A Cuban entrepreneur known on TikTok as Maire (@mairelysdelarosa6) posted a 43-second video on Wednesday in which she answers directly whether it is possible to start a business from Cuba, and her message has struck a chord with those who face the same limitations she describes daily.
"They asked me if it is possible to start a business from Cuba, and here I will give you my most sincere answer. Here, nobody teaches us how to do it, and there is certainly no guarantee of anything," Maire begins in the video, without any euphemisms or triumphalism.
Far from ignoring the difficulties, it places them at the center: the lack of training, the scarcity of resources, the absence of ideal conditions. But its argument revolves around what does exist: the will to resolve.
"What we never lack is the desire to turn everything around. I found a way without great resources, without major inventions, and certainly without waiting for ideal conditions," he states.
His most striking reflection targets those who wait for the right moment to take the first step: "If you wait for the perfect moment, you will wait forever. And not just here, but anywhere in the world."
For Maire, the restrictions of the Cuban environment are not just an obstacle, but also a forced school: "The limitations compel us to be creative, and although it hurts, it makes us better. Here we learn to solve and resolve; it's the most valuable skill there is."
The video concludes with a question that reframes the entire debate: "Yes, it is possible from Cuba, but the question is not whether it's possible, it's whether you dare."
Maire's message reflects a growing trend of Cuban entrepreneurs using TikTok to promote their businesses and share their experiences. In April of this year, another entrepreneur reported earnings of 30,000 pesos in a day she described as "quite slow" due to power outages, which is equivalent to about 57 dollars at the informal exchange rate. In May, a 16-year-old girl left school to start a manicure business and help support her family.
The context in which this type of content arises is that of a deeply troubled economy. According to data from the Cuban private sector collected by IPS Noticias, in 2025 more than 9,500 MiPyMEs were actively operating on the island, and the non-state sector already accounted for 35% of employment and over 55% of retail sales, surpassing the government for the first time in that indicator.
However, the obstacles are structural: blackouts that exceed 12 hours daily, a fuel shortage affecting 96% of small and medium enterprises, rampant inflation, and currency instability. To this, we add a regulatory framework that does not make things easier: this month, the regime reformed the trademark law with Decree-Law 103, setting a cost of 390 dollars to register a trademark, which is an additional burden for those trying to formalize their businesses.
In that scenario, Maire's video does not offer magical solutions or ignore the harshness of the environment. Instead, its proposal is both simpler and more demanding: to stop waiting and dare to act.
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