A woman had to reinvent her business to survive the pandemic

“Women who want to grow in this world will always do so.”

“Being a woman and an entrepreneur is not easy and there are always obstacles along the way due to gender discrimination.”

Olenka Marquina

Peruvian businesswoman

Marquina is a 38-year old Peruvian architect, interior designer and entrepreneur who is known for her high-end residential and commercial architecture and her gorgeous, eclectic design style.

Olenka Marquina is in charge of two businesses: a coffee shop and an architecture firm. They give direct employment to more than 50 people in both companies.

She is a tenacious and diligent person who works day and night to keep her business going, and COVID-19 has been the biggest challenge by far for her.

When the pandemic hit, it would have made the most sense for her company to close down and wait for the epidemic to pass. But she couldn't just do that because 50 families depended on her business for their livelihood.

Keeping everyone working was part of the plan. For example, in the coffee shop, waiters, cooks, and baristas were shifted to new tasks—some packed goods, while others assembled shipments.

At the architectural firm, electricians, drywallers, and painters, who couldn't work at the time, were put in delivery uniforms, and they all went out for delivery.

In order to prevent contamination, one of the employees prepares coffee and wears personal protective equipment and clothing.

During the pandemic, the issue of occupational safety and health was crucial because it was very important to keep all the staff healthy and to maintain their activities. So that’s why she discussed with her team about maintaining all the protocols and precautions they took in their workplace when they were on their way home to ensure their safety.

Olenka Marquina works in her architectural office in compliance with the safety regulations imposed by COVID-19.

Her determination has not wavered in the face of the resurgence of the pandemic earlier this year, as some activities have been paralyzed during these months as a result of the containment measures,

Since she also worked, she found the quarantine difficult as she had to provide additional attention to the children, but with her husband's help, they worked as a team to do all the domestic chores.

In Peru, men are generally considered to be the only ones who should work, while women are believed to devote themselves to the children, but in this case, Olenka Marquina demonstrated through her own example that women can also work and also move forward, and they need their partners' help to prosper and move forward.

Being a woman and an entrepreneur is not easy for many, due to gender discrimination. Still, women in management positions are increasingly shown to contribute to the success of businesses.

Personally, Olenka is optimistic about the future of work. In 2022, her expectation is that their coffee shop will be overflowing with customers, and we will probably expand to two more locations.

With regard to the architecture firm, she hopes to open a coworking space in April and to continue growing as people continue to renovate, change, and improve the spaces where they now spend more time than they did previously.

In conclusion, she believes that women who wish to develop in this world will always succeed. Dreams never end, and they can only be fulfilled for those who do not give up.

You can watch a video about her story accessing the link below:

https://youtu.be/CuI524CJXUY