I was in Mexico for two weeks last month plus I also book ended those two weeks with two other activities, which meant I was gone for the month of August. So what does this have to do with writing this blog? A couple of things, one it gives me an excuse to share about a couple of women entrepreneurs I meet while I was in Mexico. I also have to confess that I did not prepare for that month away, and writing was one of those things that slipped off my plate.
Today I’m going to share about two of the women entrepreneurs I meet in Mexico and next week I’ll share some lessons that I learned so that I don’t allow things to slip off my plate again.
One of the reasons I went to Mexico was to see about meeting some entrepreneurs and business owners, and see if I might be able to help them grow their businesses. I was in a small town called Ajijic, south of Guadalajara on Lake Chapalla. Ajijic is on a plateau surrounded by mountains at about 5,000 ft. The weather was wonderful while I was there, it’s was their rainy season so it rained every night and was beautiful during the day ensuring that everything was clean, green and in bloom.
My mother has lived in Ajijic for about 12 years now and she just loves it. She helped me connect with some of the business owners there and we had a small coffee to introduce ourselves and share what they do, a mini mastermind if you will.
One of the women, a young lady named Lilly Ehlebracht, started a private high school about 4 years ago. Instituto Internacional Octavio Paz is a middle and High school. The first year she had 8 students and this year they have 130 students enrolled. Instituto Internacional Octavio Paz was also accredited in September 2013 
to give the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (DP) beginning with the Class of 2015. Last year Lily was still in the classroom teaching, this year she has moved out of the classroom to fully step into her role as the Executive Director. Read more about Instituto Internacional Octavio Paz = http://octaviopazinternationalacademy.weebly.com.
The second woman I want to introduce you to is Ava Wilson, founder of Boomers in Paradise. Boomers-in-Paradise was started by Ava, an ex-pat, in order to make North American style health insurance available to other ex-pats in Mexico. I met Ava through Alex, the driver who picked me up at the airport. I was sharing with Alex my interest in meeting entrepreneurs while I was there and he suggested I meet her. Shortly after they moved to Mexico Ava was in a car accident that was financially very devastating and she did not want anyone else to have to through such a financial challenge. While the medical care in the area is very good, North American insurance is not available for most individuals. This inspired her to create Boomers in Paradise. To find out more here is the link to Boomers in Paradise http://boomers-in-paradise.org/ 
When I bring entrepreneurs together and we begin to discuss their businesses and challenges they are usually open and willing to share and receive, and this was no exception. To paraphrase what Ava said, it was so good being able to talk to others because her husband gets tired of hearing about it. We then talked about what their next steps were to continue to move forward. Everyone left the coffee with new connections and a new sense of direction.
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Jane works with CEOs, Partners, Principals and Executives who are looking for Clarity, Focus and Release. My clients and colleagues call me a thought provoking Business Therapist. My focus is helping overwhelmed executives regain clarity, let go of ambiguity, uncertainty and fear, while bringing focus to their goals and objectives. I ask the hard questions knowing that you’re ready to answer them.
The Sage Mentor – Grow Your Business program is designed to help women entrepreneurs increase sales and expedite growth of their business.
Jane is also the author of Put Your Big Girl Panties On and Kick Your Fears in the Ass.
Additional information is available at www.lovasconsulting.com. Contact Jane by email jlovas@lovasconsulting.com or by telephone at 703.981.3157