Meet Elidia, Founder of Carnicería el Toro

Elidia Mendoza has always had a dream of having her own business and working for herself. “I am very passionate about cooking,” she says. “I’ve had the opportunity to try delicious dishes and that inspired me to do the same – to bring delicious Mexican food to people.” The only thing holding her back was a lack of confidence in her ability to successfully launch a business, and the fear that she would spend all of her savings to invest in it, only to lose everything.

“I thought that the entrepreneurship program would be difficult to understand and that it was only a program for people with advanced knowledge,” Mendoza says of Centro's entrepreneurship program. Yet she decided to take a leap and participate, with the goal to learn as much as she could about business and marketing strategies. “I wanted to learn how to place my products in a small market to experiment and learn during the process.” She also needed to learn about the process of applying for permits and licenses to sell food and how to choose the best insurance for her business.

Mendoza praises her Centro trainer, Lupita, for her thoughtful guidance during the program to make the best decisions regarding the operation of her business. While she feels that the community always had trust in her business, Centro's entrepreneurship program taught her how to utilize new technological tools such as Yelp, Square and other social media platforms to promote her business, as well as helping her design a logo. With the confidence and knowledge gained from the Centro Entrepreneurship program, Mendoza become more confident that her business would succeed. With new resources and information to help her connect with and have a presence in her community, she was able to quickly increase her number of clients.

Surviving During a Crisis

The current public health emergency has been challenging for many small business owners, especially in the restaurant industry. Luckily, through Centro’s Entrepreneurship program, Mendoza had recently improved the way she managed her finances. “I learned to better distribute my income and to be able to separate personal and business finances, which helped me improve my savings and invest efficiently in my business,” she says. This has made surviving the pandemic a little bit easier, even as business has slowed. “Before COVID-19 my business was growing very fast – the community, our friends, and family have supported us a lot and thanks to them the business has had good sales.” Despite increased restrictions, Carnicería el Toro continues to operate Monday through Saturday, while being sure to take food safety measures and follow government issued Guidance for Restaurants. Having the opportunity to offer to-go service and promote the business on Facebook has been very helpful and, although sales have decreased, customers in the community have not stopped supporting them and have even recommended the food to friends and others. Friends, family, and other customers have also helped boost the name recognition and popularity of Carnicería el Toro by reviewing the business on its Yelp page, which Mendoza set up with the help of her training from Centro.

Something else that has helped keep their business sales steady during COVID-19 restrictions has been offering a special menu from Thursday to Saturday, asking clients what dish they would like to try that is different from offerings on the regular menu. Learning to adapt to challenges, develop additional services, and figure out how to continue marketing their product during uncertain times is one of the many skills that Mendoza gained through her Entrepreneurship program. “I believe that giving the customer the freedom to choose a particular dish helps to maintain trust and create a special relationship, especially in these difficult times when we need to be together and support each other,” she says. She also tries to buy food from other local restaurants whenever possible, supporting other small businesses that are struggling the same way she is. Their continued support, she says, has helped Carnicería el Toro to continue operating during these challenging times.

Growth and Inspiration

Over the next year, Mendoza wants to expand her business and continue to increase the number of clients. She is also hoping to buy more equipment and hire at least two employees to help them tackle running a growing business. “I'd also like to apply for a $10K loan with Kiva,” she says, which would help her to fund these goals.

“I remember that my biggest dream when I came to this country was to have a business and now I can proudly say that I have achieved it,” Mendoza says. “I would like to inspire people who want to open their first business. I know it is not an easy path, but in the process there are people and organizations that offer their support to achieve it.” She encourages people to never give up and to not stop believing in themselves.

… And if they are looking to develop a solid strategy or come up with new ideas to improve their business, and want to be part of a community of entrepreneurs who are always looking to learn and grow, then Mendoza suggests participating in one of Centro’s entrepreneurship programs.

If you happen to find yourself in Stockton, be sure to check out Carnicería el Toro is located at 1005 W Acacia Street. You can follow along with Elidia and her husband’s delicious creations on their Facebook page.