Gary Acosta is an entrepreneur, public policy advocate, investor, and thought leader passionate about advancing prosperity for Latinos and other underserved communities. As an industry leader, he protects and improves the business environment required to close the wealth gap, particularly via homeownership. Amongst other endeavors, he is Co-Founder & CEO of NAHREP, the country’s leading Hispanic business organization, and Co-Founder of L’ATTITUDE, the preeminent platform for Latino economic empowerment. Acosta is also a general partner of L’ATTITUDE Ventures, the nation’s largest venture capital fund exclusively focused on Latino-led start-ups. Join Gary as he dives into today’s issues through many creative formats.
I teach my kids that they can do anything if they put their minds to it and do the work. I also teach them that life isn’t always fair, but you can’t let that deter you. I think we all try to teach our kids the value of grit and hard work. For most people, success is about perseverance and overcoming obstacles.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve written about this in other iterations. I’ve talked about finding your rhythm, and the importance of letting things come to you, not forcing things, and then riding the momentum when you have the wind at your back. The point of it all is that success is not linear. Progress doesn’t follow a straight line. For most people, the journey is long and winding. It looks more like a stairway or a hockey stick.
For those of you that read my blog regularly, let me first say, thank you. The overwhelming comments I get from my blog are very positive and supportive. However, some of them make me feel like I have to periodically clarify what I do. As the CEO of NAHREP, I lead the largest Latino business organization in the country.
My son Aaron graduated today from Colorado College. He and his two sisters have four-year college degrees. Colorado College is expensive. Tuition at CC ranks among the most expensive in the nation. Inflation in the United States is the highest it’s been in 40 years, but college tuition inflation has been out of control for years.
The conversation all week has been about the Will Smith meltdown at the Academy Awards. Everyone has an opinion on whose fault it was. Some believe Chris Rock was at fault and admire Smith’s valor in defending his wife. Others like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar say that Smith not only debased himself, he validated some of the worst stereotypes that some people have of Black Americans.
There is a mindset theory that states when things are going well, people tend to think they will always go well. When we are in that state of mind, we tend to ignore bad news… even deny bad news. The reverse is also true. When things are not going well, we tend to think they will always go badly, and we ignore and deny good news.
Some of you may have heard the phrase “A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep”. I am sure this is true both literally and figuratively. Another way to put this is: Confident people don’t concern themselves with criticism that comes from small-minded people.
There has been a ton of research and debate about the subject of leadership. Thousands of books have been written and millions of dollars are spent each year on leadership training, and there is good reason for it. Leadership mastery is probably the most valuable skill set anyone in sports, business, or politics can possess.…
As business people, we are taught to find someone who is doing what we want to do and copy them. If our goal is to have a business that makes money, this is excellent advice. Why would you want to reinvent the wheel? However, if your goal is bigger than that, you have to think…
When we were kids, our daydreams were about grandiosity. I dreamed about being the world’s greatest athlete. Others dreamed about being famous singers, entrepreneurs, or movie stars. As we get older, our aspirations change, but for many of us, our desire to be special remains strong. That desire to be special is a positive in…
When people ask me what do I love most about my work as the leader of NAHREP, I always say it is the people who I’ve met along the way. Over a twenty-year span, I’ve met thousands of people. Now, with L’ATTITUDE, it seems like that number is increasing exponentially. Most have been amazing. NAHREP…
I would not call myself a social media expert, but like everyone, I have my preferences. The truth is most social media posts are boring as hell, and I think we all know why. For most people, social media isn’t about conversation anymore, it’s about vanity. Almost every post these days are about one of…
If you’re in business, you probably hear a lot about the importance of managing your relationships. Good sales professionals maintain a database of past customers and prospects, but I actually know only a handful of people who are truly exceptional at relationship management. Here are some tips on managing relationships that can help you business-wise and personally…
The coronavirus pandemic was the crisis of the 21st century. For those of us who were fortunate enough to emerge healthy should be asking: did we take advantage of the opportunity to pause, evaluate and reinvent ourselves? I have been working on it, and I have been asking my team to do the same. I’m…
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out of the NBA playoffs last week by the Phoenix Suns. As expected, the LeBron haters were in full force on social media calling him overrated and a fraud. At 36 years old, LeBron James has been in the NBA for more than half of his…
We purchased a Peloton just a few weeks before we all went into quarantine last March. I must admit I was skeptical. I walk and shoot hoops when I can, but I have never regularly used any sort of exercise machine. The technology is what first piqued my interest in a Peloton. The more I…
There has been a lot of conversation lately about whether college is still worth it. There are some notable people, like Elon Musk and Grant Cardone, who think that college is a waste of money. Coming from two successful entrepreneurs, that’s not a surprise. Musk believes that success in college may be a good indicator…
We all know great musicians have great rhythm, but I believe the concept of rhythm can be applied to a lot of things. Last week, I was watching my son go through a basketball shooting drill with a trainer up in LA. He was making most of his shots, but he didn’t look fluid. His…
Let’s face it, we all have a burning need to be liked and respected. We want people to think of us as smart and sophisticated. In fact, our need for admiration is so powerful it can drive almost everything we do. We want our kids, co-workers, friends and strangers all to think of us as…
