Businesswoman Sharon Tirado is out to change the way the women of this world engage with money. From building an online community of like-minded entrepreneurs, to a social media feed full of helpful financial tips, Sharon is empowering women to take control of their finances and their lives. Originally from Cuba, Sharon traveled from the Caribbean to Africa, then to Europe as a young woman. No matter where she landed, however, one thing always stood out as lacking: the financial education of each country’s women. Realizing this, Sharon has taken it upon herself to elevate the financial standing of women worldwide through education and building communities of like-minded women entrepreneurs.
“I was born in Cuba and lived there until I was ten years old,” Sharon recounts. “After that, however, my family bounced from Angola to Portugal, before ending up in Spain. While living in so many different countries, I realized that some problems were universal, no matter the city or culture. One of those problems especially caught my eye: the lack of education about money, especially for women. With my background in business, I knew I could make a difference, and I started leveraging my professional career in finance and accounting to help other women out. Now I work with hundreds of women, helping them gain control over their finances and take the first steps towards financial independence.”
Now Sharon spends her working days teaching women how to manage and grow their money, while encouraging women entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses. She has also created a popular online community, Invierte con Tacones or “Investing with Heels,” for Spanish-speaking women who want to gain control of their finances and launch their own businesses. Through the community, women work to connect and network with one another, while sharing tips and lessons about money growth and management. Sharon’s aim with the community is to amplify the network effects already experienced by so many women, while helping them become business owners and not just business operators.
“If I teach a man, it might be just that,” Sharon says with a wink. “But if I teach a woman, I am teaching a family as well. Whole families will be impacted with the knowledge I impart on women, creating a legacy of generational wealth while changing the mentality and behavior of Latin Americans with money. There were so many times in my life where I was the only woman sitting at a board meeting, and that is something that I want to change, starting with the community of women I am building right now.”
Indeed, Sharon’s online community has already helped several Spanish-speaking women launch their own businesses, while sharing stories of their successes and shortcomings with the rest of the community. Unlike the often cutthroat attitudes of male-dominated groups, Invierte con Tacones has fostered a supportive, collaborative dialogue between women at every stage of their financial journeys. And by reshaping the narrative around how women handle their money, Sharon hopes to tip the scales towards women-powered startups and small businesses worldwide. Whether through her online classes, or the new peer-to-peer lending program she hopes to launch in 2022, Sharon is transforming women’s lives every single day by bringing financial education and empowerment to the women of the world.
You can follow Sharon on Instagram (@shatirado) or join her community at www.inviertecontacones.com