From Struggles to Triumph: Empowering Other Women Business Owners

Article written by Christina Hernandez

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, If you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

I was raised in a very traditional hispanic home. Growing up and going to college was not something that was talked about. Not because I was a woman and it was frowned upon, simply put, opportunities like that were never shared.  

My dad’s first job in America was in a factory. He worked hard to provide for his family, but we still lived paycheck to paycheck.

My family’s origin to America began with my grandfather. He came to America alone from Puerto Rico to find work. He worked in fields picking produce, working hard until he saved enough money to bring his family here and start a better life. Like so many others, he wanted to offer a better life for his loved ones.

Humble beginnings to say the least. And when I became a single parent more than a decade ago (2010), I absolutely understood the path my grandfather took when coming to America. To start from the bottom and work hard to get to a better place and a better future.

So I did what most single parents do when life hits hard; I started my life all over again and I went back to school to get a degree.

I worked insanely hard to complete my degree, all while working a minimum wage job and raising my son with the help of my parents.

I finally started my new career in 2018 thinking that my life would be better now that I had a better income, but that was simply not the case. On the one hand I did have a better structured schedule, but the long hours kept me away from my son. I had to work on Sundays, and some Saturdays as well… I did not get the freedom I thought I would have. 

And just when I thought I had things sort of figured out, my son was diagnosed with ADHD. With all of the struggles that ADHD children deal with, traditional schooling was not an ideal fit for him. So, I realized I had to homeschool him.

It wasn’t long after that I realized working a 9-to-5, homeschooling, and the single parent life was too much work to ask of one person. 

So I had to figure out how I was going to be able to manage it all… 

Most people view failure and loss as a negative thing, but I’ve turned it into my superpower.

It’s so much easier to give up on life and quit when things get hard. And honestly, I struggled with that myself. I thank God everyday for helping me focus moment by moment because that was the only thing that helped me press on. 

I’m so grateful for my past struggles because they led me to create my marketing business, Selah Marketing. I decided to start my own business to help other business owners with their marketing journey, and have the flexibility that I needed with my son. 

I’ve been in the marketing industry for almost 5 years and since then I’ve learned, grown, advanced, and improved. 

I built a business designed to help course creators and coaches build a sustainable online business without sacrificing family and personal time. Using automated sales funnels and FB ads.

So much of my story comes from my upbringing and struggles. It has shaped my drive, personality and work ethic. I’m proud that I’m the first generation, born and raised in America and first generation to graduate college in my family.

Today I’m a Latin woman with a small business. All because of my grandfather, who came to America to provide a better life for his family. I’m truly grateful for my family’s hard work and I’m so very proud of our family’s journey and progress. 

My mission at Selah Marketing is to empower a diverse group of women and come alongside them to assist them to pursue their dreams and not have to limit their family time in the process. By helping them generate automated sales leads, to grow their business. Because we can be present as mothers for our family and become successful CEOs. 

If you’re in a difficult place like I found myself in, don’t give up!  Like Dr. King said, “whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” 

Let’s do it for the ones we love!

Christina Hernandez is a single parent to an amazing teenage son. She graduated with a music and composition degree at MBI. She has also studied digital marketing and Facebook ads. And is an influencer and business educator.