By Witney Isabel Bowie Patron
GOYN Youth Advisory Group Barranquilla

On many city streets, the sound system blares from early morning, and the aroma of arepas de huevo mingles with the steam of freshly brewed coffee. Behind every window lies a story of resilience that doesn't appear in economic reports: women whose hands are full of dough, yarn, or other products, supporting entire families and driving an invisible economy that beats to the rhythm of the neighborhood. They don't have offices up north or corporate business cards, but they possess something no MBA program teaches: tumbao—that blend of creativity, resilience, and zest that sets Barranquilla natives apart and transforms necessity into opportunity.

Barranquilla, besides being the Golden Gate of Colombia, is the country's fourth most populous city with over 1.2 million inhabitants and is primarily recognized for its economic and cultural dynamism. However, behind the macroeconomic figures that position it as one of the three cities with the best business performance in the country, there is a productive network operating from the backyards, living rooms, and street corners of the city's working-class neighborhoods: community-based women's entrepreneurship.

Tumbao isn't just about how people walk or dance in the streets of Barranquilla; I've observed that it's also a philosophy of life, a way of making ends meet that combines ingenuity, joy, and determination. For the women of Barranquilla's working-class neighborhoods, tumbao is the strategy they use to transform an urgent need into a business with its own unique identity.

According to the National Urban Economic Census (CENU), for the first time in Colombian history, women lead the majority of businesses in cities, reaching 51.61% compared to 48.41% for men. However, this figure masks a complex reality: more than 54.31% of these women-led businesses operate from home, demonstrating that female entrepreneurship is born, grows, and is sustained from the home, the neighborhood, and everyday life—and this is precisely what we don't usually see at first glance. In a country where informal employment still stands at 55.11% and a 3.3 percentage point gender gap persists, these entrepreneurs don't wait for the system to include them: they include themselves, with flair.

When a woman starts a business in Rebolo, La Chinita, or El Bosque, the benefits don't go elsewhere: they stay right there in the neighborhood. The woman who sells bread rolls on the corner buys cheese from her neighbor; the stylist at the beauty salon hires the young woman across the street as an assistant; the artisan who makes backpacks pays another woman to help with orders; the cook who sells us the best fried foods buys her ingredients at Doña Mary's store. This is circular economy in its purest and most organic form; and it's closer than we think.

Women-owned microenterprises in sectors such as gastronomy, beauty, clothing, crafts, and services generate hyperlocal value chains that strengthen the city's social fabric. It's not just about individual income: when a woman achieves economic independence, she can move away from dependence on her partners, reducing the risk of experiencing gender-based violence and other forms of control. In these social contexts, entrepreneurship is also a tool for freedom—economic freedom.

From various organizations, we have witnessed how comprehensive support for women entrepreneurs generates transformations that extend far beyond the economic. When a mother starts a business, her sons and daughters see a different model: they see that it's possible to build something of their own without leaving the neighborhood, that creativity is an inexhaustible resource, and that their community is not a limitation but a starting point. The impact is intergenerational: young people who grow up watching their mothers and neighbors build businesses through sheer hard work develop a mindset of agency and possibility that breaks cycles of dependency and hopelessness. The biggest challenge isn't starting a business; women in these neighborhoods already do it every day, often without even realizing it. The real challenge is moving from simply making ends meet to achieving sustainable business practices. And for that, we need bridges, not walls.

In 2026, the Mayor's Office of Barranquilla provided seed capital to 340 businesses with an investment of 1.4 billion pesos, benefiting 300 young entrepreneurs between the ages of 17 and 34, as well as 40 people with disabilities and their caregivers. Programs like these are an important step, but they need to be expanded and further focused on women from socioeconomic levels 1 and 2 who already have operating businesses but lack formalization, access to credit, and management training.

Business creation in the Atlántico region grew by 6.51% in 2025, with the service and food sectors leading the way. Many of these new businesses originated in neighborhoods, driven by women who decided to turn their skills into a life project. What they need now is technical support, access to broader markets, and institutional recognition. Therefore, grassroots organizations and youth groups are working to ensure that these women leaders not only survive in the informal sector but also thrive with dignity. Financial skills training, access to microloans with fair terms, and coordination with district programs are key to closing the gap between the talent that exists in these neighborhoods and the opportunities offered by the formal economy.

The future of Barranquilla isn't built solely from the towering buildings in the north or the free trade zones along the industrial corridor. It's also built, and above all, from the heart of its neighborhoods, where entrepreneurship has rhythm, flavor, and the name of a woman. Every empanada sold at dawn, every braid patiently woven, every order dispatched from a cell phone with a cracked screen, is an act of economic resilience and self-love. The women of Barranquilla don't need to be taught how to be entrepreneurs: they need the system to see them, support them, and pave the way for them.

Because when a woman with style decides her neighborhood deserves better, nothing can stop her. And in Barranquilla, we know that all too well.

References

Forbes Colombia. (March 4, 2026). “Barranquilla awards 2 billion pesos in seed capital to 340 startups.” Retrieved from: https://forbes.co/2026/03/04/actualidad/barranquilla-entrega-2-000-millones-en-capital-semilla-a-340-emprendimientos

La República. (2025, October 28). “Business creation in Atlántico increased by 6.51% so far this year.” Retrieved from: https://www.larepublica.co/especiales/iniciativas-de-las-camaras-de-comercio/la-creacion-de-empresas-en-el-atlantico-aumento-6-5-en-lo-corrido-del-ano-4257247

• La Silla Vacía. (2026, July 31). “The statistical illusion: owners of the business, not of their time.” Retrieved from: https://www.lasillavacia.com/red-de-expertos/emprendimiento-femenino-colombia/

Blu Radio. (July 31, 2026). “Unemployment in Colombia remained at 81% in June, according to DANE.” Retrieved from: https://www.bluradio.com/economia/desempleo-en-colombia-se-mantuvo-en-8-en-junio-segun-revelo-el-dane-rg10

· UN Women Colombia. “Economic Empowerment Strategy”. Retrieved from: https://colombia.unwomen.org/es/empoderamiento-economico-reincorporacion

· El Tiempo. (2025, December 27). “Atlántico and Barranquilla consolidate their economic leadership after a record year in foreign investment, employment, and strategic events.” Retrieved from: https://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/barranquilla/atlantico-y-barranquilla-consolidan-su-liderazgo-economico-tras-un-ano-record-en-inversion-extranjera-empleo-y-eventos-estrategicos-3520086

La República. (February 13, 2026). “Last year there were 462,000 more informal workers than in 2024, and the proportion closed at 55.71% of the total.” Retrieved from: https://www.larepublica.co/economia/el-ano-pasado-hubo-462-000-informales-mas-que-en-2024-y-proporcion-cerro-en-55-7-4326281