Finding Strength, Space, and Community as a Woman Entrepreneur

Being a woman entrepreneur in a big city is both exhilarating and exhausting. Add to that two small children, the constant balancing act of family and business, and the layers of identity that come with being an immigrant, and the journey becomes far more than a career—it becomes a calling.

The Weight of Adversity

Adversity shows up in countless forms. It’s the late nights spent building something from nothing while still needing to get up at dawn to make breakfast for little ones. It’s the financial risks, the self-doubt, and the quiet battles no one else sees. It’s the moments of being underestimated, talked over, or dismissed—not because of lack of skill or vision, but because of the space you take up as a woman, a mother, or an immigrant.

Yet, adversity has its hidden gifts. It teaches resilience. It forces creativity. It pushes you to grow roots deeper than you thought possible, because quitting simply isn’t an option when your dream isn’t just for you—it’s for your children, your family, and the community you hope to inspire.

Imposter Syndrome in a Loud World

In a city that never stops moving, it’s easy to feel invisible. Imposter syndrome whispers that you don’t belong in rooms filled with polished professionals, that your accent, your background, or your nontraditional path disqualifies you.

But the truth is, your voice has value precisely because it’s different. It carries lived experience. It carries sacrifice. It carries a perspective that others cannot replicate. The more you show up, even trembling, the more you carve out a space that was never meant to exclude you.

The Immigrant Lens

Being an immigrant in today’s world often feels like carrying two homes in your heart—the one you left and the one you’re building. It means working twice as hard to prove yourself, while also holding onto traditions, language, and culture that give you strength.

It also means forging connections across boundaries. Entrepreneurship becomes more than a business pursuit; it becomes a bridge. You find yourself not only building a livelihood, but also creating spaces where others—immigrants, parents, dreamers—can see themselves reflected and know they belong too.

Community as the Anchor

One of the greatest discoveries on this path is that entrepreneurship doesn’t happen in isolation. Success isn’t just measured in profit margins or growth charts—it’s measured in the people who rally around you. It’s the other women entrepreneurs who remind you that you’re not alone. It’s the customers who become friends, the neighbors who show up to your events, the mentors who whisper encouragement when you’re ready to quit.

Community transforms struggle into shared strength. It’s in these connections that you realize entrepreneurship isn’t just about building a business—it’s about building belonging.

Finding My Space, My Strength, My Voice

At the heart of this journey is the act of claiming space. As a woman, a mother, and an immigrant, that space isn’t always given—you often have to create it yourself. You build it in the cracks of nap times, in the hours after bedtime, in the resilience passed down from generations who worked hard so you could dream bigger.

Finding your voice means refusing to shrink, even when it feels uncomfortable. Finding your strength means leaning into both grit and grace. And finding your community means realizing that your story isn’t just your own—it’s part of something larger, a movement of women carving out space in cities, industries, and communities that need them.

In the end, being a woman entrepreneur with two small kids in a big city is about more than survival. It’s about legacy. It’s about showing your children what’s possible. It’s about proving to yourself that you belong in every room you walk into, not because you’ve arrived perfectly polished, but because you’ve built something with courage, authenticity, and heart.

And so, here we are—five weeks into Sol Space opening. In this short time, countless relationships have already begun to take root, and I know many more are still to come. What started as a dream is becoming a living, breathing community—one conversation, one class, one shared moment at a time.

Love,

Jackie Bravo