By Rosalie Chan
Latina women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the U.S.
Nely Galán faced many obstacles when she started her Latino-focused television production company in 1989, including executives who didn’t believe TV shows geared toward a Latino audience could succeed.
But Galán proved them wrong. Her company, Galán Entertainment, incorporated in 1994, went on to produce 700 episodes of original programming, including the hit reality series The Swan. Galán ultimately rose to become Telemundo’s president of entertainment.
A Cuban immigrant, Galán later decided she wanted to offer support for other Latina entrepreneurs. Five years ago, she founded The Adelante Movement, which provides tools, training and events for Latina women who want to start their own businesses.
“I wanted all women to see themselves under this new light,” Galán said. “It’s about getting your own chips, getting your own money.”
The Latina women Galán aims to help are now part of the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the U.S. For every 10 women-owned businesses launched since 2007, eight were started by women of color, according to the 2016 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. In the past nine years, there’s been a 137% increase in Latina-owned businesses, a larger rise than that among any other demographic group in the U.S., the report found. (3.5 million women-owned businesses were founded during that period, according to the report, compared to 1.6 million firms owned by men.)
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