Today we’d like to introduce you to Milissa Silva
Hi Milissa , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Our Mexican immigrant parents acted on an opportunity of a little store 800sq ft and started a mini neighborhood market in 1979. We now are over 14k sq ft market, restaurant, bar, events, catering, bakery, deli, Foodtruck and food services extending into festivals, fairs, bazars, and stadiums. We have over 90 staff, women owned by their two daughters and granddaughter.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Staffing has been the biggest challenge as we are a specialty market and rely on staff that are familiar with the products, language, cuisines and culture, this requires specialty skills, in MN finding the right staff has been a challenge. Though it’s better now, staffing continues to be our biggest challenge, we are so fortunate to have an amazing team of staff that have grown with our business and are amazing leaders. Financial and succession planning has also been something we learn as we go though this has also become stronger in recent years.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I consider myself an entrepreneur- fempreneur. We are minority women owned and most of our team leads happen to be women, and I find that to be a great asset. I am CEO of our legacy business and focus primarily on marketing, advertising, business sustainability and growth opportunities. Our goal in the business is to provide traditional, authentic Mexican experiences in our market and through our food and events, this is my passion and our mission and they are emphasized throughout all areas in our businesses. I’m most proud that we have been able to carry forward our parents legacy, we are constantly trying to be innovative, improve our services, varieties, events, updating our space etc broadening and enriching experiences for our customers and community.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love what I do, most of the time it doesn’t feel like a job to me. I am passionate about sharing my culture, I love working everyday with my Spanish speaking customers and employees, and I care about my community. I also find great joy educating and sharing about our traditions and food with non Latino customers, when I do this I feel I’m providing an opportunity for people to get to know us and understand more about my people, with a hopeful and ultimate goal to break stereotypes. I love traveling in Mexico and spending time with my daughters and family, this makes me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elburritomercado.com
- Instagram: elburritomercado
- Facebook: el burrito mercado
