This new local Latina networking group hopes to diversify Tucson's entrepreneurial scene

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A group of local Latinas is looking to bring diversity and inspiration to Tucson’s creative and entrepreneurial scene with a new networking group focused on promoting community over competition.

The Tucson Creative Comadres networking group was founded by local marketing coordinator, creative entrepreneur and mom Fabiola Bedoya in April of this year.

Bedoya was inspired by her own creative entrepreneurial journey to start the group after attending networking events and workshops across the city and realizing that “there was a need for a collective community in the arts with my same cultural background,” she says.

“It just all kind of came together from that stuff and my knowledge and my insights from my education, my jobs, my network and just, like, my personal experience,” Bedoya says. “So I can just educate and provide the tools for other creative Latinas. And so it's (about) just, like, creating community, a sense of belonging and to promote collaboration and real relationships, not just online, because, you know, it can get a little bit lonely if you're a woman trying to pursue your own side hustle if you have a full-time job. And overall, it's to promote social good within that particular diverse population.”

Bedoya was also inspired to create a more tight-knit community of creatives due to some of the “economic, cultural and educational barriers” that Latinas face, she says.

“In 2020, the average Latina earned only 57.3% of White, non-Hispanic men’s earnings, equivalent to $28,911 less for a year of full-time work. Latinas as a group have the lowest earnings of any major race/ethnicity and gender group,” according to a study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

For reference, around 44% of Tucson’s population identified as Hispanic or Latino in the 2020 U.S. Census. 

“I want to build an impactful business around uplifting, empowering, inspiring and, above all, educating creative voices to bridge the pay gap and help them thrive,” Bedoya says.

Cafecito y Communidad

The group hosts monthly meet-ups to mingle, indulge in some cafecito and snacks, and strengthen the local creative entrepreneurial community. 

You may even find one of the group’s cute postcards with phrases like “Cafecito & Chill,” “Spill the Frijoles” and “Chisme over Decaf” at the events, or you can purchase a small stack of them at Chingona Arizona to help fund more monthly events.

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So far, the group has about 10 to 11 active members from various creative backgrounds, including a muralist, nail technicians, artists, musicians and more, according to Bedoya. 

Bedoya herself has a background in interior design, nail design, photography and now marketing.

“There's quite a few (people) that have done creative things, but they're not in a creative professional job,” she says. “But this kind of gives them the inspiration and the push to be like, you know, ‘Maybe I should go back to that thing that I enjoyed doing before this nine-to-five job that’s sucking my soul away.’”

Community members like Tanna Cole, owner of Tanna’s Botannas known for its spicy candies, and Maria Kaae of gift shop Chingona Arizona, have offered their space and support to the Tucson Creative Comadres.

“Those two girls just have made this possible, honestly, just lending their space and sharing with their own communities,” Bedoya says of Cole and Kaae.

Although the group is aimed at local Latinas, it’s also open to allies. Even if you are a “little percentage” of Latina, Bedoya encourages you to “come embrace it and come learn,” she says.

The response to the group has been positive from those who find themselves grateful to be surrounded by a community that understands the challenges of being a first-time business owner, a mother or a first-generation American, Bedoya says. 

“It will make you feel empowered to just make the bold moves and put yourself out there with the great knowledge that all of us have in different areas of arts or business and know that we can get further and help each other strive,” she says.

Even though the Tucson Creative Comadres just got started, Bedoya already has big goals for the group: motivational talks at local schools to empower Tucson’s youth from an early age, more mixers and workshops for local Latinas and allies and, eventually, a podcast to share creative inspiration with the world.

“I’d love Tucson to know that the creative comadres are here and that we’re open to new opportunities,” Bedoya says.

The group's next meet-up is on Aug. 20 at Cartel Roasting Co. For more information about Tucson Creative Comadres, visit their Instagram page or their website.