An Entrepreneur Expanding Positivity in Workspaces
STORY BY: YARA SIMON
STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE AT THE HEART OF ADRIANA PERALES’ SUCCESS. AT A YOUNG AGE, SHE LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF A NURTURING ENVIRONMENT. SO AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, SHE SOUGHT TO BRING THAT POSITIVITY INTO THE WORKSPACE.
PERALES IS the president of GP Mobile, a subsidiary of Sun Holdings, LLC. Her company owns and operates more than 140 T-Mobile stores in eight states. As a boss, she has worked to build a diverse team that meshes well with each other. Being able to do the job is one requirement, but she prioritizes finding employees that fit into the culture. After building the right team, it’s all about providing great training so that they are set up to perform well.
Her career could have turned out completely differently – Perales studied industrial engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey, after all – but it was taking on an exciting challenge that pushed her into her current role. Growing up in Mexico City and then in Saltillo, Perales played sports and was a “little bit of a tomboy.” But it wasn’t just that working with T-Mobile appealed to her competitive nature, it was also that her parents didn’t push gender-based expectations on her. This allowed her to aim high, to not think of her options as limited.
“I never second-guessed myself while going to college,” she says. “It was not really an option [to not attend]. My parents had gone to college. They kind of guided me to going into an engineering degree. It was challenging, and I’ve always loved challenges since I was a little girl. Thanks to them, it was never an option for me [to not go to college]. It was just the path that I needed to continue on, and I think [I was lucky] to have role models – your father, your mother – where they don’t treat you different because you’re a girl.”
She’s doing something similar within her company. While women have made great strides in the workforce over the decades, they still lag men in pay and leadership positions. Through GP Mobile, Perales offers mentorship so that women can develop their careers.
In 1995, Perales moved to the United States with her husband. The two worked on opening restaurant franchises in the country, and while she was involved in the process, it wasn’t always in a formal role, as she also juggled raising her children. About a decade ago, T-Mobile approached the couple about building “Estamos Juntos,” a program designed to serve the Latino community.
Ultimately, the campaign didn’t work out according to plan, but the company was impressed with Perales and made her a regular partner. The growth was slow at first. Between 2009 to 2012, GP Mobile grew from one store to 13 locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. But the rise has mushroomed in recent years.
The last few months have not been easy for Perales or her employees. As the COVID-19 pandemic dictates the ways we do business and interact, Perales and her team have had to be nimble. On March 17, she had to shut down 80% of her stores, an order that came from corporate. Two weeks later, they opened back up because they are an essential business. She credits her team with being able to adapt to these difficult, unprecedented times. And because she is approachable and has an open-door policy, her team members have someone on their side, which now more than ever, is necessary.
Despite her dedication to her work, Perales is clear that it’s her family that brings her the most joy.
“Keep your priorities in order,” she says. “For me, my family will always be my priority. They come first. I mean, they will always come first. Organize yourself. Surround yourself with people that can support you, and again, keep your priorities in order.”