JEFAS Magazine is a Synergy of Talent and Passions Highlighting Latina Entrepreneurs

For years, a magazine featuring Latina business owners was an idea and a dream for Tar and Erika Macias, co-owners of Hola America Media Group, and with the help and shared vision of Hola America’s editor-in-chief, Christina Fernández-Morrow, they made it a reality. “We spent hours discussing how to show the talent and accomplishments of the growing number of female entrepreneurs in our community, and a magazine seemed like a great way to merge local talent to tell those stories,” says Fernandez-Morrow, editor-in-chief of JEFAS -Latinas in Business Magazine.

JEFAS Magazine is a collaboration of writers, photographers, social media managers, editors, translators, and designers from across the Midwest – all of whom are Latinx. It is the first magazine in Iowa created by the Latinx community, for the Latinx community that focuses on how they are boosting the economy, giving back, and filling the gap between what is needed and what is available in the state. “It always inspires me the level of expertise and inventiveness among our people,” says Erika Macias, the President and Publisher. “I wanted to display it in one place where we can all celebrate it.” The first magazine not only featured over 50 entrepreneurs in a variety of industries, it also contained valuable information about resources and opportunities any entrepreneur can use to enhance their business.

JEFAS: The impact of Latina-owned businesses

According to the Stanford 2022 State of Latino Entrepreneurship Report, at the national level, from 2007 to 2019, the number of Latinx-owned businesses grew by 34%, while the number of White-owned businesses dropped by 7%. LOBs outpaced WOBs in revenue growth during the same period and their annual payroll grew over twice as fast. During the pandemic (2019-2022), the median growth rate in revenue for LOBs was 25% and 9% for WOBs.

Since 2020, Latina-owned businesses have grown to represent over 14% of all small businesses in the US. This number may not seem like a lot, but considering Latinas opened more businesses than shut them down during the pandemic, this number is significant. Their businesses contribute over $175 billion to the US economy. The potential for Latina-owned businesses is huge, especially if resources like JEFAS can help overcome the disparities that limit their growth.

For example, according to a joint report done by Ventureneer, Wells Fargo, CoreWoman, and the WIPP Education Institute, if businesses like the ones featured in the magazine earned the average revenue of men, they would add $1.3 trillion in revenue to the U.S. economy. That’s the magazine’s mission is to empower Latina business owners by increasing their access to opportunities, representation, and resources so they can realize their full potential and inspire other Latinas to do the same.

If you know other Latina entrepreneurs, please share this website with them and ask them to join our JEFAS Community. We want to celebrate as many of us as possible; it is for all ages, backgrounds, and industries.