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¡Saludos! Happy Friday and welcome to the 60th edition of comprende.

Today, we’re diving into a story that’s as bold as it is inspiring. The journey of Maria Gonzalez, a former cop turned powerhouse consultant and founder, who's opening doors for Latino business owners across the country. From the streets of law enforcement to the world of supplier diversity, Maria’s mission is simple but profound: make sure our gente not only get a seat at the table, but know how to own it.

So, grab your cafecito or cervecita (depending on where you are), settle in, and if you enjoy it, please forward the newsletter to friends or share it on social media! ☕️ 🍺

From Law Enforcement to Latino Empowerment: Maria Gonzalez’s Mission to Unlock Doors for Latino Business Owners

There’s something powerful that happens when Maria Gonzalez walks into a room full of Latino business owners. “The minute you know you’re in front of another Latino,” she says, her voice wrapped in warmth and fierce determination, “I don’t know if it’s magical or DNA-related–but it opens doors.”

Those doors weren’t always open.

Born in Puerto Rico, her father from Hatillo, her mother from Adjuntas, Maria has spent the past 47 years in Massachusetts, carving out a space where few Latinas had ventured before. She was the first Hispanic (and first Latina!) hired in two different police departments, walking into rooms where her very presence challenged assumptions of who belonged in law enforcement.

But Maria’s path to those historic firsts was far from easy. As a single mother raising three sons, she juggled the demands of police work while putting herself through school, earning a bachelor's from UMass and a master’s from Boston University. “Most of the guys I worked with were petrified of me,” she says with a laugh. “I’d look you straight in the eye and tell you exactly how I felt–and the hell with the consequences.”

That fearlessness, she says, is part of her DNA, and deeply rooted in her family’s entrepreneurial legacy. “Mami was always selling something,” Maria remembers. “She’d cook for the workers in the sugar cane fields, feeding them, making sure they had what they needed.” That instinct to provide and support others became the foundation of her business philosophy.

After retiring from government work, which included a pivotal stint in procurement, Maria spotted a gap in the market. “There wasn’t anyone teaching the Latino community how to get certified, how to sell goods and services to the state,” she explains. And so, M&A Supplier Diversity Consultants was born.

Today, Maria is an expert on business certifications. She’s helped over 1,000 small and diverse businesses navigate the complex world of state and federal procurement, from early-stage entrepreneurs to six-figure companies ready to scale. But for Maria, the numbers only tell part of the story.

There’s the Guatemalan cleaning company owner making close to a million dollars annually, but who had never heard of business certification. “Massachusetts is the only state in the nation that will certify immigrants without legal status, as long as they pay taxes and are pursuing residency or citizenship,” Maria notes. That client became the first Latina cleaning company certified under those guidelines, and now has the state chasing her for contracts.

Then there’s the client who hired Maria’s company four years ago. Initially certified in only Massachusetts and New York, she now holds certifications in all 50 states, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. She’s now gone from six-figures to a multimillion-dollar business. “She tells everybody, ‘My company got to multimillion dollars because of this lady here,’” Maria recounted, beaming.

But Maria’s work goes far beyond forms and filings. It’s about shifting who gets access, who gets a seat at the table, and who even knows the table exists. Like the time she joined a friend’s meeting with a city official about securing a property for a domestic violence shelter. The friend was used to hearing “no.” Maria walked in, introduced herself with her signature conviction and said “I’m Maria Gonzalez. You don’t know me, but you will.” Needless to say, they walked out with 20 property options on the table. That’s the kind of energy Maria radiates.

Her presence is more than professional. It’s personal. “When someone sees me, they see someone who looks like them, who understands their struggles,” Maria says. It’s that shared identity that allows her to connect, advocate, and open doors that others can’t–or won’t.

And what she does: advocating, mentoring, unlocking opportunity, is deeply tied to her identity as a Boricua and proud Latina. It's also the driving force behind her consulting work and her second business: restoring antique furniture, a nod to her Puerto Rican upbringing where “pretty much every piece of furniture was wood and cane.” Her shop, The Refinishing Oracle, does all sorts of restorations, but specializes in the lost art of caning, drawing clients from all over the United States.

Perhaps what’s most remarkable about Maria is her philosophy of abundance. “If I come across a contract I can share with you and five other businesses,” she says, “I’m going to bring you all in.” In an economy often driven by competition, Maria thrives on collaboration.

Her advice to fellow entrepreneurs? Simple, powerful, and grounded in lived experience:

For Maria, success isn’t measured in dollars. It’s measured in the businesses that never knew these programs existed, now crossing the finish line. One certification, one contract, one transformed life at a time. It’s also about giving back through storytelling and uplifting Latino voices, one of the reasons she co-authored: Extraordinary Latinas Vol.III

As she puts it, capturing the spirit that has guided her career: “Hoy por ti, mañana por mí.”

Today for you, tomorrow for me.

It’s a philosophy of reciprocal generosity that has made Maria not just a successful consultant, but a force of change in the Latino business community, proving that when you give value to others, it comes back to you in ways you never imagined.

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