Check Out Paola Mendivil’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paola Mendivil.

Hi Paola , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Mexico City and enjoyed growing up near family and friends. I was a good student and also played sports like basketball, taekwondo and track. When I was in high school, I struggled with algebra and could not get ahead. I dropped out of high school at age 15. At that time, I started working jobs at a grocery store and at restaurants in my town. In 2005 I moved to Grand Rapids from Mexico to have a start fresh with my mother and younger sister, Gaby. At age 17, I returned to school and completed my high school diploma. The plan was to go back to Mexico, but I received a scholarship for GRCC and decided to stay and continue my education in Business Administration. At that time my mother Mercedes took over a small restaurant and started our own family business El Granjero Mexican Grill in 2007. After obtaining my associate’s degree, I started an internship at the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce where I assisted members with business needs as well as scheduling educational programming and networking events. I then enrolled at Ferris State University for a bachelor’s in business administration where I obtained the Pace-setter award after graduation. I wanted to launch my own consulting business to continue providing guidance and resources to small business owners in the area, specifically in the Latino community when the pandemic came. At that time, I continued to assist entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of the pandemic, especially in the restaurant industry. During that time, the new CEO at Grow invited me to become a Business Development Officer to assist clients access affordable working capital for their businesses. I transitioned out of the family business and have been in this role since October of 2022.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For a long time, I was my own obstacle, not believing that I could help business owners because I did not have the experience, even after graduating from college. The business owners will look for me and I felt a lack of confidence, but I truly wanted to help. That’s when I got involved and learned about the many organizations that support entrepreneurs and gather knowledge on the resources available so that I could share with business owners to help start or grow their businesses. I have also been part of many classes and cohorts for professional development programs to improve my skills and to expand my network. Today, I continue to learn about the work that organizations do to provide for entrepreneurs and often come to them to speak about our services at Grow and to share our story for the restaurant since it’s been in business for almost 18 years.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Grow is a Community Development Financial Institution serving 9 counties in West Michigan for over 30 years. Our Mission is to provide accessible and affordable working capital loans for systematically excluded business owners and to eliminate barriers that prevent individuals to start or scale their business.

We do this by offering a competitive fixed-interest-rate with no penalties or fees for early repayment. We focus on cash flow lending where the requirements are not an impediment for individuals without business tax returns or a minimum credit score. Additionally, we offer the support for applicants to be well positioned with a business plan and sales forecast to identify sales goals and a marketing strategy.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I truly like that Grand Rapids has many opportunities for collaboration and connection. There are so many networking groups and gatherings to choose from depending on your interests, whether it is business, the environment, social justice, arts and culture, West Michigan thrives in creating spaces for exploration and belonging.

By the same token, with the many existing boards and committees looking for participants, I dislike that often times might be a hidden agenda, a personal interest that some people seek and might not benefit the general population, but the individual’s own gain whether is personal or professional. Some people have chosen their own interests above of those who they serve. I have confronted some of those individuals but rather stay positive and continue my contributions to help others succeed, that is very meaningful to me.

Pricing:

• Filing LLC is $50 to the state of Michigan
• EIN for your business: no cost
• Business Plan class: no cost, lunch included
• Revenue projections: no cost
• Working capital loans: up to $50,000 at 4%

Contact Info:

• Website: https://growbusiness.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GROWbusiness
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolagonzalezatgrandrapidsmi/