CHAPTER 8

Specialize and Become an Expert

Being unique and setting your own path in life and in business leads to unparalleled experience and expertise worthy of an entrepreneur.

This chapter will focus on helping you identify the area of specialty best suited for you and becoming the best at what you do. We have all heard the saying, it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond. That is the essence of finding a specialty or niche for your business. School will only teach us the very basics and general aspects of our chosen profession, and we all get, for the most part, the same experience and exposure to the craft. By focusing and channeling your energy on a specific aspect of or specialty within your chosen profession, you can more readily develop a more profound understanding of the intricacies involved. You can become an expert. You do not want to be a jack of all trades, but master of none. You want to find a need, within your chosen field, that is neglected or misunderstood that has potential if given the proper attention.

Becoming an expert will set you apart in your field and from your competition. It will allow you the opportunity to create a name and identity for yourself and provide credibility. There are clear-cut ways to become an expert. Next, you will find the eight steps that you need to take to become an expert:

The eight steps to becoming an expert
1	Gain valuable knowledge and experience
2	Identify an area of specialty
3	Find a mentor
4	Follow the experience, not the money
5	Never stop learning
6	Collaborate
7	Innovate
8	Surround yourself with successful people

Because I come from an engineering background and most of my experiences come from being a business founder, owner, and entrepreneur in the engineering profession, I do not consider myself qualified to speak on the specifics of the other professions. Even though all the concepts in this book transcend all professions, I wanted to provide you with a broad perspective. That is why, I have reached out to and interviewed successful entrepreneurs in 12 different professions and sought their opinion and advice so that I could relay it to you. Included in those 12 professions are two atypical professions, politics and philanthropy, both of which I feel can stem from any of the other professions and add a different perspective. I have also included a 13th piece from the perspective of an often forgotten individual in most entrepreneurial stories, the spouse or significant other, that quite often stands silently behind the entrepreneur, but most always plays an integral part in the story. I have carefully chosen these individuals not only because of their success, they are all successful, but for how they were able to take advantage of a unique specialty in their field or how they have demonstrated their passion and commitment and embody the qualities that fit the mold of a true entrepreneur. I have purposefully selected individuals who provide a wide range of backgrounds, including: medicine, law, engineering, architecture, accounting, business, construction, media relations, real estate, photography, politics, and philanthropy. I have asked my wife, Frances, to write a piece from the perspective of the significant other.

The way I went about it is that I submitted a list of four questions for them to answer (the 10 typical professions), and after I reviewed the answers, I communicated with them to try and draw up their unique story in order to create a narrative that would provide you with the best possible advice. I then asked different and more appropriate questions to the two atypical professions (politics and philanthropy) as well as for the significant other, to round out the chapter. What I found out after putting together their stories has validated what is written in this book. I am extremely appreciative to each one of them for their time and effort. The questions were:

What follows is a series of unique stories and advice from a broad spectrum of professions and personalities with wide-ranging levels of success, all of which embody what it means to be an entrepreneur. I hope you enjoy reading their stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

1. Medicine

Entrepreneur: Dr. Flor A. Mayoral

Company: Mayoral Dermatology

Specialty: Dermatology

Flor is a dermatologist. She embodies the meaning of true entrepreneurship. She started with nothing, followed her dreams, made sacrifices, took risks, found a specialty, founded her own firm, innovated, made a name for herself, became an expert, and created a legacy for her two daughters, who work side by side with her at her company. In the true spirit of entrepreneurship, she has passions outside of her business, shares her knowledge, and gives back to the community. She is an avid and accomplished photographer and a constant on the media circuit.

Flor was born in 1955 in Cuba to a family of bakers who emigrated to Miami in 1967. She is the oldest of three children. Her two siblings are Osvaldo Mayoral, a dentist, and Ana Margarita Mayoral, who ran La Rosa Bakery with her parents in Miami, FL, until she passed away from cancer in 2015. Her parents, Osvaldo and Mercedes Mayoral, are currently 92 and 85 years old, respectively, and continue to work every day. They always encouraged her to get an education. She has three children: a son, Andy, who is a CPA turned chef, and two daughters, Janelle Vega and Adriane Pompa, who both became dermatologists and practice side by side with her. She attended the University of Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology in 1976 and a medical degree in 1981. She did her postgraduate training at the University of Miami and specialized in dermatology. Flor started her practice about 35 years ago when she finished her residency as a dermatologist and cutaneous surgeon. Over the years, it has evolved into a practice that specializes is cosmetic procedures—for face and body. They are known for radiofrequency (RF) treatments for rejuvenation and currently have seven RF devices in the office. They are currently in the midst of performing three clinical studies: one with an existing filler and two with neurotoxins: a Phase 3 trial of a new product and a toxin dosing study. Flor’s accomplishments and contributions to her profession, over the past 35 years, are almost too many to mention. Some of the more notable ones include: working with numerous companies to evaluate their devices to help elucidate a better protocol for their use, lecturing on RF and fillers (both domestically and abroad), teaching her colleagues (both domestically and abroad) on injection techniques, serving as an adjunct professor at the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology (includes having visiting fellows, dermatologists, regularly visit her practice from all over the world), mentoring dermatologists (both domestically and abroad), volunteering as faculty member at the Jackson Memorial Hospital clinics, writing peer-reviewed articles and lecturing at meetings (both domestically and abroad), and serving on the Advisory Panel of Dermatologists for the Consumer Products Division of L’Oreal Paris, USA. Flor’s community involvement is notable and includes involvement and support of Urban Promise Miami (UPM) since 2010. UPM is a nonprofit organization started by her niece, Judge Kristy Nuñez, and her childhood friend Dr. Ana Ojeda, a psychologist. Their mission is to keep at-risk children off the streets by providing free after-school programs and summer camps. Their headquarters is located in Little Havana, Fl. Flor supports Bridge to Hope, on an annual basis, a nonprofit organization that helps families in crisis. Flor has also served on an advisory board for Florida International University’s Frost Museum for two years. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Coral Gables Art Cinema and of DORCAM (Doral Contemporary Art Museum), a nonprofit organization, where she, at times, helps to organize several exhibitions, free to the public.

Flor never really had the goal of becoming an entrepreneur, but she knew that she wanted to become successful in her field. She believes “Success happens when you are passionate, and you show up—consistently—without questioning how much effort or time it will take for you to get there.” She found herself, as a young dermatologist, in private practice and without the financial means to purchase a hair removal laser. She started renting lasers from a company once a week at the rate of 1,000 U.S. dollars for a half day, which included two to three lasers. She had trouble making the effort worthwhile due to canceled appointments or patients coming in with tans that made them ineligible for treatment. Therefore, she decided to buy one for herself. That decision made all the difference in the world. She now has 16 lasers in her office, and she has not looked back since.

The advice she would give an aspiring entrepreneur in her field is “perseverance and hard work are more likely to make you successful than intelligence or luck,” “never be afraid of change,” “solve problems, don’t create them.” She goes on to add “my goal has always been to treat patients like I would like to be treated (with respect and kindness) and to offer them the latest innovations in the field of dermatology.” She believes strongly that you should surround yourself with people who are happy and share your goals and to never be afraid to remove an employee who is unkind to a patient or co-worker. Her final piece of advice is to share your success with your employees by rewarding their performance.

Flor believes the areas of opportunities and innovation lie in the fields of body and facial contouring, fillers, skin tightening, fat removal, cosmeceuticals, lectures, clinical studies, and mentoring. She believes the field of dermatology “has evolved into a vibrant and ever-changing field with innovations at every turn.”

Flor believes that the best way to become an expert in her field is “if you find something you excel at within your field, align your practice goals so that you have the opportunity to perform the procedure more often. This will make you an expert in a specific area of your chosen profession, giving you greater credibility and a large pool of patients will seek your knowledge and advice.” She believes you should create your own “before and after” photos of the procedures you perform. She advises to become a trainer to your colleagues in techniques that you excel at and lecture at national or local dermatologic society meetings as well as to participate in skin cancer screenings at your local hospital. She advises that you should let people know who you are by displaying your diplomas prominently in a public area of your office. She advises to “say yes to every radio or TV speaking engagement—even if you hate getting up early in the morning and driving across town.” She says, “people think you know more when you are on TV.” She advises however, to take some media training courses before embarking on the sharing of your knowledge on a public platform. She says, doing so “will teach you to stay on message, to be concise, and to deliver key phrases….” She also advocates to be active on social media, which “offers unending opportunities to reach out to an even greater audience.” She continues to say, “make sure every accomplishment worthy of announcing is put on social media.” She concludes “now a days, if it’s not on social media—it didn’t happen…”

2. Law

Entrepreneur: Anthony M. Lopez

Company: Marin, Eljaiek, Lopez & Martinez. P.L. d/b/a Your Insurance Attorney ™

Specialty: Plaintiff’s insurance litigation

Anthony is an attorney specializing in plaintiff’s insurance litigation. He exemplifies what it means to find a specialty, work smart, and become the best. His passion for his work and his clients shines clearly through his personality. He has built an identity and name for himself in his field and is ever present on social media and TV. Not only is he a successful attorney, he is also an accomplished pilot.

