Today we’d like to introduce you to Lea Landaverde
Hi Lea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Becoming the Lea I am today came with many obstacles, but it all started back in the ’08 financial housing crisis. As the eldest daughter and child of Salvadoran immigrants, I was the family protector. My parents didn’t know much English, yet they were somehow running a successful landscaping business. I, their eldest daughter, helped wherever I could in the business from a young age, around 5-6 years old.
When the housing crisis began, I saw a shift in my parents’ demeanor. I started noticing that when they asked me to translate their bills, they were mostly overdue. It started with one vehicle being repossessed, then the electricity would be turned off, followed by water or gas. My siblings and I would fight over hot water or water in general to shower for school. It got so bad that my parents had to file for bankruptcy and foreclose on our family home.
By the time this happened, I constantly felt anxious, not knowing what would be taken away next. When the day of our move came, my dad said to me, “Lea, quiero que seas inteligente, quiero que seas mejor que yo. You have an opportunity to be smarter than me and be able to take advantage of being a citizen. Estudia y sigue adelante.” These words shifted my mentality.
I enrolled in dual enrollment, which allowed me to take college classes while in high school. The first class I chose was Finance 1010 because I wanted to learn how money worked. I earned my associate’s degree in business administration by the time I finished high school and then took 18 months to finish my bachelor’s in finance from Utah Tech University.
During this time, I started an internship with a wealth management firm and saw the power of investing. Learning it through theory was one thing, but seeing it in action was another. It opened my eyes to the thought that I could be a millionaire one day if only I started investing. I applied to many roles post-undergrad, but the one that spoke to me the most was Goldman Sachs. I wanted to understand the investment banking world, since they played a big part in the ’08 housing crisis.
Six months post-graduation, I joined Goldman Sachs as an operational analyst and spent four years working my way to a second-year associate. It was around the pandemic when things started to shift for me. I had thought my whole life that financial security was the key to success—well, that’s what my parents had made me feel. In reality, success was much more than that. During the pandemic, many things came to light about my career. I was underpaid by 50K and overworked, serving a global team as a product manager and working in almost every timezone. This felt unreal, but as I tried to negotiate, the company would not budge. It was always “Next year. Give us time, next year you will get your salary and title to VP.” Unfortunately, during the pandemic, next year felt like forever.
I had no other choice but to start a side hustle, and this is where Riqueza was born. I began offering business and consulting services to other young BIPOC entrepreneurs. This side hustle brought me so much joy that I decided to leave my 9-5 and take a risk on myself and my community. By March of 2021, I was fully running a virtual business, helping primarily first-generation individuals take control of their finances and business. I started hosting virtual webinars, workshops, offering coaching programs, and making videos. This eventually led me to create two brands: Riqueza Collective and the Latina Wealth Activist.
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?
Starting a business during a pandemic was very interesting. I had no guide on how to start a virtual/online company. All I knew was that I wanted to help the BIPOC community gain financial control during the hardest time of our lives. I had to sell my home and move into my parents’ spare bedroom to really take the time to invest in learning to run my business. I had to put myself out there as an entrepreneur on social platforms that were commonly used for personal posts. It was a new world, to be honest, and I had to figure it out.
Even though it wasn’t that long ago, our world in 2024 is far different from 2020-2021. I somehow evolved into a creator on TikTok and IG without even knowing what that meant for me while also being an entrepreneur running my business. To be honest, this journey has been a lot about taking risks and learning new tricks and tools to amplify the message I want to spread to the community. It’s not all perfect, especially with how businesses grow nowadays; it’s all about your social presence. I have created programs that were successful and others that were not. It was all trial and error, and sometimes it still is.
Now, the struggles I go through after three years of being in business are different and much more normal to many small business owners. From learning how to scale my business, to running a team, to managing systems and operations, I feel like I’m really putting on my CEO pants this year and learning how to make my business even better.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Riqueza Collective is a financial education company dedicated to providing culturally sensitive content and resources for first-generation individuals, children of immigrants, and underserved communities, including Latine, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ populations. Our mission is to empower these communities with the knowledge and tools they need to achieve financial independence and success.
At Riqueza Collective, we specialize in a range of services designed to meet the unique financial challenges faced by our audience. We offer webinars, workshops, educational programs, and a club membership that cover essential topics such as personal finance, investing, business management, and financial literacy.
What sets Riqueza Collective apart from others is our deep understanding of the cultural and social contexts of our audience. We tailor our content to be relatable and accessible, ensuring that financial education is not just informative but also inspiring and empowering. Our commitment to inclusivity and representation is at the core of everything we do.
We are most proud of our impact on the community. Seeing our community members gain confidence, take control of their finances, and achieve their goals is incredibly rewarding. Our brand is built on trust, community, and a genuine desire to make a difference.
We want our readers to know that Riqueza Collective is here to support them on their financial journey through our Riqueza Club and social events. But also, whether you’re a non-profit, corporation, university/college, we are here to be the strategic partner to your org to support financial empowerment. Join us and become part of a community that values empowerment, education, and financial freedom.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Perseverance. As a First-Gen, we have no other option but to figure out the next step blindly. Somos de aquí y de allá. We are raised to literally “figure it out.” I’m proud that I have had a vision since I was a kid to help protect my family financially, and now I can do that for the community. Many people have told me my work is an uphill battle, but let me tell you, I have taken up the space and stood firm representing la comunidad, especially as a Queer Latina.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://riqueza.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/riquezaco or instagram.com/latinawealthactivist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theriquezaco
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@riquezaco
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@latinawealthactivist
Image Credits
Photographer: Oscar Lozada
