Surviving to Thrive
Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line.
Vaca has experienced the uncertainty that comes with building and sustaining a company through economic downturns, national crises and unexpected disruption.
“There have been a lot of those low points in entrepreneurship,” she said. “They say entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Thirty years of ups and downs, and I recall every single one of them.”
Among the most challenging periods was the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
“We had a liquidation plan during 9/11,” Vaca recalled. “It was the hardest moment that we must have had as a company.”
Then came the financial collapse of 2008.
Years later, the COVID-19 pandemic presented another major challenge.
But Vaca does not look back at those moments simply as setbacks.
“Each of those setbacks, or each of those challenges, brought a gift,” she said. “And the gift is experience.”
For Vaca, surviving difficult periods became part of learning how to build something stronger.
“I’m proud to say that we did not only survive them, but we thrived after them.”
It was a comment that immediately connected with one of our own editorial themes: the Business of Surviving to Thrive.
For entrepreneurs, survival is sometimes the first victory. What comes afterward is shaped by what was learned during the difficult moments.
Leadership Rooted in Gratitude
Vaca’s influence extends well beyond the company she built.
Throughout her career, she has supported entrepreneurs, business leaders and women seeking greater opportunities in business and leadership.
When asked where that commitment comes from, Vaca did not hesitate.
“It comes from a place of gratitude,” she said.
“I know that in my heart, what I have personally achieved, God has laid great favor in my life, and I am so grateful for that. I feel the responsibility to give back.”
That sense of responsibility was one of the reasons she accepted an invitation from entrepreneur Patty Arvielo to participate at AVANCE Global.
“When Patty Arvielo called me and said, ‘I need you to be here at the AVANCE Conference to support and lift up hundreds of Latinas that are coming here for direction, because you can’t be what you can’t see,’ I had to say yes.”
For Vaca, the idea is personal.
“Where I was born, how I grew up, how I started — all the statistics would never have pointed to a woman today who’s leading a global business and sitting on publicly traded company boards.”
Her response was not framed simply around what she has accomplished.
It was about what those accomplishments now allow her to do for others.
The Value of Being Resourceful
During our conversation, we asked Vaca what advice she would give to women who may still be working toward their goals.
Some may not yet have the connections.
Some may not have access to significant resources.
Others may simply be trying to figure out how to get into the right room.
Her answer was direct.
“There’s a difference between not having resources and not being resourceful,” Vaca said.
“We can lack resources. We can lack many things. But we have the opportunity to be resourceful.”
She pointed to conferences, networking and relationship-building as examples of how people can begin creating their own opportunities.
“Coming and showing up to conferences like this, networking, meeting people and figuring out, ‘How can I be resourceful?’ — that’s the magic that this conference brings.”
Vaca also emphasized that opportunity is not limited to one community.
“I love this environment, where Latinos are here too, and non-Latinos, quite frankly. We’re all here to help each other.”
Her advice can be summed up in a simple statement:
“Don’t be without resources. Be resourceful.”
Creating Impact
Vaca also spoke about the importance of leaders using their own success as a platform to create opportunities for others.
She pointed to Arvielo as one of those people.
“I’m thankful to have a Patty in my life,” Vaca said. “We should all be thankful.”
“She is trying to create impact and trying to use her success as a platform to help others. I have great respect for people that dedicate their lives to helping others.”
For Vaca, that philosophy aligns closely with her own values.
“That is part of my value set,” she said, “and that’s what I admire about her.”
It is also a theme that runs throughout Vaca’s own career.
Leadership, in her view, is not only about building something successful.
It is about what that success makes possible for someone else.
What’s Next?
Toward the end of our conversation, we asked Vaca a question we often ask leaders we have followed over the years: Her answer was not about another title, another milestone or another business objective.
It was about purpose.
“It took me a long, long time to figure out exactly what my purpose in life is,” Vaca said. “And I know unequivocally that my purpose is connecting people to opportunity.”
That purpose continues to shape how she views Pinnacle Group and its future.
“Pinnacle Group is a wonderful business platform where I can do that and achieve that,” she said. “The more we grow, the more ability I have to live my purpose, which is connecting people with opportunity.”
For Vaca, the next chapter is straightforward.
“I’m going to be doing that for the rest of my life.”
Thirty years after launching Pinnacle Group, Vaca continues to think about growth.
But today, growth carries a broader meaning. It means creating opportunities. It means building relationships. It means using experience to help others find their way and it means understanding that success itself may not be the final destination.
“After success, there is fulfillment,” Vaca said. “And I’m fulfilled when I’m living my purpose.”
Nina Vaca. Daniela Mounger. Dolores Arredondo. Michelle Juarez-Perry. Valeria Esparza-Chavez. Five accomplished women. Five different journeys. Yet each story speaks in its own way to leadership, opportunity, family, community and the responsibility that comes with influence.
hen HispanicLifestyle.com recently reconnected with Nina Vaca at AVANCE Global in Las Vegas, there was plenty to talk about.