Like most entrepreneurs, one of my favorite things to do is to read business and marketing books. Not only to get advice, but to be reassured that my goals and dreams are not crazy. But there are actually few books that are written by authors who are honest about their personal life’s struggles – even fewer books from a Latina’s perspective. When the author of From Stilettos to the Stock Exchange gave me a signed copy, I was over the moon. Here was a business and life book written by a Latina. Intrigued to hear the story of a fellow Latina entrepreneur, I dove right in.

From Stilettos to the Stock Exchange  is a tale of Tina Aldatz and her rise in the fashion retail industry. From owning her own reusable clothing store in LA, to working at Victoria’s Secret in New York, to her work at BCBG when it was just starting out; she did all of this while only having a high school degree.

Tina was the founder of Foot Petals. She suffered from foot pain due to a childhood accident and it was difficult to wear heels. But like any other fashionable woman, she wanted to wear heels. So, she had her ‘epifania’ moment and created Foot Petals, before Dr. Scholl’s created DreamWalk for Women.

Now, like most entrepreneurs she did have some stumbling points. It’s not like she had thousands of extra dollars to keep the business going. When she needed to fly to the midwest to talk to potential partners but couldn’t afford the plane ticket, she had to ask her bank to extend her credit on her already maxed out credit cards.

“Always have a backup plan, don’t run away from your problems. Integrity, honesty and a simple face-to-face conversation is always a good idea. My reputation for being a good businesswoman meant a lot when I had to ask for secret credit terms or for people to take a risk by doing business with me knowing that at some point I would pay them back. Staying true to your word and keeping your reputation is our most valuable asset, and that, only we can take away from ourselves… no one else can.” said Aldatz.

What I related to the most was her love for her family. Her parents reminded me of characters from the show “Shameless.” They loved her and her siblings but suffered from their addiction demons. She was the oldest of her siblings and her father’s other kids. Most authors would be too embarrassed to talk about their family, but Tina views her family and as a source of strength and pride and is more than willing to discuss her family.

“I did struggle with this decision [of talking about her family], and certainly did not intend to paint a negative picture, stated Aldatz, “I hope to motivate and inspire others who might have a similar situation, and the message is to simply not be a victim of your circumstances! Rather, know that in America…anything is possible.”

Throughout the book, you see a woman who has guts to push through the corporate world; to build her own empire. But she was honest. Honest about maxing out credit cards while starting out. Honest about her siblings helping her package her first order because she couldn’t afford help or a distribution center. Honest about raising her younger siblings. Honest about feeling guilty when she couldn’t care for her family.

Tina sold Foot Petals in 2011 and stepped down as president in 2012.  She is now onto a new adventure. She along with a long-time friend of hers named Margie, are the owners and creators of Savvy Travelers. After spending years of traveling, they saw a need to give the modern on-the-go woman comfort. Their products are simple, eco-friendly wipes. Wipes for your teeth when you have no toothpaste, no toothbrush or no clean water. Wipes for your lenses, and more.

Tina has some final words of wisdom for all you future Latina entrepreneurs.

“Don’t be afraid to be self-promoting in business. We are our own brand. Our culture teaches us to be humble, quiet and subservient- but business is business-and we must “toot our own horn” at times in order to move up the ladder of success. Be proud and don’t expect that hard work will automatically pay off. Hard work often times just leads to more hard work. Sometimes we have to point out our accomplishments and build a brand, our brand, and that’s ok!  We have to market our own value and level of expertise to employers, clients and build our network.  If you are bilingual, play that up! My Tio recently said, “when I used to apply for work, Mija they would ask me if I could speak English… now they ask if you can speak Spanish” …ironic isn’t it?”, shared Aldatz.

I can’t wait to see what this honest woman does next.