Anthony was born in Miami, FL. He is married to his wife, Dr. Nicole Martin, and has a newly born son named Greyson. He came from humble beginnings. He was raised by a single working mother who did everything in her power to provide for him and his sister, Marilyn. He put himself through college and law school, earning a bachelor’s in business information systems from Florida International University and graduating from St. Thomas University School of Law while working full time. He now owns one of Florida’s largest plaintiff insurance litigation law firms with revenue exceeding 20-million U.S. dollars. Anthony started his law firm in 2006 with five people, which has grown to over 120 employees and occupies 30,000 sq. ft. of office space. Anthony’s firm has successfully tried insurance cases all over the State of Florida, and they pride themselves on achieving a consistent winning record. His firm is actively involved with Kristi House Children’s Advocacy Center, a not-for-profit committed to protecting and safeguarding abused children.

Anthony never set out to be an entrepreneur. He says it was “a function of circumstance and analyzing time versus money.” He realized and stated that “working for someone else capped my ability to generate money while still working the same amount of time” He adds “As the owner of my own law firm my revenue is never capped by a function of time, but rather on the amount of business I can generate, and the results obtained from that business.”

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in his field is “Do not chase money. Chase an area of the law that you are passionate about and the money will follow.” Anthony believes that aspiring entrepreneurs should “focus on practicing in an area of the law that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning and go to work.” He adds “I am passionate about helping people [to] not get taken advantage of by big business. The old adage of David versus Goliath has always inspired me.” He continues by saying “this is what drove me to representing people against their insurance companies. The insurance industry is built on huge companies trying to take advantage of the little [people] by not paying valid claims and forcing [the] policyholder to either fight or walk away with nothing.” He concludes by saying “I like the fact that I don’t make a dollar unless I win the case. My clients and I are aligned from the outset with one goal, to win.”

Anthony believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in the law lie in the taking advantage of technology. He states that “one of the reasons that my law firm is successful is because we innovate. The landscape for generating business in the law industry has changed immensely over the last decade and technology plays an integral part in how we generate clients.” He adds “we leverage social media, television, YouTube and many other creative mediums to bring in business.” He goes on to add that “Every area of the law has the potential to be specialized in and focused on. I truly believe that if you focus on one particular area of the law that you love, and hone your skills in that particular area to be the best, you will find success, or rather, it will find you.”

Anthony believes that the best way to become an expert in his field is through “experience and constantly trying cases.” He also adds that “No matter what you do in life you will find essentially two types of people: leaders and followers.” He states that “If you want to build a name for yourself you have to lead the pack and the best way to do this is to be the best or create a new way of doing things.” He continues by saying “If you are content on working the same way as everyone else you better be content with a mediocre career.” He advises to “Wake up early and go to bed late studying and spend the waking hours honing your craft. Take on the tough cases that no one wants and figure out a way to win for your clients.” He concludes his advice by saying “Do not become complacent with each success. Keep at it. Trail blazers are remembered because they took a chance where no one else would or thought to take a chance.”

3. Engineering

Entrepreneur: Anthony Fasano, P.E.

Company: Engineering Management Institute

Specialty: Executive coach and trainer for engineers and technical professionals

Anthony is a licensed professional engineer who practiced civil engineering. He has a passion for and excels at the soft skills required to be successful when working in a professional engineering environment. He had that entrepreneurial spirit and mindset early on in his career. He has managed, despite negative feedback from peers, to channel that passion into creating a niche focused on helping engineers become better managers and leaders. He planned to do this by building an executive coaching and training firm for engineers, even though many felt there was no demand. To date, EMI is one of the go-to training organizations for engineers worldwide, and Anthony continues to be passionate about helping engineers and technical professionals obtain the tools necessary for success.

Anthony was born in 1978 in Suffern, New York, a suburb of New York City. He has two younger brothers Christopher and Michael. He is married to his wife, Jill, who is also a civil engineer, and they have three kids, Brianna, AJ, and Penelope. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Lafayette College and his Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Columbia University. He started working as a civil engineering in 2000. In 2013, Anthony decided to start his first podcast to help grow his coaching and training company for engineers. People told him engineers would never listen to a career-related podcast. Four years later, that podcast, The Engineering Career Coach, has been downloaded over 2 million times and was cited by Forbes as one of the top 15 most inspiring for professionals in 2017. Today, Anthony is building the Engineering Management Institute, a global coaching and training firm that helps engineering companies develop leaders. Anthony has gone on to start and grow five niche podcasts, including The Italian American Podcast (which has featured guests like Mike Piazza and Franco Harris) and helped him to find living relatives in Italy. He has also sold a podcast for six figures to a biotech company. He is the author of several books including Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating and Extraordinary Engineering Career and The Content Marketing Equation: Start or Grow Your Online Business Using the Power of Blogging Podcasting and Content Creation. Fasano has also coauthored a series of children’s books with his 11-year-old daughter titled Purpee the Purple Dragon. They have delivered hundreds of books to pediatric cancer centers around the world. He also speaks regularly at elementary schools on the subject of engineering.

