Alvaro moved from Guatemala with the hopes to give himself and his family a better future. Without wasting much time, Alvaro focused on his goal to be his own boss on his new land.

After a couple of years of working two jobs, Alvaro gathered his savings and opened his first business venture "El Paisano Panaderia and Restaurant" a bakery and restaurant located in Johnston, RI. The restaurant did really, especially among the Latin American community, whom got to enjoy the taste of their native flavors and cuisine. As the restaurant became more popular Alvaro saw the opportunity to sell this ingredients and products so his clientele could make these meals at home, so he opened "Tienda El Paisano LLC" a small grocery store two doors down from his restaurant.

Although his two businesses had been very successful, Alvaro wasn't done building his empire. Earlier this year Alvaro visited many banks in search of financing to open a new business venture, "Distribuidora El Paisano Import LLC", a distribution and wholesaling business of bread and bakery products. Still, although all his businesses had been fairly profitable, his credit history was still really weak and he wasn't able to get the financing he needed.

Without giving up, Alvaro decided to call ACCION USA, a local non-profit microlender, he had heard of from one local bank. Here, he met his loan consultant (Claudia) who helped guide him in every step of the process, helping him understand his credit and track his finances. ACCION was able to give Alvaro a loan for $5,000 to help build his credit and boost up his new Import company.

Location / Ubicación: Rhode Island
Language / Idioma: Spanish
Type of Business/Tipo de Negocio: Wholesale