Successful people take different paths to realize their dreams but their stories almost always share a few of the same success secrets. These secrets, though, are so fundamental that they should be a mystery to no one. A good education and hard work are the basics of Melinda Garcia’s success. Born in San Francisco, the 38 year-old business attorney lives in Pleasanton, where she is managing partner of her own law firm.
Garcia says she lives by the motto, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well”.
“When I do anything, I try to do the best I can,” she says. “If I fail at something, it’s because I didn’t work hard enough.”
Garcia says she got that work ethic from her parents, who emigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador. She says her parents stressed the importance of working hard to get what you want.
“My father is a small business owner who worked really hard and has been successful,” she says. Her parents’ success proved to Garcia a truth about the simple recipe for achievement. “My parents were immigrants without good English – if they can do it anyone can do it if they are willing to work hard.”
In addition to a fulfilling career, Garcia´s hard work has brought her recognition in the community. She is one of the winners of the 2011 Alameda County Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award presented by Women’s Initiative, the nation’s largest micro-enterprise training and funding organization. Garcia will receive the award at an event in Oakland on October 19. Winners are selected by their community for their passion, achievements and contribution to their community and economy.
“As a Latina, I’m especially proud to have Melinda Garcia as one of our honorees this year. Melinda, has been an example of professionalism and personal courage. Her commitment to our community is impressive and inspiring. We are honor to recognize Melinda as a successful Latina woman-owned business,” said Thais Rezende, executive director of East Bay for Women’s Initiative.
Garcia was inspired to become a lawyer when she was a very young girl. She says her grandmother used to watch an American TV program where an attorney advised and helped people. She remembers watching the program, which was dubbed in Spanish – she didn’t speak any English until she went to school. “Wow, I want to be able to do that and have that ability to help people,” she recalls.
Her father, however, didn’t like attorneys. “When I told him I was going to be an attorney he wasn’t happy,” she says.
Fortunately, her father’s dislike of attorneys was not stronger than his desire for his daughter to be successful. “My parents wanted me to do better than they did and they knew that I would have more opportunities with better education,” says Garcia.
Garcia’s parents’ desire for her career success was bundled with a desire for her purpose. “They wanted me to do something that would change the world,” she says.
A sense of purpose drove her education and career choices. Today, she works as an advocate for small business owners, advising them on how protect their business and be more successful. As a litigator, Garcia represents business owners in California state courts and private forums such as arbitrations and mediations. As a transactional lawyer, she advises businesses about employment issues, intellectual property, commercial leasing, and other matters.
Garcia says she wants to change the negative perception that many people have about attorneys - she wants people to know that good attorneys can help people stay out of trouble and help them make money. And she wants business owners to be aware of the importance of managing the small but important things. “You don’t want your business taken away with something that is easy to take care of,” she says.
Garcia´s belief in success and opportunity likely influences her role as a counselor. “Always try your best,” she says. “Opportunities are everywhere.”