Anthony became an entrepreneur after he practiced as an engineer for some time and realized that “successful engineers have great soft skills, they can communicate they can network, they can delegate effectively.” Once he decided to develop those skills for himself, his career took off, and he was promoted and asked to train other engineers at his firm on these skill sets. That is when he realized that this was a major problem in engineering. He figured, if there were so many people in his company who struggled with these soft skills, how much demand and need must there be across the country for training engineers to develop these skills? That is when he decided to get his coaching certificate, go through the training, quit his job, a safe job with a good salary, and build his firm and travel the county with the purpose of helping engineers become leaders. He has been doing that ever since. He advises that, “You have to find a need that’s out there, that matches something that you’re good at, where you can deliver value, and then put the two together.”

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in engineering is that, “You have to go into any profession or any business venture under the approach or perspective or mindset of it’s going to be a long haul, it’s going to be a long run and you need to do the fundamental things right consistently every day to build a business and to bring a vision to reality.” He goes on to say that, “Entrepreneurship, while it has it’s exciting moments, also has moments that are monotonous, you have to constantly and consistently make sales calls, deliver your services at high quality, and have processes and systems in place in your business to ensure quality control to make sure you are meeting your clients expectations.” He concludes that, “It’s all about fundamentals and being consistent, and if you do that, you will be setting yourself up for success.”

Anthony believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in engineering, more specifically, the coaching and training aspect of engineering, lie in doing “a better job of creating training that transfers…how do training participants actually transfer the lessons learned back to the job?” Especially when one has a very hectic work schedule. At his current firm, Engineering Management Institute, he has developed techniques to do this by creating frameworks in the training and by giving the trainees small assignments and sending them reinforcement videos to drive the information into the psyche. Otherwise he says, people will participate in the training sessions, but not actually retain anything.

Anthony believes that the best way to become an expert is to, “Pick a topic in your field where there is opportunity and focus on it, but you first need to understand and practice it. You then need to write and speak to build your expertise.” He advises to write articles, speak at conferences, and perform interviews related to the subject matter. He summarizes that, “The best way to be an expert is to pick a topic, focus on it, learn everything about it, practice it, then once you’ve done that, write and speak on it as much as you can.”

4. Architecture

Entrepreneur: Daphne Gurri

Company: Gurri Matute, PA

Specialty: Aviation, education, civic and federal, and health care design

Daphne is an award-winning architect who was born to lead. She has always had the entrepreneurial spirit and passion. Although the reason for starting her firm was to be able to see her own unique designs being constructed, over the years, Daphne has evolved to love being an entrepreneur as much as being an architect.

Daphne was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is married to her husband, Jose. They have 3 children—Isabella (25), Ignacio (23), and Eva (14). Her family moved to Miami when she was only three months old, where they have lived ever since. Even while she was in middle school, Daphne’s first passion was ballet, followed closely by painting, drawing, ceramics, and weaving. While studying in Miami Dade College as a freshman student, she changed her major from art to architecture, still unsure that this path was the right one. She ultimately earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami in 1988 and a Master of Science and Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in 1992. Following the recession in the early 1990s and inconsistent job opportunities, she decided to open her own private practice as a sole proprietor—Daphne I Gurri, AIA. Her husband, Jose G Matute, also an architect, joined the firm in 1999, which prompted the firm’s name change to Gurri Matute PA. They have had their private practice for 24 years, which specializes in the areas of aviation, education, civic or federal, and health care projects. Some of her accomplishments include being awarded “Young Architect of the Year” in 2000 by the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, “Best Overall Architectural Design for a Custom Residence” in 2008 from the Builders Association of South Florida, and “Outstanding Achievement as a Woman-Owned Business and Overall Civic and Community Involvement” in 2012 by Women Extraordinaire, to name a few. Daphne is also highly active in the community. Currently, she is the 2020 President of the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and past Post-President to the South Florida’s Post for the Society of American Military Engineers. She was the founder of STEAM Speaks, a program she created over five years ago to encourage young students to explore career paths in architecture, engineering, and construction using Minecraft and Legos.

