Some entrepreneurs find their calling through market research or business school case studies. For DJ Valentina, the spark came from watching the women who raised her make themselves small to survive—mothers, grandmothers, and neighbors in her Cape Verde village who had dreams but lived in a world that offered them little room to grow.

Known globally as DJ Valentina, she doesn’t just set the mood—she is the mood. Whether curating magical atmospheres for luxury weddings, energizing celebrity soirées, or leading soul-healing retreats in Costa Rica, she creates transformative experiences that blend high fashion with high energy, purpose with passion, and divine calling with business savvy.

But beyond the turntables and glamorous events, Valentina carries a deeper mission rooted in her childhood observations of women who had to be content with what little society allowed them. Growing up as an island girl from a small West African village, she witnessed firsthand how women’s dreams were often sacrificed for duty, survival, and societal expectations.

When she came to the United States at an early age—while her dreams were still vivid—she experienced something revolutionary: being encouraged to dream, set goals, and reach for the stars. That contrast between limitation and possibility became the foundation for everything she would build.

Today, as the founder of Babes in Business Boston, Valentina has created more than just another networking organization. She’s built a community where women can dream boldly, build confidently, and rise together—a space that honors the potential she saw in those village women who never got the chance to fully express who they could be.

Her approach to entrepreneurship is as unique as her background: faith-driven, fiercely innovative, and unapologetically bold. She’s not just building a business; she’s building a legacy that feels like home and sounds like heaven—a bridge between the bold and the broken, the glamorous and the grounded.

In this conversation, Valentina shares how childhood observations of women’s constrained dreams became her entrepreneurial North Star, why she chose to invest in a franchise model to scale her vision, and how she’s created a sustainable membership community that transforms women’s lives while building lasting business value.

Q1: What inspired you to found Babes in Business Boston, and what were the main challenges you faced?

I’m an Island girl from a small village in West Africa—the Cape Verde Islands. Growing up in my country, I didn’t see too many women dreaming and reaching for the stars. Most were too busy raising children and simply surviving. I was blessed to come to the U.S. at an early age, while my dreams were still vivid. Here, I got to experience what it was like to be encouraged to dream, to set goals, and to reach for the stars.

My mother, her mother, and so many women from my community didn’t have that same freedom. Their lives were defined by duty—they were mothers, caregivers, and wives who had to be content with what little society allowed them. Watching them as a young girl—seeing them make themselves small in order to survive—lit a fire in me. I knew they were more than what they could express, more than what the world let them be.

That realization became my lifelong mission: to inspire and empower women to see that they are so much more than meets the eye. I want women to believe that they are capable of incredible things if they just imagine it and take a leap of faith. Babes in Business Boston was born from that passion—to create a space where women could dream boldly, build confidently, and rise together.

Q2: Did you start the venture alone?

Yes, I started the Boston chapter completely on my own. I made the decision to invest in the Babes in Business franchise because I believed in the power of community and connection. From the very beginning, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to build and why it mattered. I poured energy, intention, and heart into every detail—growing it from the ground up into a vibrant community where women support, collaborate, and celebrate one another.

Q3: What’s your business model, and how have you grown your revenue?

Babes in Business Boston operates on a membership model designed to create lasting value and connection for women entrepreneurs.

What it is:
A thriving community for women entrepreneurs who are seeking support, empowerment, and growth opportunities.

How it works:
Members pay either monthly or yearly for access to exclusive events, networking opportunities, mentorship, and curated business resources that help them grow personally and professionally.

This model has allowed the community to grow sustainably while providing ongoing resources and experiences that truly make a difference in women’s entrepreneurial journeys.