Loyola Marymount University writes about Chica Girl Magazine and Founder Toni Lee Jimenez

Toni Lee Jimenez (LMU '03)

 She Saw a Need and Captured a Market

Life’s answers usually don’t stare us in face, but Toni Lee Jimenez (LMU 2003) got lucky. After spending hundreds of hours conducting research and searching her heart, trying to discover which path she wanted to take, Toni was shocked when she got her answer at the grocery store. Her initial desire to open a night club in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas, evaporated as she suddenly realized that the world of magazine publishing had a niche that she was in a unique position to fill.

“After doing all this research and perfecting my business plan for a night club, I learned about Hispanics and their spending power… most of which was at the grocery store,” Toni said. “You have to stand next to the magazines while checking and I couldn’t see any items for the Latin market that didn’t have Jennifer Lopez or Jessica Alba. I quickly realized that there was a void in the publishing world for younger Latinas. I decided to fill that void with something positive that was specifically designed for those younger girls.”

Toni had business and political experience but no real exposure to the magazine world. She, however, wasn’t deterred. Toni knew what influenced her growing up and knew that she could help make difference by promoting education, self-esteem, empowerment and inner-beauty for Latina girls in that awkward phase of life. Plans fells into place and were moving along without any hiccups. With momentum on the rise, Toni planned to launch LaTEENa Girls magazine in December 2006 but suddenly found herself embroiled in a lawsuit with LMV (Latina Media Ventures, owners of Latina Magazine ). Toni was shocked to discover she was being sued for copyright infringement over the name of her magazine.

She fought back and the press soon dubbed the lawsuit David v. Goliath.

Amid the pressures and strain, Toni held on to her dream. The two outlets reached a settlement and despite her difficult foray into the publishing world with the newly-named Chica Girl magazine, Toni admitted the lawsuit was the best thing that could have happened.

“The lawsuit gave us lots of publicity so when were ready to launch, the buzz was already there,” she said. “Since then we’ve been able to run ads in their magazines and plant seeds of interest in the top Hispanic magazines in the country. What started out as a near disaster actually turned out to be a blessing.”

There were, of course, more challenges to come but by going exclusively digital Toni managed to escape the magazine and newspaper folding disasters that have hurt the publishing world. Chica Girl is an online publication with 3,700 registered visitors and 7,000 unique visitors. The site is completely interactive with video messages from Toni and writers. Some ads are interactive, and pages are turned with the click of a mouse. Toni also has been able to capitalize on the social networking aspects of the web; the magazine site therefore includes a comment section and private messaging for registered users.

But it’s not just the bells and whistles of the site that draw attention. Toni is concerned about the next generation of Latina girls and wants to make sure they get the most out of life. So while the magazine does cover issues such as clothes, embarrassing moments, and relationships, her main focus is articles with substance: empowering girls, inspiring them to become active in their community, and college preparation. In fact, in an effort to instill the importance of college, Chica Girl magazine has distributed $80,000 in scholarships over the past 18 months.

Toni also ensures that her magazine isn’t celebrity driven and reinforces the idea that ANY girl can be a cover girl. In fact, all the girls who grace the magazine cover are real girls, not models or aspiring actresses. Rather, they are Chica Girl readers and have a motivational or inspirational story to tell.

“Chica Girl is unique in the market and not like the other teen-oriented magazines because we encourage higher education,” Toni said. “Also, we’re not celebrity-driven. Only real girls are on the cover because our readers can identify with real girls.”

When she’s not writing or doing research for Chica Girl , Toni can most often be found promoting self-esteem and college preparation throughout the school systems in the San Antonio area as a motivational speaker. She maintains a large support system of parents, counselors and school administrators who appreciate her efforts and encourage their daughters and students to become regular Chica Girl readers.

There is still so much Toni wants to accomplish with Chica Girl magazine. She will continue keeping up with trends and promoting education and hopes to come up with more unique ideas to grow her viewer base, including translating the entire magazine for her Spanish speaking readers.

“It’s still in beginning and I want the magazine to grow. I know I can make a difference and give away more scholarships,” she said. “There are new and fresh ways of doing things and since there’s no book that gives you the steps of life, I found my passion and just went with it.”