Daphne has never been a follower. As she puts it, “some of us feel that we do not belong in a place, whether it is in a corporate world or if it’s following directions from others.” She goes on the say that “some of us feel compelled to lead and usually those people possess the characteristics needed to be an entrepreneur. Those characteristics often include being a risk-tasker, having a strong will, making bold decisions, and following his/her heart.” She concludes by saying that “building a business from scratch is an extremely bold decision and takes a lot of persistence and courage. I can say I used those attributes to build my business.” Many of the challenges that she faced while starting her firm in 1996 were, as she puts it, “the lack of steady income, lack of clients, lack of business knowledge and lack of time to both design and at the same time, be an effective business owner.” She goes on to add “One strategy that I implemented was simultaneously serving as an Adjunct Professor of architectural design at Florida International University School of Architecture which I did over 8 years to not only have additional income for my family, but also to stay engaged in architectural design by teaching others.” She admits that “the lack of business knowledge was a critical setback as an entrepreneur.” Another strategy she did to overcome her lack of knowledge in accounting was to take business classes at Miami Dade College after she had already been practicing for more than 15 years. She states that “The added knowledge I received from this, and my drive to succeed, have been the reason why I have succeeded in growing my firm from a one person office to a mid-sized firm with 15 employees.” However, as she recounts, “my love of being an entrepreneur was not immediate and was accompanied by many obstacles and challenges in a field that is highly competitive and realizes fairly thin profits even during a good economy.”

The advice she would give an aspiring entrepreneur in her field is to “find out what your true passion is and the why you are doing what you are doing.” She says that “answering that question will make it easier for people to follow your vision and that includes potential clients, and employees.” She adds that “aside from that, in order to be successful as an entrepreneur you need to have good finances…” She continues by saying that “in order to start a business, it is really advisable that you have a business plan and some capital. I will say to save up at least a year’s worth of salaries and living expenses for yourself.” Speaking from personal experience, she estimates that “it will take at least two years or maybe even longer for a startup business to start generating a stable income.” She emphasizes that “this is especially true when you are in a field that offers Architecture/Engineering/construction services which are based on a per project basis, unlike accountants who receive recurring income year after year from their clients.” She concludes by saying that “another alternative is to seek some kind of a recurring income that provides a steady monthly income to the business, sometimes it is a little hard to get but it sure helps paying the bills.”

Daphne believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in architecture, engineering, and construction, “lie in the use of robotics in accelerating the process of how we build.” She adds, “I think this is one of the areas where our industry really falls behind. We are still building one area at a time, and one element at a time, and I think that the area of robotics and advanced software will help accelerate that process.”

Daphne believes that if you want to become an expert in the field of architecture “you really need to make a mark for yourself.” She adds that “It is also important to have some kind of specialization.” She goes on to advise that “if you are becoming an Architect, pick an area that you really enjoy working in whether that is healthcare or historic preservation work … and so on. Once you find your niche, become an expert in that area.” She adds “the second thing will be branding. Branding can be best described as how people see and talk about you. It is important to pay attention to the quality of your work, and the promises to your client/ customer.” She concludes by saying that “an effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.”

5. Accounting

Entrepreneur: Philip Shechter

Company: Shechter & Associates

Specialty: CPA and forensic accounting

Philip is a forensic accountant specializing in litigation advisory services. He is a tireless worker with an impeccable work ethic and is extremely dedicated to his craft. He learned his work ethic from his father and has tried to pass it along to his kids. Philip has paid his dues, worked hard, and has reaped the rewards of his hard work and dedication through entrepreneurship.

Philip was born in Miami, Florida. He has four children. A daughter named Jennifer, a CPA and partner in his firm; a son named Matthew, who works with him and Jennifer; Jesse, a doctor, who is a resident working in a Hospital associated with Harvard University; and his youngest son, Kevin, who is graduating Eckerd college with a bachelor’s in business and is soon to join the family CPA business. Philip attended the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in accounting in 1982. Philip began working with his father, who had a small CPA firm on Miami Beach, three days after he graduated from college. In those days, CPA firms did everything, so he was originally trained in tax, audits, bookkeeping, and accounting. Philip became a partner at his father’s firm eight years after he started working for him. The firm added partners and merged throughout the years. In 2018, Philip finally decided to create his own firm with his daughter and has added his two sons to the family business. He has 38 years of experience in audit, tax consulting, litigation support, and business valuation services. Philip and his daughter and sons offer traditional accounting and tax services at Shechter & Associates, LLP. Philip also oversees the firm’s litigation support business and business valuation services through an affiliated firm, Shechter & Everett, LLP, where he and Michael Everett practice. Philip and Michael have practiced together providing litigation support services for over 20 years. Philip has been involved with over 8,000 litigation matters, has been qualified as an expert, and has provided expert testimony more than 2,000 times in state and federal courts related to commercial litigation and family law engagements. He also serves as a neutral CPA or mediator in divorce matters. His groundbreaking work in this area has been documented in the AICPA’s Journal of Accountancy. Philip was recognized as one of the “Top CPA’s and Financial Professionals” by the South Florida Legal Guide from 2005 to 2019. His firm provides pro bono services to protect the rights of mothers and fathers and their children.

