Maria Sobrino is the founder of Lulu’s Dessert in Anaheim, CA. As a successful Latina entrepreneur, she has written this book to not only tell her story, but the story of six other Latinas with thriving businesses. While reading, I noticed a common trend among these women: they work extremely hard, are determined to succeed, and they don’t let setbacks stop them from achieving their dreams.

Sobrino gives you over 100 pages of brief, yet detailed stories that explain each woman’s background, why they are passionate about the business world, the personal hardships they endured and the obstacles they prevailed over, their path to success, and their advice for other budding entrepreneurs. Their stories are meant to inspire and direct you in your journey through the business world. Although this book is geared towards entrepreneurs—especially those who are women and Latina—even I (a creative writing major) felt inspired after reading their stories. After learning what these women went through to pursue their passion and achieve success, you will feel like you can accomplish anything.

While having passion is extremely important, it’s necessary to be realistic. This book exposes the harsh realities of starting your own business. Sobrino explains, “The first few years of a venture are risky and even after the first few years, keeping the business fresh, innovative, and achieving financial stability is a challenge.” While starting a business may seem daunting, she explains that with risks come rewards. These women stress the importance of not being afraid to take risks or to ask for advice or help from others.

Reading this book will reawaken your adventurous spirit and give you the courage to follow your dreams and succeed. It will also provide you with the tools and knowledge to get your business up and running. By the second half of the book, you will learn valuable lessons about starting your own business; many of these lessons are ones that Sobrino learned along the way. This book is written with the purpose of saving you time, energy, and perhaps even money. Listen to the beneficial advice given in Sobrino’s book. Like she says: Seize the opportunity.

Review by
Valerie Zogas
Indigo Editing
LLC