Being undocumented has never stopped Diana Valencia from achieving her dreams: 18 years after immigrating to this country, she has her own restaurant, two Spas and two car repair shops to drive cross-country.
“I was born in Puerto Vallarta, but I grew up in Mexico City. At the age of 16, my parents brought me to live in Los Angeles. We come undocumented,” recalls Diana, who is now 34 years old.
She says that she never liked school and felt that she was not learning English, because everyone in the class spoke Spanish. “So I didn’t finish high school, and I asked my dad to let me work and give me a chance to go to adult school when I turned 18.”
Diana says that meanwhile at the age of 17 she went to work. “My first job was as a clerk in a clothing store in The alleys of the Angels”.
At the age of 17, she also had her first child from an unsuccessful relationship, and became a single mother. Her son is currently 16 years old.
“Then necessity forced me to sell movies at the taco stands in south central Los Angeles.”
At the age of 18 he went to sell to the swap meets (tianguis or flea markets). “I sold clothes and accessories. And it went very well for me, I bought two pieces of land in Puerto Vallarta and began to build my first house”.
He spent five years working in the swap meets, but there he had problems with the law because his merchandise was pirated. “The police put me in jail for selling piracy.”
At the age of 23, he opened a cake lunch box; and then she married and had a second child, a girl who is now 10 years old. She then decided to sell seafood in the garage of her house in the Watts neighborhood, south of Los Angeles.
“I started with a patent leather, and every time I sold more and more; and I grew to the point that I already had tables in my house.”
The trade thing – he says – comes from his father who had a seafood restaurant in a flea market in Mexico City. “I helped him since he was 10 years old”.
But one day, she told herself, that she wanted more time for herself, and that she was going to invest her savings in something else.
“That led me to open my first Spa business in Downey, which I named VIP Spa. I was inspired by a Beverly Hills spa that’s all pink; only mine is black and gold. I already have two spas in Downey.”
However, her family life was not going very well, and a heated argument with her then-husband caused the man to call the police and accuse her of beating him.
“I went crazy when I discovered his infidelities. She sent me to jail because she wanted to keep all the material goods. He had my girl taken away from me and to this day he has her. I have to pay him child support (alimony)”.
Through tears, Diana says that it has been very hard being separated from her second daughter because at first she was only able to see her for a few hours each weekend. “I couldn’t even go see her at school.”
On February 14, 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested her as she came with her children.
“I was arrested because of my criminal record, obviously also because of my lack of status. I managed to walk free that same day with an electronic ankle bracelet that I wore for three months.”
Despite everything that was happening in his personal life, in June 2021 he opened the ice cream shop Le Coco Ice Cream Bar in Downey, which a year later would become le coco restaurant Bar.
“I’ve always wanted to have a Sports Bar selling seafood, but at first they told me I couldn’t sell alcohol, so I started with a ‘fancy’ coffee ice cream shop (luxury in Spanish.) When I got the city of Downey to give me a license to sell alcohol with meals; and seeing that we were starting to do very well, the ice cream shop became the restaurant le coco in January 2021”.
le coco It is a Mexican restaurant with French decoration.
He acknowledges that the first year, 2021, was one of many losses.
“More than anything because I had no knowledge of how to run a restaurant, but thank God we are doing well now; and we are going to open a second restaurant le coco in Covina.”
And he trusts that he would really like to create a restaurant franchise Le Coco.
If something characterizes Diana, it is her audacity to undertake. Together with her partner, she opened two off-road or off-road vehicle repair shops, drawing on his work experience.
“He was afraid because he had always been an employee; and he’s always been more cautious than me, but I encouraged him. I told him, you have to do it, and we have grown like crazy, even when we opened it in the pandemic in March 2020. One is in Colton, San Bernardino; and another at Lynwood.”
At her restaurant Le Coco, Diana says that what people ask for the most are chilaquiles, but she has an extensive menu of meat, fish and salads. “I put le cocoand I decorated it French style, because I wanted to give the Latino community the experience of other cultures like the French one”.
Diana says that one of her dreams is to inspire others to go into business, which is why she has created the Association of Latino Entrepreneurs.
“Many want to open a business, but are blocked and cannot take the plunge and grow. That’s why I want to help them.”
This young Mexican immigrant recently published her book “Undocumented Millionaire. From undocumented to businesswoman” to inspire and guide other undocumented immigrants to launch their own businesses.
“When I started as a businesswoman I was afraid of investing, but now with experience it’s easier for me.”
le coco is located at 11901 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, California. Open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, on weekends from 9am to 7pm.
Diana is proud to employ 8 people in le coco.
Last October, she received the protection of VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) that the government grants to victims of domestic violence.
“After being a victim of domestic violence and having my daughter taken from me, I continue to fight with immigration because ICE wants to deport me because of my criminal record, even though I have not killed anyone.”
What he wants most is to fix his immigration status, and continue working hard in business.
“I feel accomplished in business. I am moved by the ambition of wanting to live well in this country that is full of opportunities, and if you know how to structure the business you can grow; In 20 years I see myself living off my income and traveling the world”.