Philip was destined to be an entrepreneur. He quips that “I was an entrepreneur when I was first born.” He explains that his dad was a CPA and an entrepreneur. His first exposure to entrepreneurship was growing up watching his dad, as he puts it, “meet clients, sell to clients, market to clients, gain friends, market to friends, making friends become clients, making clients become friends.” It was that hands-on training with his father that prepared him for entrepreneurship at a young age. He has attempted to transfer that same mindset to his kids. He goes on to add that “my daughter and sons are working with me and I am hoping the same training will work for them.” However, he cautions that “millennials are much harder to train than baby boomers or traditionalists,” and he advises that it “just takes more time for them to accept anything told to them by a baby boomer unless they can read it on the Internet.” He jokes that “sometimes I feel like posting things on the Internet and then finding a way for the millennials I am training to read it.”

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in his field is “you have to pay the dues. There is no easy way to get the experience in this industry,” and “you have to be at the right place and the right time.” He tells his story of how he happened upon his now specialty of litigation support expert as such “I had no idea I would become a litigation support expert. Over 25 years ago a client going through a divorce asked me for assistance and before I knew it, I had testified over 2,000 times and handled over 8,000 cases.” He goes on to say that “the litigation practice is over a 5 million dollar a year practice.” He continues his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs by stressing to them to “learn everything you can from those training you. Be a sponge. Don’t say no to any assignment regardless of whether you see a future in the work being assigned. Be courteous, smart, and responsive and wait for your door to open. It will open and you will find your path.” He concludes by adding “you don’t need to start out with a path. You should just start out learning, being friendly, supportive and the door will magically open. It might take a day, a year, 10 years… but your door will open, and you will figure out your path.”

Philip believes the areas of opportunities and innovation lie in changing with the times and specializing. He believes that the CPA profession is changing and goes on to say that the CPA profession “used to be to help people with their books and records, prepare tax returns and audit financials. Now it is advisory, advisory, advisory.” He adds that “computers have eliminated the preparing of books and records. Computers have reduced the complexity of filing tax returns. Computers have made auditing more IT involved, and less people involved.” He concludes by saying that “CPAs have now become ‘financial advisors’, they assist with litigation issues, they assist with selling businesses, buying businesses, tax planning and assisting an owner of a business as to how to run their business more efficiently.” He adds that “the role of CPA has changed and will continue to change. It has become highly specialized.” He continues to say that “a tax advisor is different than an auditor which is different than a business advisor.” He says that “CPAs used to get a BS degree and went out into the world as a generalist. Now a CPA needs a master’s degree, at a minimum, then needs to get certifications in an area of specialty and there is no longer the concept of a generalist.” Philip believes that technology is the future of the CPAs. As he states it, “all millennials seem to be versed in technology. Having and embracing IT technology is the core training. Once that is accomplished, then advising becomes the key.” He says that “in order to be an advisor it takes patience and learning. Learning by finding a mentor and taking their experience and making it become your experience.” Philip recounts that “as a young CPA, I would watch my father, listen and absorb the interactions between my father and his clients. Watching and absorbing for years. Then taking that approach and mimicking it and making it my way of dealing with clients.” Philip believes this method of learning and training has not changed. As he puts it, “just the tools have changed, and the topics to advise on have moved from compliance-oriented tax and auditing to advising.”

Philip believes that the best way to become an expert in his field is “experience, experience, experience.” He recommends to “work for someone who is well rounded and handles many different types of forensic accounting assignments.” He adds that “the field is very diverse and getting a good background of the types of forensic accounting assignments will allow you to decide what type of forensic accounting you want to do.” He continues to say that “forensic accountants need to have a diverse background to be able to testify in court. So, preparing tax returns (working in a tax department) preparing audits (working in an audit department) would provide detailed background to be a better testifying witness.”

