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Martha de la Torre is the CEO and co-founder of El Clasificado, a directory of classified ads that is targeted to Latino immigrants and functions as a 'Spanish-language PennySaver.'

The gig: Martha de la Torre is the chief executive and co-founder of El Clasificado, a Spanish-language publication distributed weekly throughout Southern California. The 60-page directory of classified ads is targeted to Latino immigrants and functions as a "Spanish-language PennySaver," said De la Torre, 53. The privately held company posted $16 million in sales last year, up 8% from 2009, she said. It has 130 employees.

Reluctant entrepreneur: Born to Ecuadorean immigrants who settled in the South Bay, De la Torre enrolled in Loyola Marymount University's accounting program. There a classmate told her he wanted to be an entrepreneur. "I thought that was crazy. Why would I risk my college education when my parents struggled to get over here and establish a new life for us?" she said.

Spotting the market: De la Torre joined a large accounting firm whose clients included La Opinion, the Spanish-language Los Angeles daily. While working there she noticed that many readers bought copies of the newspaper to peruse the job listings. "I saw the Hispanic market was growing and thought there was a market in classifieds," she said.

Bad timing: De la Torre founded El Clasificado in 1988 with her husband, Joe Badame, who is now chief operations officer. The young company was still struggling when the early 1990s recession hit. "We really should have gone bankrupt," De la Torre said. She did consulting jobs on the side to keep the business afloat. Still, she was discouraged. "I just wanted to pay off the debt and the stockholders and walk away from the company," she said. READ MORE