood the historical context because yes, that had happened before because now there’s the CROWN Act in California where you are not allowed to discriminate against someone, take their job away or not hire them because of the way that their hair is. But I also at that point decided I had to make a choice that this job is going to take me and take all of me or I didn’t want to be there. That doesn’t mean that I don’t adjust to some of the cultural norms, but it also meant that I wasn’t going to lose myself and my culture to be in this environment.

There are a lot of people that say, “Well, I didn’t finish college” or “I really am not comfortable talking to a room full of white people in suits” or “English is my second, or third, or fourth language. I’m not sure if I can do this” or “I may be documented or undocumented” or “I may have a misdemeanor or a felony.” Things like that that stand in the way that definitely make it harder to get a job. But in my opinion, those things don’t stand in the way of us being entrepreneurs. I know I didn’t ask you this in advance, but I just want to throw that out there and see what you think about bringing your full self, all of your experiences, all your quirks, likes, dislikes, your challenges, your bright spots, your superhero stuff and all of that to the job? What do you tell people about being who they are and what they do?

[00:28:57] VP: Thank you so much for sharing that. You just made me reminisce about my corporate days. Yeah, wearing those button up shirts, and just remembering that most times, and this was also in business school, like definitely be the only Latina, or being one of the few women. That was really impactful because I feel like I’m a very outgoing person, but at certain times, that could also just like bring you down because I was really like just observing and being like, “Wow! This is really interesting just seeing like how certain people are talking or who’s not talking. I know for me, it was definitely not the environment that I wanted to be in, because I am a really like energetic person. I love giving my opinion. I love working in a collaborative environment. I don’t think that I was really thriving in that environment, and I knew that for me, I had to make a change because I felt like it was almost like it was dimming my light.

I was like, “I don’t want to be there. I’m not serving the people I want to serve.” I think it was really helpful and I think I would do it all over again if I had to start over, like I would still start in corporate because it’s so helpful. But what really helped me was to realize and to ask myself like, “What is it that you don’t like about it? What can I do?” I know one of the things was that, when I wasn’t auditing that, I felt like I wasn’t serving the audience that I wanted to serve. In turn, that was bringing me down. It was draining my energy, and I think it’s really important to observe that and observe like what is bringing your energy down.

What I love being an entrepreneur is that, I get to be myself. I get to show up authentically. I get to speak my language. I get to just express myself, and be happy, and be who I want to be. Like you mentioned, like of course there are moment where you have to adjust that. I’m also not going to be like super wild and all over the place, because there’s time and place for everything. You still have to be professional, but it doesn’t have to be professional in a button up. It could be your interpretation of being professional.

I think that it is really important just to be mindful of – even when you’re an entrepreneur, like what brings your energy down and what really helps elevate that energy. I think that’s really important because when you are doing something that you love, you’re going to feel it, you’re going to radiate that. You are just going to work really hard at that. But I think it is really important to show up to really recognize like what are you good at, what do you want to work on for yourself. Kind of do like an inventory, I feel like of yourself, because I’m sure there’s going to be things that we need to work on for ourselves, but I think it is important that we do show up as who Viri is and what makes me happy, what’s going to help me radiate that light.

[00:32:22] AW: Yeah, absolutely. You talked about being able to speak your own language. I know, but I also want people to know that you do trainings and have a membership community in Spanish. Do you also do it in English as well?

[00:32:36] VP: Not yet. Not the membership, but I do trainings in both Spanish and in English.

[00:32:45] AW: Okay. Perfect. Then, you also have a podcast of sorts on Instagram Live. You have a series called Estoy Lista. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

[00:32:56] VP: Yes. I started Estoy Lista and Estoy Lista means I’m ready. It doesn’t mean we’re 100% ready or that we know everything, but it’s really about empowering women to feel that they’re ready to do whatever the heck they want. Like they’re ready to shine, they’re ready to learn, they’re ready to invest in themselves. This series is really about showcasing and celebrating amazing women of color who are entrepreneurs and really learning from their stories. Because one of the things that lights me up is engaging with really amazing women, and learning about their stories, and really learning how they have grown, learning about what motivates them, learning about the challenges that they’ve overcome.

It’s something that I started honestly for myself, because I love being around really amazing women, but I also thought that more folks needed to learn, and to hear these stories. I love hearing the feedback where I have clients that they’ll tell me, they’re like, “I shared this with my mom and now my mom says like, [inaudible 00:34:13] estoy lista to be a boss or estoy lista to make this change in our business.” Then I also love it. I have a client who is a guy and he is probably like my number one listener. Like he shows up in all of them. He comments, he engages and he was also sharing with me how empowering it is and how much it motives him to just listen to stories of women.

He’s like, “Wow!” He’s like, “It’s relatable because we do talk about things that we’ve had to overcome in our business within ourselves, within our mindset.” He’s like, “I learn something new every time I listen to it.” It’s been really fun and really inspiring for me. Asha has also been one of my guest at in Estoy Lista, which has dropped so many gem. That’s one of my current projects that I’m the most passionate about right now.

[00:35:17] AW: Yeah. I mean, it’s an awesome series. If you are on Instagram, definitely tune in. What is your Instagram handle so they could go and find you?

[00:35:26] VP: Yes. It’s VP Consulting SF.

[00:35:29] AW: Perfect. Then if they wanted to take a class from you or find out a little bit more about how to contact you, should they just go through Instagram or do you have a website that you want to drop?

[00:35:39] VP: Yeah. Both ways work. If you go to my Instagram and you go to the link in my bio, I believe it’s vpconsulting.com/connect. You can fill out a form, tell me a little bit about your business, what type of support you’re looking for and then it will also share with you the type of support that I offer. Then that way, it’s the fastest, easiest way that we can connect. You can also go to my website, vpconsultingsf.com and then get some more information about the services that I provide.

[00:36:12] AW: Awesome. Thank you so much. I would tell anyone who’s listening that even if you are not sure that Viri is the right person for you, reach out to either one of us because we will know somebody. Inevitably, we will know someone who will be the right person for you. You don’t have to do this entrepreneurship game alone. You don’t have to fit into some kind of box. We’ve told you our stories about how we have shown up just right in all the awesomeness that we are and we want you all to be able to do the same thing too. It is not a competition. It is rising together and empowering each other to get to the life really, and the dreams and the freedom that we actually want to bring your full self to the table.

I think that’s it for us. Thank you for listening and Viri, thank you for joining. Go find her at VP Consulting on Instagram or vpconsultingsf.com for her website. Go check out Estoy Lista and then come back here for another episode of Transcend. Thank you so much for coming.

[00:37:10] VP: Gracias.

[00:37:11] AW: De nada.

[END OF INTERVIEW]

[00:37:18] AW: VP Consulting helps entrepreneurs and small business formalize, launch and grow by providing training, coaching and consulting services in both Español and in English. They support clients with developing financial projections, managing finances and accounting system, assessing capital, strengthening operations, marketing development and ongoing business support. Over the past six years, VP Consulting has worked with 1000 plus entrepreneurs in the Bay Area. Tune in to this episode, take notes, go follow on Instagram and then let’s get you started in your business.

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