6. Business

Entrepreneur: Jaime Mitrani

Company: Giardino Salads

Specialty: Casual fast-food industry

Jaime is a casual fast-food business franchise owner who started his career as an attorney. He was never attracted to the conventional career path nor to the daily grind associated with working for someone else. He figured out, early on, that the right path for him was entrepreneurship, and he managed, during his two years working in law, to accumulate the necessary knowledge and funding to make that dream a reality. He did his research, planned well, and did not wait long for his opportunity. When the right opportunity presented itself, he pounced. He was born to be an entrepreneur.

Jaime was born in Miami, FL. He is married to his wife, Dana, and has two beautiful kids, Lani and Jacob. He studied architecture in high school and thoroughly enjoyed it, but quickly realized that his life as an architect would be a grind, so instead, in 2002, he decided to attend the University of Florida and major in business finance with a minor in entrepreneurship for what he thought to be “a quicker and easier path to success with more life freedom.” After college, he applied to law school because, as he recalls, “I always said I wanted to be a lawyer,” even though he had not ever really experienced the practice of law. In 2006, he attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Always with one eye on entrepreneurship, he focused his classes on business law-related topics. As he had felt about the study of architecture, he also felt about the study of law… he thoroughly enjoyed it. However, also like he had felt with his vision of his life as an architect, it was during a summer associate position at a very large international law firm that he soon discovered that the practice of law and his vision of his life as a lawyer would also not provide him the freedom he was seeking. As he put it, “I learned that unlike in business, in law there were no shortcuts or fast passes to success, and long hours and long years would be required.” Nonetheless, after law school, he was offered and accepted a position to work as an associate attorney at a law firm. Thus, he would begin his career as an attorney. As fate would have it, due to the market crash in 2008, the position at his firm was deferred for six months. Instead, during the six months when his position was deferred, his firm set him up with a part-time corporate law position at an electronics retailer. This afforded him his first taste of the business world. While there he got to experience the intersect between law and business, he quickly realized that he enjoyed the business side of the practice much more. This revelation notwithstanding, in 2010, when his deferment had ended, he officially began his career as a lawyer in the practice of financial services, international business, health care, and entertainment law. It did not take him long to realized that law was not the field for him; in fact, as he puts it “on my first day after a full day of orientation, I sat on the 33rd floor, in my cushy chair and office with spectacular views …and realized I needed to start planning my exit from this world.” During the next two years, he learned as much as he could about general business, contracts, and corporate law. He decided to research opportunities in casual fast-food franchises, as he had worked in restaurants in high school and college and had enjoyed the experiences. This is when he discovered a young franchise called Giardino Salads. He had managed to save enough money in the two years working at the law firm and decided to make the leap into franchise ownership. As he recalled, even though the people he worked with were incredible and collegial people “without a full leap of faith (quitting the firm completely), the possibility of still being in that same place for 20 years was scary enough to give me the final push I needed.” He quit his job on January 18, 2012, and six months later, along with a partner, he purchased his first Giardino Salads and managed to double sales within the first year. Today, he owns five stores and has acquired an ownership stake in the franchise entity, Giardino Enterprises, along with the founders. His goal is “to grow Giardino Salads into a powerhouse regional franchise.” Giardino is an employee-friendly organization that strives to help their employees find success within the organization and on to whatever endeavors or careers they may pursue. Jaime and Giardino are also heavily involved in the South Florida community, including charitable causes like the Live Like Bella foundation and the South Florida chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis foundation. They are also gearing up to become involved with local schools to teach kids about healthy meals and food.

Jaime always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur; it was in his blood. As he puts it, “ever since I can remember, I have been doing business.” As a five-year-old, he would sell baseball cards to the other neighborhood kids, usually for a loss, as he recalls. At age 10, he started a car wash business, and he got his first real job at age 14, mopping dried beer off the floor of a local pub and busing tables. During his years at college, he ran a marketing and promotions company, promoting events, night clubs, venues, and pool parties. He could not wait to leave his job as an attorney at an international law firm, despite the good money and nice office with a great view. As soon as he graduated law school and before he began his career as a lawyer, his mind was already set on entrepreneurship. It was only a matter of how and what to focus on. His goal of becoming an entrepreneur was finally realized in 2012 when, along with a partner, he purchased his first Giardino Salads, a casual fast-food franchise that sells “the best salads, wraps, grain bowls and soups.”

