El Manifiesto
I once heard someone say, “If you see someone like you do something, you can do it too.” That has always stuck with me because, all too often, it is easy for all of us to make excuses as to why something can’t be done.
“I’m not a U.S. citizen.”
“I’m a minority.”
“I can’t speak English properly.”
“I don’t have enough money.”
“I don’t have a degree.”
“I don’t have time.”
The list could go on and on. What most do not realize is how these excuses keep us from accomplishing our goals and dreams. I have realized this in my own life. So many reasons, so many excuses. Without a doubt, I know I want to spend my future career investing in Latino founders’ businesses and lives. But how do I get there? I’m still in school full-time, all while working as a retail sales consultant at Sprint. I’m not good enough and don’t know enough yet. I don’t have enough experience. I need to read more books first and learn everything I can. I need to watch one more episode of The Office on Netflix. Excuses, excuses, excuses. I have come to realize over the last six months that those are all just excuses holding me back from starting something great. You can’t get to your destination without starting your journey at a far-off beginning. So, this is my start: a blog.
My inspiration for starting this blog goes back to the 1980’s when my dad came to the United States from Mexico looking for a new life. He did not speak English, but that did not stop him from learning, getting a job, and starting a family. When I was young, I remember days where my dad would come home from work at 4:45pm only to shower, get dressed, and be at his next job by 6pm. I would usually be asleep by the time he got home at 11pm, unless it was the weekend when I would stay up wanting to see him come through the door after his fifteen-hour work day. The craziest part is that I never once heard my dad complain about working so long and so hard. Instead, he would tell us how much he loves and wants the best for us, reminding us that the sacrifices he made were for us. US! This has taught me to be incredibly grateful for the life I have. It could have been so different if my dad made excuses for himself. Thankfully, my dad was eventually promoted at his primary job and was able to quit his side job. He still works so hard to this very day. I get emotional, motivated, and invigorated when I think of the journey of my family, particularly my dad and his siblings. Their story is the fire in my stomach, the drive to invest in Latinos.
I aspire to be a venture capitalist that invests in Latino founders. A major problem is that VCs are not placing their investments in Latino founders, not to mention any diverse founders for that matter. A recent CNN article states that “of all the firms that received VC funding, 87% had white founders, according to report from CB Insights. Asian-owned firms ranked a distant second, at 12%, while Black-owned companies represented a tiny 1% sliver. CB Insights said it did not break out a figure for Latino-owned firms” (Link). There are many other contributing factors for the lack of VC funding in Latino founders that are highlighted in the article. The bottom line is that I do not want to see Latinos get left behind in finding and gaining success. There are companies that need to be and will be founded specifically by Hispanics.
My primary goal in starting this blog is to show Latinos that they can flourish in business. There are plenty of people that look just like you that are kicking ass; Latinos that know exactly how you feel, know the Hispanic culture, and know what it’s like being immigrants in a foreign country. People creating success for themselves by themselves. In this blog, I will be featuring the Latino business community as well as other diverse groups on the same journey through business. I’ll also be documenting my own journey into venture capital and what I learn along the way. This is my start to empower Latinos to pursue their dreams and goals by seeing someone that looks just like them be successful in business.
So, what’s your story?
