By Montserrat

This series of articles are meant to give some guidance to the Latina Entrepreneur on her road to owning her own business.

Back from 4^th of July weekend and fully recovered, I wanted to begin this column by saying that there are oceans of information out there for all of you who are considering, working towards or actually owning their own business. I will try to cover as much material as possible through this series of articles.

This week we will ask ourselves a key question about owning our business: Is entrepreneurship for you? This is extremely important. When we seriously consider a change in our lives, we must not simply “jump the boat” and run amuck in a world full of chances. Chances are that we will be at the very least: confused.

So, is entrepreneurship for you? How can we answer that question?

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns. On their website (www.sba.gov) we find the following string of questions that will open your eyes to the reality and the responsibility of owning your own business. But please, please… do not feel discouraged. This agency will always help you keep your feet on the ground, for the mind will fly to the heavens and beyond, but reality is different. Yet, if we can conquer reality, the rest is downhill.

Now let us see these questions, and remember to answer them as honestly as you possibly can. These answers are for you, and only you know how accurate your responses will be.

• Are you a self-starter? Can you begin projects on your own, without having anyone push you around to get things done?
• How well do you get along with different personalities? Not everyone is a bowl of strawberries. You will have to handle a variety of people including customers, vendors, staff, bankers, etc.
• How good are you at making decisions? Small business owners are required to make decisions constantly - often quickly, independently, and under pressure. This is you, working for you, through you.
• Do you have the physical and emotional stamina to run a business? Well, historically this has never been an issue for Latinas. We are empowered by our heritage.
• How well do you plan and organize? Good organization ­ of financial, inventory, schedules, and production ­can help you avoid many pitfalls.
• Is your drive strong enough? Running a business can wear you down emotionally. Strong motivation will help you survive slowdowns and periods of burnout.
• How will the business affect your family? The first few years of business start­up can be hard on family life. It's important for family members to know what to expect and for you to be able to trust that they will support you during this time. There also may be financial difficulties until the business becomes profitable, which could take months or years. You may have to adjust to a lower standard of living or put family assets at risk in the short-term.

Now go and dry yourself from this bucket of cold water, but think about this. You are not reinventing the wheel. You only have to learn how to use what has been proven already. Ponder on these questions for a while and next week we will take one more step closer to our final goal.

See you then!

By Montserrat

I love to hear stories about people who beat all the odds to achieve their dream. Somehow, it puts my dream within reach of me. For example last week while driving to work I heard an interview on National Public Radio about this woman who volunteered to work for the Peace Corps. She was sent to an island near Portugal where she met with local women: mothers, daughters, wives.

These women, due to a weak local economy, lack of jobs, education found themselves destitute, alone, and powerless. This woman made it her mission to change that. With little to no knowledge of the language she helped these women find out their niche to start a small business. Starting with what the local women knew, she found out many of them were master seamstresses who made beautiful clothes. By starting small enterprises in a few years they all went from poor and powerless, to powerful, professional women who owned their own cooperative and educated themselves in the language of the business.

Here, in this country, we all have dreams of being self-sufficient and of doing something that makes us proud. However, when choosing to go the entrepreneurial route, sometimes the hard part is to find that niche. In other words, meet a consumer need nobody else is. When trying to identify what kind of business to start many experts suggest going with what you know. Define your vision and from there develop how your idea will be implemented. For this there are multiple community resources available and the best part … they’re free!

One of my favorite websites is www.sba.gov, not only is it user friendly but it guides you through the process of what really goes into starting your own business. From services to local resources, it’s all easy access. If your dream is to be a small business owner, reach out to your local agency for help and keep checking in with Mujeres camino al éxito where you will find topics in Entrepreneurs Corner regularly as well as collaborations from the experts and the stories of the Mujeres that are making their dream a reality.

Parents must choose between two wrenching options: treat their children and risk a bad outcome, or don't treat and risk a worse one. No matter what they do, they are in for uncertainty and pain. Carmichael reports on the dilemma by telling the wrenching story of one family, Amy and Richie Blakeand their 10-year-old son Max, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was two years old.

She reports that Max was seven the first time he tried to kill himself. He wrote a four-page will bequeathing his toys to his friends and jumped out his ground-floor bedroom window, falling six feet into his backyard, bruised but in one piece. Children don't really know what death is, as the last page of Max's will made clear: "If I'm still alive when I have grandchildren," it began. But they know what unhappiness is and what it means to suffer.

