Alejandro José Solano Vallejos

In Nicaragua, where personal vehicles are far outside of the reach of most familys' budgets, bicycles are an incredibly important mode of transportation, and bicycle repair shops are just as needed. When he was 14-years old, Alejandro began helping out a family member in El Sauce in his bicycle repair workshop. He became fascinated by the mechanical aspects of the bikes, and after several years of working as an apprentice, decided he wanted to open his own shop on the other side of town. His family member was supportive, and promised him three parts of everything in his inventory to help him get started.

Now Alejandro has been running his own shop for nine years, but looked to Enlace’s Microloan Program when he learned about the business classes it offered in conjunction with low interest loans. Alejandro says he couldn’t be happier with how differently he runs his business after receiving the microloan program’s training class. He feels so much more control over his finances that he has been able to pay off all his debt ahead of schedule and start a savings plan with his profits.

Alejandro says having better control of his finances has also helped him better support his family with daily necessities, such as groceries and clean water. His daughter, 6-year-old María, likes to spend afternoons with her dad in his workshop – that is when she is not busy dancing or making up plays with the other neighborhood kids.
Looking to the future, Alejandro says he is saving to invest and grow. His long term goal is to open El Sauce’s first bike part distribution center, and as part of that goal, he is now beginning to teach at-risk youth in his community more about bike repair so they too may open their own shops and support themselves. He also is looking to hire another employee for his shop.

Alejandro is an active supporter of education in his community, and in addition to running his own business, also helps adults study and complete the equivalent of an elementary school certificate. He dedicates his evenings to lesson planning and instruction, and often brings his daughter to classes with him. Alejandro says he is motivated to teach these classes for the same reasons he enjoys teaching others about bike repair: he likes to help people help themselves and overcome obstacles in their lives.

--Originally Written in November 2012