Josefina Almendárez Martínez

A gym with entrepreneurial spirit

Josefina Almendárez Martínez is 47 years old and lives in Nicaragua. She is full of entrepreneurial spirit and clever, but she was lacking the necessary skills for a successful business. In the beginning, she was teaching aerobic courses at home and only had clients from her nearby environment. But her customer base grew quickly. In order to improve her entrepreneurial know-how, Josefina participated in a training programme, which was initiated by ANDECU with the support of ICEP and the Austrian development cooperation. Today Josefina owns a gym with self made exercise machines from recycled materials. In addition to that, she sells healthy milkshakes and offers nutrition courses for a healthy lifestyle. Because of the training programme, Josefina has learnt how to control her revenues and expenses. Josefina also gained leadership skills and became passionate about women’s empowerment; she now wants to share her acquired knowledge with the women in her community. Today Josefina owns a gym – JAM Natural. The company name is made up of Josefina’s initials.