We were lucky to catch up with Paulette Piñero recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Paulette, thanks for joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I’ve been dreaming of my business for over 8 years. I remember sitting in my office, re-reading online articles and pulling leadership books from my desk library, trying to find advice on managing conversations with direct reports that I was only experiencing. It wasn’t that I was young or inexperienced; no one else was responding to questions like “did you only get this job because you are Latina?” or “why would you apply to be a manager if Latinos do their best work in the field?”.

None of the leadership or management books I found spoke to the lived experiences of women of color in the workplace. So I started writing a document with my ideas. Whenever a situation at work happened, I returned to books and articles and made them my own. It felt like I was writing a recipe I could only make, which wasn’t fair. I went from seeking mentors to becoming a mentor for most women of color in my environment, from helping them navigate difficult conversations with peers to sharing frameworks I created to manage my teams.

My only ask is, let’s talk over brunch. For years I spent Sundays doing market research without knowing. Connecting with powerhouse women of color, from friends to co-workers, to chat about the leadership roadblocks standing in the way of their success. I realized this is it, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so in February 2018, I started writing my business plan. It felt too good to be true. How can I financially sustain my family from a dream? Looking back, I wish I launched that year. To believe in what I know now, that you are worthy of living a life you love today, with the knowledge and skill you have right now.

Still, I postponed my business. I spent two years rewriting that business plan. Adding ideas during my morning train commute, and changing them on the ride back home. I was writing a plan for an imaginary future when my resume was worthy of others seeing me as an “expert”. I should have spent that time working on myself, internalizing my magic and power. It wasn’t until I had the “perfect” role with the “perfect salary” that I realized I was the most miserable I had ever been. If everything made sense on paper, why wasn’t this enough? I left my job in February 2020 to pursue my business, and less than a month later, I was battling for my life at the Intensive Care Unit. At that moment, the business plan didn’t matter, all I could ask myself was, “what did you ever do for you?”. The answer was nothing. Thirty-three years of doing everything for everyone except myself, and my only dream, the only thing I had tried to build for myself, was sitting in a Google Document no one would ever be able to find.

On March 23, 2020 I decided I would never postpone my dreams again. In a hospital bed during the pandemic, Unstoppable Latina was born.

Paulette, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Paulette, and I guide Latina entrepreneurs to harness their strengths, amplify their voices, and live their purpose, so they become unstoppable CEOs. After spending 16+ years developing leaders and scaling social impact enterprises, I launched my business Unstoppable Latina in 2020 to disrupt the status quo so every Latina can embrace her inner magia and use her voice to change the world. As a leadership coach for Women of Color entrepreneurs, I join their success team to enhance their leadership skills and assist them in becoming the CEOs of their businesses.

With a combination of professional development, business strategy, and community entrepreneurs working with me get to uncover the obstacles standing in the way of their success and grow as leaders while pursuing their dreams. Most importantly, we make sh*t happen. We are building our own tables and bringing our own chairs, to amplify underestimated voices and make systems change. That’s why at Unstoppable Latina we focus on community, through a virtual platform where entrepreneurs connect and grow with each other.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The key to building a community of followers on social media is to hang out where your people hang out. Think about your ideal followers, where they are when they see their content, what they do after they find you on social media, and what action they should take after connecting with you. It’s not just about their demographics, it is mostly about their psychographics. My audience is Latina entrepreneurs looking for leadership development that uses their language and addresses the challenges that no one else can understand or be open about it. This means they hang out on LinkedIn because they have access to thought leaders and industry experts sharing resources; after a day of Zoom calls, they want to decompress on TikTok.

You can be authentic on all platforms and share the same content based on how your audience behaves. My LinkedIn content is written and tells a story that connects directly with the reader or detracts folks unaligned with my brand. It usually starts with Latina entrepreneurs or Latina CEOs, directly calling my target audience and telling them, “this is for you”. Then on TikTok I focus on teaching and giving actionable tools in Spanglish with a clear call to action, join my email list. Every platform is different and your audience has a different feeling when they open their social media. Once you uncover that behavior, your ideas will flow with ease.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

It’s funny to think that just a couple of years ago I was scrambling to find a book to navigate being the only Latina in leadership roles. That book is still needed, and hopefully, I’ll get to write it one day, but now my home library is full of books by incredible women of color that inspire me every day to keep growing as the CEO of my company.

The first one is Uncolonized Latinas by Valeria Aloe. Through sharing her story and the stories of other Latinas, you learn how to uncolonized your mindset, let go of limiting beliefs, and step into your power so you believe in yourself no matter what’s happening. The second one is Arlan Hamilton’s It’s About Damn Time. Hamilton went from living in her car to building a multi-million dollar investment fund for underestimated entrepreneurs. She teaches you how to maximize your local resources and own your professional development to attain your goals. Lastly, Minda Harts’s The Memo and Right Within are for everyone transitioning out of the corporate space into entrepreneurship. These two books help you navigate your emotions and heal from the sometimes paralyzing trauma Women of Color experience in the workplace. Also, as a non-Black leader, Harts’s books helped me identify ways to redistribute my privilege and power to elevate Black women.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.unstoppablelatina.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulettepinero
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@unstoppable_latina

Image Credits
Karla Velis