The making of 'SIL'

While other small and micro-businesses in San Jose, Costa Rica, were struggling to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, Silvia’s business began to thrive.

She started by offering simple copying and printing services to people in her community in 2019, and it quickly evolved into a small-scale creative studio operated from her home.

“The key [to being successful] is figuring out what you want to do and where you want to stand out,” said the 39-year-old mother of two, who saw an opportunity in a niche market while families were isolated in their homes but still needed materials for school and work.

Two years after starting her business endeavor, Silvia became a part of an Unbound program that is focused on boosting micro-businesses in marginalized communities.

With access to skills training and a grant, she’s been able to take her business to the next level, while earning a steady income that’s helping her family leave poverty behind.

A business borne out of necessity

Silvia believes everything we learn in life will eventually serve a purpose.

When she became pregnant with her first child at a young age, she thought her opportunity for studying and learning was behind her. She stayed home for years tending to her small children while her husband worked as a mechanic.

She had an entrepreneurial mindset, however, and always found ways to earn extra income for her family — tutoring children from her neighborhood and selling popcorn and ice cream.

But she never truly believed she could have a career of her own until her youngest son, Ian, became sponsored through Unbound and she began attending her mothers group meetings.

“That’s when my perspective began to shift,” she said. “I realized there was more. … [You] shouldn’t stay stuck in one place or be afraid to learn and explore different areas.”

Silvia’s opportunity to explore new interests presented itself soon after. When Ian needed to print a last-minute school assignment, they discovered their community had no printing services available. While seeking a solution out of town, Silvia and her husband, David, realized the value such a service could bring to their area, and they decided to invest in a printer.

This became the launching point for Silvia’s future business.

She recalled how difficult her first year was and how little income she generated. To start, she only offered copy, printing and photocopying, and advertised her services on Facebook. For many weeks in that first year, she sold one copy a week and made $0.05.

“I thought, ‘Oh, this is sad,’” Silvia said. “There’s always that uncertainty of whether [a business] will work or not. But I kept offering, and I never stopped.”

As remote learning took hold in 2020, Silvia’s printing business quickly grew through word of mouth. By the next year, she had added label printing and was earning $120 or more a month.

But to scale her business and set herself apart, she needed more services and equipment, which was an investment she couldn’t yet afford.

That was when Silvia learned about Unbound’s micro-business program.

Micro-business program targets barriers to growth for entrepreneurs in marginalized communities

Unbound’s Costa Rica staff encouraged Silvia to apply for an entrepreneurship grant.

The organization’s micro-business accelerator program is a platform that allows donors to support entrepreneurs and has been providing an infusion of capital to micro-businesses in marginalized communities since 2019. The support allows entrepreneurs to increase production, gain access to free markets, participate in business skills training and increase their revenue. In 2024, over 91% of small business grants were awarded to women entrepreneurs, empowering them with financial inclusion.

After applying by outlining her business challenges and goals, Silvia received a $1,040 grant from the entrepreneurship program, which was deposited into her bank account via direct cash transfer, putting the decision as to how to invest the money into her hands.

“Having that trust in me from Unbound was amazing,” Silvia said. “I was [responsible for] buying what I needed [with the grant], and that flexibility allowed me to plan. I’ll always be deeply grateful because that boost helped me get to where I am today, and I’ll keep growing.”

Silvia invested in a variety of equipment and materials including a heavy-duty guillotine paper cutter, several other machines for cutting, binding and laminating, cardstock material, a chipboard for packaging and more.

Since receiving the grant almost five years ago now, Silvia has expanded her services beyond printing and copying to include binding, brochure printing, stationery design and printing, and customization for T-shirts, caps, mugs and lanyards, among other things.

She’s grown her skillset, taking courses on Canva — an online graphic design and publishing platform — to help her improve the quality of her designs, attending workshops through Unbound, watching tutorials on YouTube and learning through networking online with entrepreneurs in similar fields.

Silvia branded her business “SIL Estudio Creativo” or SIL Creative Studio. “Sil” is the shortened version of Silvia. She began taking commission work from outside her community. During her busy time of the year, she might work seven days a week, filling orders from her home studio.

With hard work and the boost from the grant, Silvia said her family’s life has changed for the better. She can provide for her children’s needs and has also been able to generate enough income to care for her aging parents. She’s also been able to purchase basic home appliances that her family would have at one time viewed as a luxury they couldn’t afford, like a coffee maker.

“I won’t become a millionaire from my work … but our quality of life has improved,” Silvia said. “It fills me with pride to be able to support [my family] when they need it.

“That’s empowerment, being able to create something for yourself, something that supports you financially and that you can do from home.”

A lifetime of learning and innovating

Once the door to learning was opened for Silvia, continuous growth became her number one priority.

As a participant in Unbound’s scholarship program at one time, Silvia studied English and took classes to learn balloon decorating and Canva for Business.

She’s currently taking a course to learn candle making with the goal of launching her own candle catalog later in 2026. In addition, she plans to learn laser engraving techniques and purchase a laser engraving machine to expand her list of services in her creative studio. Her long-term goal is to one day open her own storefront.

Silvia’s journey has inspired her to encourage other mothers like her to keep learning and to achieve their dreams.

“Just take the first step and then keep walking,” Silvia said. “You can’t expect to grow if you don’t put in the work. Now, I’m Silvia with goals, with purpose and with a desire to keep growing.”

Silvia said she is eternally grateful for the boost she received from Unbound, not just financially for her business, but because of the potential someone saw in her.

“Not everyone will come and say, ‘I believe in you. I believe in what you’re doing, and because I believe in you, I’m going to help you take your business further than you ever imagined,’” Silvia said. “Being a part of [Unbound] opened that door for me.

“I’m very proud of my work. It’s not just something I do. It’s a whole process, and at the end of that process seeing the client’s happiness, that’s my real payment — the satisfaction of knowing that they’re happy with what Silvia made.”

Unbound regional reporter in El Salvador Josué Sermeño and Unbound Costa Rica staff contributed information and photos for this story.