On a recent Monday afternoon, Max, now 10, was supposed to come home on the schoolbus, but a counselor summoned his mother at 2:15. When Amy Blake arrived at school, her son gave her the note that had prompted the call. "Dear Mommy & Daddy," it read, "I am really feeling sad and depressed and lousy about myself. I love you but I still feel like I want to kill myself. I am really sad but I just want help to feel happy again. The reason I feel so bad is because I can't sleep at night.

And dad yells at me to just sleep at night. But, I can't control it. It is not me that does control it. I don't know what controls it, but it is not me. I really really need some help, love Max!!!!! I Love you Mommy I Love you Daddy."

At 10, Max Blake has been on 38 different psychoactive drugs, Carmichael reports. The meds have serious side effects. They have made Max gain weight, and because he's still growing, they frequently need to be changed. The Blakes are aware that many people think their child -- any child -- should not be on so many drugs. They aren't always happy about it either. But to some degree, they have made their peace with medication.

"He's oppositional-defiant, he's dyslexic, he's ADHD, he's OCD," says Amy. "Give me an initial and he has it." Bipolar children, especially those diagnosed early, often have such a litany of disorders. The bipolar brain tries to compensate for its weak prefrontal cortex by roping in other areas to help; these areas may now become dysfunctional, too. Child psychiatrists thus face an enormous practical challenge: they often can't treat one disorder without affecting another one. "It's like a balloon where you push on one side and the other side pops out," says Janet Wozniak, the Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist who helped define childhood bipolar disorder. With kids like Max, she adds, parents often have to settle for "just having one part of the symptoms reduced."

Max's life has improved in some ways since his early childhood. The Manville School, part of the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston, has given him a social life. Last year he won a "Welcome Wagon" award after teachers noticed he was always the first to show new students around. When his classmates have outbursts of their own, he talks them down. "He'll say that maybe they need to take some space, take a deep breath, leave the classroom," says his teacher, Julie Higgins.

He has not, however, figured out how to talk himself down, and for all he has progressed as a classmate, he struggles as a student. Technically, Max is in fourth grade -- Manville does not separate grade levels -- but he is behind in some subjects. He loves science and art, but he has a hard time reading, and although he is creative, he can't put his ideas in a coherent order. Even holding a pencil for more than a few minutes can be a challenge. "Sometimes you can look at him and you know his disorder has captured him," says the school's director, Jim Prince. "But we can't abandon him. We have to be able to hold on to him, sometimes literally, but also emotionally, to help him come out on the other side."
Read cover story at http://www.Newsweek.com. Article in the May 26 issue of Newsweek ( on newsstands Monday, May 19)

Women and Depression is a new brochure about the many dimensions of major depression in women.

Some facts:

• - An estimated one in eight women will experience depression in their lifetimes; twice the rate as men, regardless of race or ethnic background.
• - Middle-aged Hispanic women have the highest rate of depressive symptoms, followed by middle-aged African American women.
• - Young Asian American women have the highest rate of younger groups and the 2nd highest rate of suicide among 15 to 24 year olds. American Indians and Alaska Native adolescents are the most likely to attempt suicide and die from it.

Visit www.nami.org for more information and support.

Eating habits in children form as early as age 3, according to Monica Montes, a Los Angeles-area registered dietitian and co-founder of N.E.W. Health Consultants, Inc, this means the preschool years are an important developmental window for parents.

Monica offers the following tips so that families -- parents, grandparents and others present at mealtimes -- can prepare for these changes and respond appropriately.

-- Gradually introduce new foods one at a time, realizing that it can take
up to 15 tries before the child accepts it.
-- Try to add just one new food to a meal with three or so healthy foods
your child already enjoys.
-- Be sure to include new foods on your own plate.
-- Offer nutrient-rich foods from all the food groups, including low-fat
milk, vegetables, whole-grains and fruits.
-- Trust your preschooler's stomach, they will naturally regulate the
amount they eat.
-- Eat meals together as a family to model healthy habits.

To help families, Meals Matter, http://www.mealsmatter.org/ a nutrition website developed by registered dietitians at Dairy Council of California, offers an informational series in English and Spanish specifically for families with preschool-aged children.