Cold Mountain Consulting founder and CEO Olivia Rios is the definition of perseverance. After partnering with law firms on marketing technology for more than a decade, Olivia felt the now-or-never pull in 2019 to launch her own consulting company.

A Latina woman-owned business, Cold Mountain Consulting provides analysis and solutions for legal marketing technology challenges. With momentum building, Olivia had her eye on a brick-and-mortar location, until the pandemic hit the pause button. Olivia instead found herself exploring grant options and resources to keep her business afloat.

The months that followed brought the hope needed to boost her confidence. During her search, Olivia secured a woman-owned business certification and received a handful of small grants, including a Red Backpack Fund grant from Sarah Blakely. She remained determined.

“As an entrepreneur, there are days that you question everything,” says Olivia. “I was making strides and knew I had to keep going!”

As she continued her efforts to grow Cold Mountain Consulting, Olivia discovered Invest Atlanta’s Women Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI) in early 2023. After being accepted into the program, she attended a WEI event and heard about Invest Atlanta’s Atlanta Open for Business Fund, designed to help small business owners in Atlanta build wealth by investing in assets such as commercial space, equipment and technology. It is supported by a generous donation of $20 million from Wells Fargo to help Atlanta businesses impacted by the pandemic recover.

Olivia immediately applied for the Commercial Down Payment Assistance Loan Program, which offers low-interest financing to help existing business owners in Atlanta purchase commercial property.

“The people at Invest Atlanta were so incredible,” shares Olivia. “The team kept checking in on me to see what I needed. They just showed up!”

Olivia secured a $250,000 loan, which allowed her to put a down payment on a historic commercial property on Marietta Street and close in 30 days.

“Part of our mission at Cold Mountain Consulting is to empower the community, which we are now able to do by inviting partners to utilize our space for educational events for women, Latinos and other community members,” says Olivia. “We wouldn’t be in the space or position we’re in without the support of Invest Atlanta.”