Against wind and high seas

Contra viento y marea

By Denise Lara | DIAaDIA

Another in my series of translations of Dia a Dia’s People like me. The real stories of real micro entrepreneurs in Panama.

Love and perseverance has been the key to the success of Gladys de Terrado a 55 year old woman, who together with her family has fought to accomplish the best.

Against their financial limitations and the trials that destiny threw their way to prove their endurance, Gladys and her husband Sixto have pulled forward a family with 6 children.

2 years ago Gladys decided to leave the home to start working a little candy stand in San Miguelito. This was to add an additional income stream to their family, besides her husbands who sels juice and empanadas. With patience and hard work this amicable lady succeeded with what the stand gave her.

“Little by little, Sixto would add to the shop little by little with what we had we brought home”, said Gladys. Like that bit by bit came new products like cookies, pineapples and sodas.

One of her best advisors turned out to be their own son, who always insisted that they should sell tasty fruits. This turned out to be one of the best investments, it is a bit more profitable than the other products. He also recommended offering sodas and to date his ideas have always been profitable.

Although now she can enjoy a bit of economic success, Gladys wont forget what it has taken to get from a small and improvised stand to the shop she now owns.

The inclemencies of the weather and the badness of people have let her loose her business and merchandise on two ocasiones. “Once a heavy rain fell and tore apart the kiosk. Everything was soaked and we had to start a fresh”. After this they decided to make extra improvements. Rather than leave the merchandise in the packaging, they bought containers to keep them resh. Another time som thiefs did their job at night and managed to open the shop to rob all the merchandise including containers. Not even this beat Gladys and she worked on improvint the security of the shop.

It was like this, bit by bit, with each blow that Gladys improved her business. Of course she does not forget the divine help which always has given her force to move forward, “I always say thanks to God for what he has done for us to pull us forward”.

Early Riser

Gladys rizes daily at 2:30 in the morning to help prepare the empanadas and juice for her husband.