Sandra’s Story of Success – In Her Words
“When I was young, I loved to help my mother in the kitchen. She taught me how to make delicious pies. Pineapple still is my favorite flavor today.
My husband works for a company, and sometimes they do not give him his salary, or he would only gets paid part of his wages. There even have been times when he wasn’t paid for several weeks. This put a great financial burden on our family. We had to borrow money to get by.
Due to my family’s needs, I had to stay home to help take care of our three daughters ages 2, 12, and 15. One of our family’s biggest challenges was not having computer equipment or a good cell phone. My two older daughters needed to have access to the internet for their online school classes. I had a very old cell phone, but it would always fail, and my daughters couldn’t connect to their classes.
I wanted to help improve our financial situation. I thought I could make and sell pies for some extra income. I did not have a stove at home, so I had to travel by taxi to my mother’s house. We spent all day cooking together, and then I would sell our pies to our neighbors. This brought in a little extra income.
This inspired me. I wanted to start my own pie business. I wanted to find a way so I could provide a steady income. A friend told me about Mentors International in Mexico. They offered business training and mentored me as I was starting my business.
After much searching, I was able to find a medium-sized used stove. My husband and I cleaned it thoroughly. I almost immediately started baking pies. My husband is very supportive of me and my business. He will go to the store and help buy ingredients when I need to stay home and care for our daughters. He actively sells my pies at the company where he works. Sometimes he sells out of my pies before he even arrives at work. His colleagues ask for more pie.
Together we practice the principles that I have learned from Mentors International. We invest in our business. We keep good records to know how much we make and how much to sell our pies. I saved my pie earnings to buy a new cell phone. Now I have internet access and can use social media to help promote my pies. My 15-year-old daughter helps me advertise on social media. This has accelerated my business growth.
I was very afraid of failure. I wasn’t sure if I could start my own business or even if I could make a profit to help support my family. Participating in the classes from Mentors International helped me gain confidence. I am putting into practice the principles that I am learning. I have two budgets—one for my business and one for my family.
I went from selling about $10 USD in pies to selling around $75 USD a month. This extra income greatly helps supplement my husband’s income. We are also using this income to help pay off our personal debt. We have also started a small savings account. We are saving to pay tuition so my oldest daughter can attend high school.
The weekly mentoring visits I receive are so important. I am learning to better manage my time. It is very difficult to work and take care of my 2-year-old daughter at the same time. My daughters are a great help. They help watch their younger sister while I bake. They also help me make the pies, teaching them how to cook as my mother did with me.
I am understanding the value of work, effort, and dedication to achieve my goals. I have discovered that I am strong. That I can accomplish so much more than I thought I could. I plan to share these lessons with my daughters.
I sincerely thank Mentors International for all they have done for my family and me. I have the confidence and drive to keep moving forward. I have great hope for the future.
We are now saving to purchase used computer equipment for our daughters so that they can connect to their classes better. I have the goal of increasing my sales. I am adding more varieties of pie flavors. In addition to pineapple, I am now selling cheese and walnut-flavored pies. I am also selling different sizes of small, medium, and large. Neighbors are telling others about my pies, and my sales are increasing.”
I am going into local stores to see if they will sell my pies from their shops. If I can increase my sales I want to purchase a bigger oven. One day possibly hire some of my friends to help make pies. Helping other mothers that need additional income.
I am very happy with the mentoring I received from Mentors International. I couldn’t have done this without their lessons, support, and encouragement. – Sandra from Mexico.
Success isn’t as easy as pie, Sandra knows that success takes hard work and dedication. The rewards are just as sweet as her pies.
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