Influential Woman · Operational Consulting for Small Businesses
Marcela Shine
CEO & Co-Founder, Shine Enterprises Consulting
Charlotte, NC 28278
Her Story
About Marcela
Marcela Shine is the CEO and Co-Founder of Shine Enterprises Consulting, an operational consulting firm that provides fractional COO services and operational leadership to founder-led, early-stage, and growth-stage businesses. She has served in senior operating and marketing leadership roles across venture-backed SaaS and FinTech companies, including CEO/COO-level responsibilities, P&L ownership, acquisitions, go-to-market strategy, marketing operations, and cross-functional team leadership. Through Shine Enterprises and its small-business growth platform, Ready, Plan, Grow!, she helps founders build the operating infrastructure, processes, and systems required to scale with greater clarity, stronger margins, and faster execution.
Shine's career combines operations, strategy, marketing, financial planning, and business development. She previously served as Senior Director of Brand Marketing at ZenBusiness and Head of Strategic Programs and Growth at Ureeka, where she worked with entrepreneurs and helped develop programs designed to support small-business growth. Earlier, she served as Chief Operating Officer at oneQube, where she helped grow the company to seven figures in revenue and more than 30 clients within 18 months. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Seton Hall University and is fluent in both English and Spanish. Her current work increasingly incorporates AI-enabled operating systems designed to automate repetitive processes while preserving the human judgment required for important business decisions.
Beyond her consulting work, Shine is deeply involved in entrepreneurship and community-building initiatives. She is a founding member of Dreamers & Doers and has served as a founding board member and Partner & Growth Strategy lead for The Tutu Project, a nonprofit initiative providing financial assistance to families navigating breast cancer. She has also been involved with the Charlotte Latin American Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Women Business Owners. As a first-generation immigrant and self-built entrepreneur, Shine places particular importance on community, mentorship, confidence, and helping founders understand the numbers and systems behind their businesses. Her professional philosophy centers on giving business owners the operational clarity and confidence to build companies that can function and grow without everything depending on the founder.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Marcela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a combination of operational experience, strategic thinking, strong execution, and the support of an incredible community that mentored me throughout my career. As a first-generation immigrant who built my career without an established playbook, I learned to see problems clearly, take ownership, and determine where to begin fixing what is not working. I also believe strongly in community and in showing up for founders in the same way others once showed up for me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Bring positivity to your team and you will get positivity back. Lead by example.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage the next generation, particularly women building businesses and careers, to recognize that they do not have to follow a predetermined playbook. I believe in building confidence through understanding your business, your numbers, and your decisions. Community also matters tremendously. The mentors and people who supported me throughout my career shaped how I approach my work today, and I believe in creating that same sense of support and connection for others.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities I see is helping small and growth-stage businesses adopt stronger operating systems without adding unnecessary complexity. Many founders become the bottleneck because every decision, question, and process continues to depend on them. AI creates another significant opportunity when it is applied thoughtfully: I believe businesses should use AI to eliminate repetitive manual work, handoffs, data entry, and status-chasing while preserving human judgment.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Community, authenticity, collaboration, and supporting others are important values to me. I believe people do their best work when they have the right support around them, and I value creating environments where people can learn from one another rather than competing unnecessarily. I also believe strongly in making technology work for people—not replacing human judgment—and in giving founders the clarity and confidence they need to make their own decisions.
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