Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lina Rugova. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

The entrepreneurial community is often divided into those who are successful and those who are not. However, there is a large population of underrepresented entrepreneurs in any community because their ventures have not yet been taken off because they don’t know where to start or they have been unsuccessful. As a leader in the entrepreneurial community, I’m committed to giving back. This includes providing mentorship and guidance to those who are new to entrepreneurship or are struggling to get their businesses off the ground. We want to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities as those in more privileged positions. As a small business owner, I also strive to provide my customers with the best products and services while also creating an environment that is inclusive and supportive. Finally, as a community, we must understand the importance of supporting an underserved entrepreneurial community as a whole. Together We Can!

To serve the underserved entrepreneurial community in our big and beautiful city of San Antonio, I created Emerge and Rise™ – a nonprofit business incubator. Our aim is to give people an idea of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur while providing valuable resources and connections so that they can be just that: successful. It’s time for people to see that there’s more than one way of doing business, especially when you’re starting out. Emerge and Rise is committed to being transparent with our community as we help them rise up in business. There will always be challenges, but what matters most is how one overcomes them. We do this by helping our community find new paths to success. We want to see them thrive and make their dreams come true!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With over fifteen years of experience in strategy, planning, marketing, and finance, I am passionate about helping startups and small businesses re-engineer their ideas and vision to fit their goals and objectives—personally and professionally. I advise service-based small business owners on various business tactics and marketing strategies to scale their businesses to the next level.

Born in Kazakhstan, I graduated from High School in the Bronx, NY, then decided to take my time and build the life skills necessary in today’s economy. I worked up the ladder while finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Marketing. I realized that management consulting is my passion and that I want to devote my time to working with small business owners. When the startup phase began, I realized that I was also interested in innovation and entrepreneurship; it was then I enrolled in a Master’s Degree in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

I am a combination of a facilitator and consultant, and past clients describe my approach as straightforward, driven, and empathetic, I am motivated to see them succeed. My goal is to show you how to streamline your business operations, processes, and strategies so that you can generate more leads, sales, and revenue.

In 2019, my family and I moved from New York to San Antonio; it was the best decision. San Antonio is an up-and-coming large city with a small-town mentality and fits our big family. When I moved to San Antonio, I realized that we have a large community of people who have an entrepreneurial spirit but lack education, resources, and connections. I recognized the need for entrepreneurial education. Emerge and Rise™ provides programs at low or no cost to those looking to start a business or explore entrepreneurship. Being an immigrant myself and the first in my family to graduate with Masters’s Degree, I realized what others like me face when trying to establish themselves here in the United States. The goal of my nonprofit organization, Emerge and Rise™, is to equip our diverse community members with entrepreneurial skills to help them start a business or pursue entrepreneurship. The programs are designed for students from all backgrounds and levels of education. With faith and a growth mindset, everything can be achieved.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think the biggest pivot was definitely during COVID-19. My consulting firm suffered during our move in late 2019 and then during the pandemic. We found ourselves focusing on public relations and getting messages out to reassure people that we were still around and working hard to provide continuity for them and their clients, vendors, etc. We were losing clients because everyone went into flight and fight situation, and the only thing I could think of was how to keep existing clients happy and where to find new clients and persuade them that it was a good time to invest in their business despite everything that was going on in the world. I know that many businesses went into a pivotal mode that year. My biggest lesson learned from that period is that sometimes you have to trust your gut instincts and do what you feel is right, even if others tell you otherwise. You might be right or wrong, but at least you’re doing something instead of being paralyzed by fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Our nonprofit organization illustrates resilience. When we couldn’t get any grants in our early days, we were approached by one of our sponsors, MIMCO Commercial Real Estate and Property Management, who donated $3000 to cover our administrative expenses for one year. The support was incredible! When I started this nonprofit, I knew it won’t be easy, and there won’t be any grants coming our way anytime soon. What I didn’t anticipate is how difficult the fundraising would be. I knew that my mission was to reach the community and raise funds for the programs. For the first year, I met with leaders in our community, trying to show them our vision and explain our mission. They would tell me they had a tight budget or their companies have been hit hard by the economy, so they couldn’t donate at that time. I always felt deflated when meeting with these people because I felt like all these good people weren’t on board. But this didn’t stop me from continuing on my path. After months of asking for help for brand awareness and funds, some generous souls stepped up and gave us small donations here and there. Even though it wasn’t much then, I took every penny as if it were a million dollars. I realized that no matter how small an amount or donation you make, it’s still worth something – sometimes more than you know. Today we are in the middle of our first cohort, and that small fund helped those entrepreneurs join the program and start working on their dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://emergeandrise.org/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/emergeandrise
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/emergeandriseorg
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emerge-rise
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/emerge_rise