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Dolores "Lolita" Medina wishes that she were armed in 2007 with information she has now.

"I don't think I got the lowest rate on our loan than we could have gotten now," she said. "I do feel like what we did wasn't the best solution. I feel that we may have been taken advantage of … possibly because we are Latino. "

The third-generation owner of El Farol, located at 115 W. 7200 South in Midvale, says that eight years later, she's learned and grown in business, partly thanks to services that the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has provided.

"We've learned a lot, especially in the last year. I don't look at other business owners as competition so much anymore. Now I see them as a resource that I can call on, and ask for information," she said.

Resources and information for business owners — and prospective business owners — like Medina, will be offered at the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Women's Business Leadership Conference, Presented by Wells Fargo. The conference will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 20 at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South.

According to Olga de la Cruz, who is the Senior Vice President for Business Development at the Chamber, the one-day conference aims to arm women with the tools and information to become their own business owners, and be more informed about the business community.

"The Latino community is a very entrepreneur community. It's the American dream for Hispanics to own their own business and making their own way to provide for their families," she said. "What we're seeing with Latinas is that they want to own their own business to be with their families, and to take care of their children. That's what we want to help them do."

According to de la Cruz, female business owners represent the fastest growing segment of new businesses.

The conference's theme of "Bridging Technology for Business Success" will feature speakers from around the country, including a Salt Lake City woman who leveraged eBay to grow her local business into a worldwide operation. Nely Galan, who is part of Coca Cola's "Adelante" movement that inspires women to push through difficulties to improve and grow their businesses.

De la Cruz said the conference is geared for all women interested in starting their own businesses.

Many times, women — especially Latinas — are expected to maintain traditional gender roles of caretakers and nurturers for their families, and the rigor of a normal job strains their schedules, de la Cruz said. Starting a business allows women flexibility in their schedules and daily lives to fulfill those duties.

"A lot of women are wondering if they need to jeopardize or put aside their gender roles to start a business. What we're telling them is that because they have those, they could consider their own business. You don't have to work for someone else and give up half of what you make for babysitting.

"We're even seeing some non-traditional businesses like female contractors and construction businesses now," she added. "We've invited entrepreneurs, executives and women who want to start a business to join us and discuss how we can succeed."

For Medina, learning from other business owners at conferences and meetings like the Women's Business Leadership Conference has helped her to better understand the tools she needs to succeed — and to find time for her family. Medina attended a similar conference in June.

"I think it's important for business owners to find time and learn from each other," she said.

The Women's Business Leadership Conference presented by Wells Fargo will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South. Tickets, which start at $35, are available online at utahhcc.com. For more information on the conference or the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, go to utahhcc.com or call 801-532-3308.