Over the past 30 years, there have been many major changes in the industry that I have called my 9 – 5 home, including the ever-changing advancements in banking, finance, and payments. Every day is a learning day.

As a young Latina woman, I fell into the merchant services industry, looking for a drastic change from my hospitality background. I was making cold calls and customer service visits on top of trying to make my voice heard in a sea full of men. This latter part created a challenge that I did not realize would continue, even to this day. I had my work cut out for me. My fellow female colleagues and I faced many challenges every day. Opportunities were constantly being passed on to our male counterparts, while favoritism was behind every decision.

We have been experiencing, as a collective, a lot of this type of adversity recently. Every day is different, each challenge is new and not always exciting. We have our good days and then there are the days when we just cannot wait for it to be over. We experience different forms of it but there are many similar lessons that can be learned each day. As a Latina woman working in a male dominated industry, I experienced adversity in the form of favoritism and unequal treatment of women and non-binary peoples in the workplace. And, even today, I still see this happening throughout the many other industries, workplaces and social situations.

How can we, as women, succeed in such environments?

Be the example of behavior you wish to see. Demand respect. Set up a more organized work schedule for your not-so-organized team members. Have open discussions with your colleagues and employees. Speak up!

Always treat everyone with respect. The person you train today may be the CEO of a company tomorrow (and that has happened to me before!)

In the words of Michelle Obama, “Do Better”. Build up your skill set that allows you to bounce back more efficiently and effectively.

If you love something, do not let anything get in your way! Focus on your goals and keep going until you get there. There will always be bumps along the way but, no matter what they are, it is important that you are always learning from them and growing.

I have also met many amazing people in my 30-year career in the payments industry. I would not be here today without those people and those experiences. There are also many more people to meet and experiences to have for all of us. If you believe in your strength, resilience and perseverance, you, too, can get through each day with joy and success.

About our CEO, Cristina Alvarez Cox

Cristina has worked in the payment services industry for 27 years. She started out in electronic check services right after her first child was born. She worked her way up through the industry, succeeding against the odds as a self-educated, minority, single mother of two. Along the way, she won many awards for her performance, from Tele-Check, Select Sales Club, First Data, and Nxgen. Most recently, she received awards for NXGEN 2019 Highest Portfolio Revenue.

Her professional accomplishments led to the launch of her own business in 2011, developing a boutique-style agency to provide the personal touch so often lacking in merchant services. She works with a community of successful, hand-picked clients across multiple industries, for whom she delivers customized solutions. She specializes in transparency and integrity, to give businesses the stable platform they need to focus on growth.

What she enjoys the most in her work is building long-term relationships with her clients. She enjoys anticipating needs and problem solving. At the end of the day, there is no stronger feeling of accomplishment than taking care of other people.

“To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – Douglas Adams