The term “start-up” is one we all have heard hundreds of times, but I have never been totally clear on what the term actually means. I know it refers to companies that are relatively new, but I also know that not every new company is considered a start-up. I decided to ask a few people from the venture capital space what their definition of a start-up is, and while there was no clear consensus, the best answer I got was “a start-up is an early-stage company with substantial growth potential that has not yet achieved scale or profitability”. Not all companies have substantial growth potential, and therefore not all new companies are considered start-ups. It is very hard for a company to achieve real scale organically, so start-ups also refer to early-stage companies that have attracted at least some outside investment capital. I bring this up because, over the next few years, I plan on immersing myself in the world of start-ups. Check this out…In the past few months, three companies led by Latinos have gone public: Torrid, Cano Health, and The Honest Company; now a fourth is about to go public: Duolingo. This has created billions in new wealth for their Latino founders, employees, and early investors.
Real estate and business ownership are the largest drivers of wealth in America and with NAHREP and L’ATTITUDE Ventures it is exciting for me to be in the middle of both. With interest rates low and the stock market strong, there is more capital than ever chasing the deals. If you are starting a small business to support you and your family, outside capital may not be the best choice for you, but if you have an idea that has the potential to change an industry, investment capital can give you the wherewithal to take your company to scale without the immediate pressure to turn a profit. What’s more, experienced investors not only provide financial resources, they help open doors and facilitate key relationships. Think about it…Having an investor who can call someone in the c-suite of Walmart or Google can propel your company into the stratosphere. These are some of the new disciplines that have evaded Latinos for far too long, but things are starting to change. Time to start thinking big!
A recent exchange about astronaut Victor Glover raised a bigger question that a lot of people are still wrestling with: if the goal is equality, why are we still talking about race at all? In this episode, I break down why that question still matters, why representation is still relevant in spaces where access has historically been limited, and why the real goal is not to ignore race too soon but to build a country where race truly no longer determines who gets seen, supported, or given the chance to rise. This is a conversation about merit, opportunity, and what it will actually take to get there.
I was watching a podcast recently, and something about it rubbed me the wrong way — but it also got my wheels turning. In this episode, I talk about what I love most about being American, why the system that built this country deserves more appreciation than it gets, and why some of the loudest “love it or leave it” voices go strangely quiet when powerful billionaires openly criticize the very system that made their success possible. This is a conversation about America, double standards, and what real patriotism should actually look like.
This April, the Hispanic Wealth Project is launching its High Net Worth Boot Camp, a 10-week intensive built around some of the most valuable wealth-building education I’ve seen. In this episode, I talk about why so many of us need to shift from a worker’s mentality to an owner’s mentality, why economic success has to move from consumption to wealth building, and why building wealth takes knowledge, work, and discipline. The High Net Worth Boot Camp is designed to help close that knowledge gap with modules on securities investing, real estate investments, buying and selling businesses, asset protection, and tax strategies. If building real wealth has ever felt out of reach or unclear, this is the kind of education that can change how we think and what we build.