Non-profit helps Latine small businesses owners thrive in Massachusetts

RANDOLPH – A woman who immigrated from Guatemala is now living the American dream with her successful day care in Randolph, Massachusetts.

“My business was one of the ‘businesses of the year’ last year as a home-based family day care, and I feel so proud of that,” Dora Aguilar told WBZ-TV.

But it wasn’t always so rosy. Aguilar had her first child four years after moving to Massachusetts in 1994 and immediately struggled to find day care. Amid that difficulty, the former teacher had her “a-ha” moment.

“If I know exactly how to work with kids, how to do this, why am I struggling myself, and why am I putting my kids in this situation?” she recounts.

Amplify LatinX small business program

In 2001, Aguilar founded Bright Beginner’s Day Care. For years the business got by, but never really thrived. Eventually, she discovered the Amplify LatinX small business program.

Eneida Roman is president and CEO of Amplify LatinX. She says the people who sign up for the non-profit’s program are passionate about their businesses, but aren’t always experts in running them.

“See themselves as business owners”

“They’re so dedicated to the work that they’re not really seeing themselves as business owners. So we help them see themselves as business owners,” Roman told WBZ.

She says the free program helps small business owners identify and overcome their business blind spots.

“How to file their taxes properly, how to market properly, how to do the bookkeeping properly, how to do forecasting, so that they can understand where the money’s going,” Roman said.

Aguilar enrolled in the program and has seen her profit increase so dramatically, she’s planning to expand her business. She strongly recommends the program to others.

“Don’t be scared to go knock the doors, or ask someone who knows, what they can learn from,” Aguilar told WBZ.