Her Story
About Esmeralda
Esmeralda Montufar is a finance and operations leader with more than 14 years of experience driving financial performance, operational efficiency, and team development across multi-site organizations. Her career reflects a unique progression from frontline operations to senior leadership, giving her a firsthand understanding of what it takes to turn strategy into results.
Throughout her career, Esmeralda has led operations across 10+ locations, with responsibilities spanning cash management, accounts payable, financial analysis, P&L performance, vendor relationships, process improvement, and leadership development. She has built systems to improve accountability, reduce costs, strengthen financial controls, and help leaders better understand the financial impact of their operational decisions.
Known for being a trusted problem-solver and strategic partner, Esmeralda has consistently worked at the intersection of people, operations, and finance. She is passionate about developing leaders, creating more efficient systems, and helping organizations grow without losing sight of their people.
Born in Apaxtla, Guerrero, Mexico, into a family of farmers and bakers, Esmeralda is now building her own food and restaurant ventures. She has started her own business, and her plan is to open her first restaurant and keep helping new entrepreneurs open theirs too. She is also a first-generation college student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in Accounting at the University of Houston-Downtown.
Her impact goes beyond business. Esmeralda is a volunteer with Get Outside Alliance, where she helps restore nature and build stewards who protect, restore, and preserve Texas' natural habitats through volunteerism, education, and hands-on conservation projects. She also teaches second grade in the afterschool program at Garden Oaks Elementary, where she shares her faith by teaching children about Jesus.
Above all, Esmeralda is a wife, a mother, and a proud daughter, driven by faith and family
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Esmeralda
01What do you attribute your success to?
If I'm being honest, I don't think my success comes from one thing. It comes from where I started and the people who stood behind me.
I was born in Apaxtla, Guerrero, in a family that worked hard for everything. My parents owned restaurants, my grandfather was a farmer, and my grandmother ran a bakery. Nobody had to tell me what hard work looked like. I watched it every day, and that's the foundation of everything I've done.
My faith keeps me grounded, especially on the days when it all feels like too much. And my family carried me. My husband Carl, my parents, and my sisters showed up so I could keep going. I'm the first in my family to go to college, and I'm doing it while raising my daughter. I want her to see that you can keep building even when it's hard.
My career didn't start at the top. I started in a restaurant as a cashier. Moved my way to the office, and helped build the HR, accounts payable, and payroll departments from the ground up. Then I moved into the field and ended up running more than 10 restaurants. Learning both the numbers and the people taught me you need to understand both to lead well.
Mostly, I stay curious and I don't quit. I'm still learning, still studying, and still working toward opening my own restaurants and one day helping other Hispanic entrepreneurs open their first business. I want to retire my parents. They're my why.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was to be the same person in every room. People trust you when your word and your work match.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you're a young woman getting into the restaurant industry, my first piece of advice is to learn the numbers early. Restaurants are fast, loud, and emotional, but they run on math. When you can read a P&L and explain why a store is winning or struggling, people stop seeing you as "the new girl" and start listening to you.
Second, don't stay in one lane. Learn how the whole business works: hiring, payroll, accounting, operations, the kitchen, the front of the house. Every skill you pick up becomes something no one can take from you.
Third, speak up. Working hard is the foundation, but you also have to raise your hand and ask for the seat at the table. Nobody is going to hand it to you just because you deserve it.
And be good to people on the way up. The team you lead will remember how you made them feel long after they forget your title.
Last, don't let anyone tell you that you can't be a leader, a mother, and a student at the same time. It's hard, and some days it's messy, but it's possible. I'm proof of that.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in business today is balancing growth with financial discipline while continuing to adapt to rapidly changing technology and customer expectations. Organizations are being asked to do more with less, operate more efficiently, and make faster, data-driven decisions without losing sight of the people behind the numbers.
At the same time, I see a tremendous opportunity for women in leadership. There is a growing need for leaders who can bridge operations, finance, technology, and people development. My experience has taught me that strong leadership is not simply about managing results, it is about developing people, creating accountability, improving processes, and giving teams the tools and confidence to succeed.
I believe the leaders who will make the greatest impact moving forward will be those who can combine financial understanding with emotional intelligence, embrace technology without losing the human element, and create opportunities for others to grow alongside the organization.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are the same at work and at home, because they came from the same place: my family.
Faith comes first. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that I'm not doing this alone, especially on the hard days.
Family is my why. I'm doing this for my daughter, my husband, and my parents, who gave me everything they had. I want Melanie to look at me and know she can build the life she dreams of. I also want to be the reason my parents get to rest one day.
Hard work was never a speech in my house, it was just life. My parents worked very hard, my grandfather farmed, and my grandmother baked. I learned early that nothing is given to you, and I still show up that way.
Integrity matters to me, especially in business. Whether I'm looking at a financial statement or leading a team, I want to be honest, do what I said I would do, and be the same person in every room.
Taking care of people is the last one. A restaurant is only as strong as the people in it. I believe in treating people with respect, helping them grow, and sharing what I've learned, because someone did that for me. That's also why I want to help the next generation of Hispanic entrepreneurs open their first business.
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