Her Story
About Mirka
I'm a workforce placement specialist and founder of Golden Rose Employment Agency in Brooklyn, New York. I started when I arrived to New York in 1999, and I've been helping women for 30 years. My journey was shaped by both personal experience and a deep commitment to helping others achieve stability through meaningful work. As a Latina entrepreneur, mother of six, and a survivor of domestic violence, I understand firsthand how life-changing economic opportunity can be. These experiences inspired me to help connect workers and families across New York City, especially within immigrant and multicultural communities. Over the years, I developed a passion for workforce placement, community support, and creating trusted relationships to help people find financial stability and financial independence, particularly for women. My main areas of expertise include workforce placement, recruitment, cross-cultural communication, and community-based employment support. I believe in building trust-based relationships and helping individuals navigate employment opportunities with cultural sensitivity and personalized support. I also have experience in small business operations, client relations, and supporting immigrants and working class communities through workforce development. We are very supportive of immigrant women - there is no race, no color, we're all women. My business is women-owned and run by immigrants, by single mothers. My key responsibilities include overseeing daily operations, recruiting and screening candidates, looking for good jobs, matching workers with employers, building relationships with clients and families, and ensuring personalized support for both job seekers and employers. We also manage business development, community outreach, client communications, and operational strategy while working to create employment opportunities for diverse and immigrant communities across New York City.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mirka
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being honest, reliable, and a hard worker. Everything in my business has been word of mouth. People rely on you, and you have to deliver. You have to be honest, reliable, and work hard. Life is a lot of work. Nothing is easy. You have to work hard.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to believe in your resilience, and never underestimate the power of your voice, your vision, and your experiences. Do not be afraid to start, even if the path feels uncertain. Challenges and setbacks do not define your future. Persistence, adaptability and courage do. Build strong relationships. Continue learning, and do not let fear stop you from pursuing leadership, entrepreneurship or financial independence. But most importantly, stay authentic to who you are. And remember that your story and your struggles can become a source of strength that inspires and helps others. No matter what, you just keep going. Even if everything looks like it's dark and there's no light at the end of the tunnel, you have to believe in yourself. And ask God to guide you. Just keep going. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. Always. Look for solutions. Don't dwell in the problems. If you fall, you get up, and you keep going. Don't throw the towel. You have to just keep going, focus on the goal, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep working hard. I remember when I started, I was giving out business cards, and this business owner looked at me and told me, 'You're a stupid housewife. You will never get anywhere.' Don't let fear stop you. Find something that you can do, that you love and enjoy, and do it. And be happy. You don't have to stay in a bad relationship if you're not happy. You have to listen to your inner voice, go to your inner pole, and just do it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are the economic uncertainty and workforce instability in New York. There's a lot of ups and downs, and increasing regulatory, financial, and operational pressures on small businesses. After COVID, a lot of businesses have closed. We actually created the multicultural Coalition of small businesses to try to help keep them open and to move the economy. As for opportunities, artificial intelligence and technology are creating new possibilities. With science and technology, we can now do things that we could have never done before. For example, we're closer globally. Things can be done faster. We can get things done better. We don't need to have so many resources because the tools are already there. And there is more openness in New York to listen to us and to help small businesses right now.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are honesty and integrity. We should always be honest. Integrity is to do the right thing when nobody's looking at you. And empathy - empathy is to put yourself in the other person's shoes and to try to understand how the other person feels. When somebody's in front of you, let's say, looking for a job, you have to understand, you have to try to put yourself in their situation, and try to see what is the best way to help them. This applies to every aspect of life, not only at work. I also value being responsible, reliable, and a hard worker. You have to work hard.
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