Today we’d like to introduce you to Yesenia Vega.
Hi Yesenia, 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 backstories with our readers?
Female Force, LLC is comprised of two self-empowered women; Yanice Torres and myself, Yesenia Vega. Both of us ladies have known struggle but have always chosen to rise above it and make the best and more out of any situation life has thrown at us. The Universe brought us together when our daughters began Kindergarten together in Altamonte Springs, FL. We quickly realized that the positive energy radiating from each of us would make for a great friendship and soon-to-be business partnership!
That is when we created Female Force in 2018, which at the present time consists of over 860 members on Facebook. In the past 4 years, we have collaborated with nonprofit organizations (local and national) that focus on supporting and helping women in our local community.
Our mission is to help women within our community feel personally empowered and connected to other women in their community, while also making a change locally in one form or another.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. As many businesses and individuals alike can relate to, in 2020 when the pandemic hit, life as we knew it had changed. The nation was instructed to quarantine and self-isolate. Running a business that is based on socializing and networking became a challenge. We had to find innovative ways to continue to foster and nurture those growing relationships we had built over the recent years. We relied heavily on our Facebook page to maintain the lines of communication open with our members during this time, by doing things such as creating online challenges.
Another challenge we faced revolved around the branding and marketing of Female Force. At the beginning of the year, we had started the process of creating an online storefront to sell our branded merchandise, but the pandemic had placed a financial strain on Yanice and I, therefore, we had to put that goal on hold.
However, we recognized that in such trying times we needed to pursue our mission more than ever. Where there is a will, there is a way.
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?
We pride ourselves on being a positive group of entrepreneurial women who provide a safe space for other women by changing the world with acts of kindness, support, volunteering, and charity.
Some of the organizations we’ve worked with or supported over the years have been Habitat for Humanity, Harbor House, Salvation Army, and Together We Rise. We also organize monthly networking brunches that have helped form several long-lasting bonds amongst our members, both professionally and personally.
We have hosted yearly Feed Our Community events, where our members have gathered together to prepare, pack and distribute meals to up to 200 homeless individuals in Orlando in the middle of a pandemic. This was all possible because of the generosity of our members who provided their time and monetary contributions.
Despite the setback we encountered in 2020 in creating the storefront for our merchandise, we were proud to announce this year that we had accomplished that goal. The idea behind designing and creating our shirts is to further our commitment to serve and collaborate with not-for-profit organizations in our local community as a team. A portion of the proceeds will go to the local charity events that we participate in, such as the Women Build with Habitat for Humanity we volunteered for in March of this year. Now, not only can our members show up to our Female Force charity/volunteering events in solidarity, rocking our shirts, but a part of the money will benefit the organizations we are getting together to support. Win/Win!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Both Yanice and I are single mothers who have full-time jobs aside from Female Force. Yanice is also the owner of The Bella Agency, which consists of a team of licensed and insured cosmetologists and hairstylists who specialize in making every bride’s dream come true through the magic of hair and make-up.
Something surprising that most people might not know about me would be that I had a strict religious upbringing whose ideology centered around not forming close bonds with “nonbelievers”. We were encouraged to help them learn the “truth” about God and his Word. In my opinion, that is the part that instilled the desire within me to help others. However, I realized that helping others could mean so many things and I wanted to make sure to be inclusive. I wanted to encourage, inspire, motivate and empower women of ALL walks of life to step into their power. The birth of Female Force felt like a calling I needed to answer and I am forever grateful for all the connections and experiences I’ve encountered, those yet to come, and the impacts we will make along the way.
Pricing:
- Empowered Women Empower Women shirt – $25
- She Believed She Could So She Did shirt – $25
- We Rise By Lifting Others shirt – $25
- If Not Now, When? shirt – $25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.femaleforcellc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femaleforceinspo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Femaleforcellc
- Other: https://femaleforce.buyproforma.com/#/
