Maria Lopez

I attribute my success to the partnership I've built with my husband and how we complement each other's strengths. When we met 8 years ago after he migrated from Venezuela, I was able to use all my training and education from 15 years in corporate America to help him navigate the system and build his confidence. He's incredibly ambitious and talented with his hands - he's amazing at HVAC work and cooking - but I knew he needed someone who understood how to communicate, handle the administrative side, get licensing done, and hustle with sales and people. That's where I come in. I tell people that I'm his equivalent in the administrative world - while he's rebuilding a food truck from the bones or fixing complex HVAC systems, I'm getting state licenses approved, reaching out to communities, managing our social media, and making sure we operate professionally with uniforms and proper protocols. When everyone told us the food truck was scrap and our plans would take too long, I told him to stop listening to people and kept pushing forward. I did all the research, found the checklists, called the offices in Tallahassee until we got approved. The energy he puts toward his ideas, I have to match with getting the paperwork and bureaucracy done. It's only fair. We're a power couple building two businesses together while raising three daughters, and we've been able to buy our house and keep moving forward because we both work incredibly hard and support each other's strengths. That partnership and mutual support is everything.

The best career advice I ever received came from the veterans in television when I was just starting out, 5 months before graduating high school. They told me not to get a degree in television. That advice shaped my entire educational path - instead of narrowing my focus, I got a general studies degree for my bachelor's and then combined corporate office work with media and television for my master's in instructional design and technology. That broader foundation gave me the flexibility and skills to pivot and adapt throughout my career. It's why I was able to work in television for 15 years, transition to corporate America, work in graphic design, and now successfully run two completely different businesses with my husband. Having that diverse skill set instead of being pigeonholed into one specific field has been invaluable.

My advice to young women is that it's actually easier to do things than you think - don't let people talk you out of your dreams or make things seem impossible. When we were starting our businesses, everyone wanted to tell us 3 million reasons why it wasn't going to happen. They said the food truck was scrap, that state licensing would take too long, that we couldn't do it. But I did the research, found the checklists online, and kept calling the offices until we got approved. People talk about state licensing like it's this impossible thing, but it's actually easier than getting a county permit. You just have to do the work and not give up. I also think it's important for younger generations to see the bigger picture instead of just seeking immediate satisfaction. Have patience and do the work behind it all. What seems impossible can happen if you stop listening to the doubters and focus on taking one step at a time. And don't be embarrassed about sharing your story - I'm very direct and don't hide anything about our journey because I think people need to see real examples of what's possible. Whether you're an immigrant who's been here 8 years like my husband or someone with 15 years in corporate America like me, you can build something meaningful if you work hard, support your partner, and refuse to give up when people say it can't be done.

The biggest challenge right now is navigating the regulatory landscape, especially with the food truck business. The permitting system is such a grey area because nothing is in order - everybody wants to get a piece of the pie and get money out of it. The county permit process is actually harder than state licensing because they don't even have clear definitions of what a permit is for food trucks. It's frustrating when you're trying to operate professionally and legally. Our solution has been to reach out directly to communities across Central Florida, and they let us work in their communities for 2, 3, even 4 hours, which residents find convenient. But the opportunity I see is that we're at a threshold where we can take our businesses to the next level. My husband is now thinking about leaving his full-time corporate job because we're so busy with our two businesses. We have property management companies that respect my husband's work and keep sending us jobs, and now successful clients want him to partner on house-flipping projects. The opportunity is there to grow, but we have to be strategic because I don't want him overtired. We're learning to pick and choose our projects carefully while building our reputation and expanding our reach through social media and community connections.

The most important values to me are partnership, authenticity, and giving 100% to the people I love. In my marriage and business, I believe in being my husband's true equivalent - matching the energy he puts into his work with my own efforts on the administrative side. It's only fair. When he's rebuilding a food truck or fixing air conditioning systems, I'm handling the licensing, the sales, the customer relations. We're a power couple building something together, and that mutual support and respect is everything to me. I also value being authentic and direct. I don't hide anything about our journey or feel embarrassed about sharing our story, even the hard parts. I think it's important for people, especially younger generations, to see real examples of what's possible when you work hard and don't give up. And as a mother, I give my three daughters 100% of myself. I used to do martial arts for almost 10 years and loved working out, but I stopped because when I work out, I like to focus completely on the breathing and the reps - and that's not possible when someone's calling 'mom' 3 million times a day. So I've chosen to give them my full attention during these years. Family comes first, but that doesn't mean sacrificing ambition. I'm proving you can be a supportive wife, a full-time mom, and a business owner all at once. You can have it all if you work hard enough.