Episode 29: Disrupting & Taking Risks for Community Business Development featuring Karla C. Boldery (Cárdenas-Álvarez)

Mrs. Karla C. Boldery (Cárdenas-Álvarez), is currently the Cincinnati Market Manager for La Mega Media, Inc. La Mega Media, Inc. is the largest Hispanic media platform in the state of Ohio. It operates 3 radio stations in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati and publishes 4 newspapers, spanning the state of Ohio and reaching Pittsburgh and Northern Kentucky readers. La Mega Media provides news, music, information, entertainment and education for the Hispanic market and through it's advising and consulting services, provides a bridge for clients to connect with the ever-expanding Spanish-speaking population. 

Karla was the former Innovation Services Director for HCDC Business Center. A not-for-profit organization that serves the Cincinnati Metro area in 3 areas: economic development, business startup incubation and lending. To date, she has helped over 500 Hispanic businesses get started, connected them to available resources and helped grow those businesses in the Cincinnati metro area. 

Karla is also the founder and host of a live radio show: “Miercoles de Negocios”(Business Wednesdays) at La Mega Cincinnati 97.7FM (since February of 2012), a live radio broadcast speaking on topics of interest for aspiring and current entrepreneurs. She is also the founder and facilitator for the Latina Entrepreneur Academy in Cincinnati, delivering startup business training for over 80 Latinas who have either started or want to start their own businesses and creating a support network of resources and connections that will enable Latinas securing a better chance of business success. As a result of her work, Karla has been recognized with the following distinctions: 2018 Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan by the Ohio Commission of Hispanic and Latino Affairs (OCHLA); 2017 SBA Partner of the Year for her distinguished leadership and efforts with the Hispanic business community; and 2015 Cincinnati Business Courier Forty Under 40. 

Karla’s dedication to the Hispanic community is evident through her work helping businesses grow as well as her community volunteer efforts. She is currently an active member at the Cincinnati Minority Business Collaborative and the Cincinnati Latino Leaders Collaborative. She is also a member of the Cincinnati Hispanic Chamber Board of Directors, and a past President of the LULAC Cincinnati Chapter. She also serves on the advisory board for the Cincinnati COMPASS (connecting immigrants & community for a stronger region).

In this episode, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month🎉!  A Jane of all trades in business and entrepreneurship in the Latino community, Karla speaks to the lineage of entrepreneurs in her family and its impact on her work.  When she moved to the Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region the entrepreneurial ecosystem was more focused on African Americans. With Latinos making up roughly 4% of the population in the last census, she has been a key facilitator and leader in creating a pipeline of Latino-led businesses. We learn who and what relationships she leveraged to better serve the community. We also hear more about the impact and innovation she has been able to make with the Latina Entrepreneur Academy. They say "necessity is the mother of invention" and as Karla notes, the Hispanic community has been rising to the occasion to create, connect and be agile in business. We are also so inspired by Karla's pivot to radio where she has been able to combine her expertise in economic/business development to reach a larger segment of the community. Low-key but high-key, Karla is #BossGoals!

We sound the alarm for community-specific empowerment through business development and innovation as we share Forward 4O’s platform with this phenomenal WOC in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector.

Stay connected to Karla via  LinkedIn and Twitter. 

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