Breaking Her Silence to Thrive
Olga Guevara, owner of Casa Azteca
Por Vanessa “Cueponi Cihuatl” Espinoza
In a corner of Sioux City, surrounded by the aroma of ground corn flour mixed with Mexican spices, Olga Guevara challenges expectations and biases, transforming her tortilla shop, Casa Azteca, into an example of the power of female entrepreneurship and unbreakable determination. With each tortilla, she dismantles stereotypes about women entrepreneurs in a market historically dominated by men. Guevara illustrates how breaking cultural patterns of silence, seeking strategic support, and maintaining a mindset of continuous learning can transform a dream into a thriving business.
The Importance of Seeking Support in Business
“Not asking for help in time is like putting the brakes on progress” warns Guevara to anyone afraid to ask for help to advance in their business. She speaks from experience. For her, facing challenges meant leaving behind a cultural pattern of behavior: staying quiet. She comments that she belongs to a culture that teaches kids at a very young age to solve problems in silence, without anyone knowing. However, she learned that for her business to flourish, she had to ask for help. Guevara contacted the Small Business Administration (SBA). This link was essential to accessing local and national groups and resources. This support was a bridge to advice in areas like accounting, experts in the food industry, and agencies that offer capital loans to operate or expand small businesses.
Preparation was the next step. She investigated her product in depth. Guevara believes that in addition to taking advantage of opportunities, entrepreneurs need continuous learning. The businesswoman points out that education includes forming friendships with other small business owners and creating space for discussions about challenges and opportunities. “By doing this, I was able to identify errors that I needed to correct and detect more concentrated areas of opportunity to focus my growth.”
Overcoming Challenges in Food Quality and Preservation
The next challenge was to offer excellent products with as few preservatives as possible, as is Casa Azteca’s main goal. Because the temperature rises and falls in the Midwest, quality can be drastically affected. Tortillas can grow mold when exposed to microorganisms due to temperatures and water content. Guevara wasn’t intimidated. She established relationships with experts in tortilla science, resulting in a better understanding of recommended conditions for preserving tortillas. She also collaborated with a local laboratory to learn how to control the microorganisms that affect tortilla quality. She established techniques to prevent mishaps and implemented strict hygiene discipline. She adopted procedures recommended by government authorities specific to her sector thanks to the advice of a sanitation expert.
Breaking Gender Bias in a Male-Dominated Industry
In an industry dominated by males, Guevara has faced constant bias. There are few women in leadership roles even though countless times, they are the ones who make the decisions and shape the businesses. People have gone to her husband instead of her. This does not stop her. On the contrary, it inspires her to stand firm and demonstrate her ability in an environment where certain biases persist. Guevara believes that “you will never feel completely ready; sometimes, the most important thing is to act and trust in your abilities and in yourself.” Every business decision goes through Guevara’s approval first and nothing is decided without her. By taking ownership of what she created, she became empowered and discovered the confidence she had in herself all along.
Guevara’s support system has been essential at the micro and macro levels. Her husband and her father are the nucleus of her support, listening to her frustrations and giving her advice so she doesn’t give up. Her second level of support comes from the community of entrepreneurs she has encountered along the way. Interactions with them have been of great assistance as they propose a collective search for practical solutions to move forward with the business. Finally, there are individuals who provide specialized training and without their expertise, her business would not be able to stand. This includes her accountant, lawyer and industry professionals. Guevara affirms that this system was not made overnight. “They are formed gradually as the business evolves and finances allow it. Each stage of business growth requires adjustments and new connections, which makes the development of these systems an ongoing process.”
Inspiring Women to Take Charge of Their Future
Guevara is not just an entrepreneur. She is an example of resilience and demonstrates how preparation, courage, and a support network can turn a dream into a thriving business. Her success goes beyond the tortillas she produces; it is a message to other entrepreneurial women who doubt themselves, that true progress begins when you decide to raise your voice and claim your space.