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in his field, starting with those trapped in conventional careers, as he was, is “watch out for jobs that take all of your time for money, in life, time is the most valuable resource we have.” He adds that “there is a way out.” He goes on to say that “it requires careful thought, planning and attempting to figure out what exactly you want to do with your life before you attempt to change your career path.” He cautions “beware ‘of’ the golden handcuffs: a nice house and a fancy car will not truly make you happy if you don’t enjoy your day to day work. It’s like riding in a limo to and from prison every day…not worth it.” He advises that “there is never the perfect time, so just pick a time and do it and go all in.” For entrepreneurs who wish to get in the franchise business, he adds “there are so many franchises out there. Many are fads, and will die within a few years, and they will take your large investment with them. Find a product or food that can withstand the test of time …a concept that is financially sound and provides a great return on investment, and that is simplicity and growth and technologically focused, so that your business can have a 10, 20 or even 30 year run.” He concludes that “you will never be great at something you don’t love to do, so the only way to do great work is to truly love and enjoy it.”

Jaime believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in the franchise business lie in “simple growth.” He states “make things easier from an operational standpoint, so that it is easier to grow. Innovation in my type of business is food-related and product related, but innovation also includes the delivery method of that food.” He cautions that “dine in and take out are being squeezed by technology and the desire for convenience…growth and adaptation is always needed, and ever evolving, and if you don’t evolve with it, you will fall behind.”

Jaime believes that the best way to become an expert in his field is to “immerse yourself in what you do, always try to be the best, spend the time, and learn, learn, learn. Always ask questions, find a mentor in your field, read industry publications.”

7. Construction

Entrepreneur: James “Jimmy” Tate

Company: Tate Capital Real Estate Solutions

Specialty: Real estate development

Jimmy is a real estate developer, among other things, whose expertise and specialty, as he puts it “is being able to find the common denominator (Basic Business Principles) in all businesses and then ascertain how best to apply those Basic Business Principles to all of our businesses in order to achieve success.” He is humble and approachable and has remained deeply passionate, despite his tremendous success.

Jimmy was born and raised in South Florida. He married his wife, Janie, in 1989. They have three daughters named Jordyn, Erin, and Megan. Jimmy earned a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Florida where he studied real estate analysis, urban economics, public finance, government regulation of business, economic and business statistics, and introduction to engineering. Jimmy has been an integral part of the multifaceted Tate family business for over 30 years. Jimmy cofounded, with his brother Kenny, Tate Development Corporation, which has developed, owned, and managed commercial, industrial, and luxury single- and multi-family properties. Jimmy is also the owner and principal of TKO-Evolution Apparel, a 90-million U.S. dollars a year apparel company that specializes in the manufacturing and importing of primarily men’s and women’s apparel under private labels for well-known national brands and retailers. Today, his apparel manufacturing firm does approximately (pre-COVID-19) 90 million U.S. dollars at wholesale a year. That equates to well over 200 million U.S. dollars a year at retail. In 2009, Tate Capital was formed for the purpose of acquiring distressed debt opportunities. Jimmy’s most recent venture was the acquisition of the Bahia Mar Resort, Hotel and Marina in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida. He is in the planning stage of its billion-dollar mixed-use redevelopment effort. They recently obtained a master site plan approval to develop a 1.75-billion U.S. dollars, 40-acre, master planned community, which will consist of approximately 1,000,000 sq. ft. of residential product, 165,000 sq. ft. of commercial and waterfront restaurant space, a 250 mega-yacht marina, a brand new 256-key luxury hotel, a marina village commercial area with retail and food and beverage, a ¾-mile long and 20 ft. wide boardwalk around the marina, and several acres of parks and other amenities throughout. Over the years, the various Tate companies have developed and constructed close to 100 properties, as well as owned, operated, and managed a real estate portfolio well in excess of one billion U.S. dollars. Jimmy has a strong sense of community. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Advisory Board of the North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Development Committee of Miami Country Day School. Over the years, he has also been a member of the Advisory Board of Lehrman Community Day School, the Florida International University Outreach Development Council Board, North Miami Mayor’s Economic Task Force Education Committee, Board of Directors for North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art, and President of Westview County Club, to name a few.

James was born to be an entrepreneur. As he states, “I have been blessed with an abundance of success. 1983—While in college at University of Florida, I was working at the Villa Del Ray Golf Course. I realized that the Pro Shop was selling a product that was not easy to get. The name of the product was Lacoste. I also knew that many discount sporting goods stores would love to have access to this product. So, I saw an opportunity in the market whereby I could buy the Lacoste product at wholesale through the Pro Shop’s buying office and then I would job (sell) the product all over town. I made approximately $10,000 that summer by doing this.” He continues, “1985-1986—I was working for my family’s real estate development company learning the development and construction business from my brother Kenny and my father Stanley. One afternoon during lunch, I was cashing my check in a bank called Sunrise Savings and Loan, who were actually banking our development. I was only 23 years old but very curious, very communicative, and very entrepreneurial. I don’t recall how or why, but I was in the bank president’s office striking up a conversation mainly about how I liked what I was doing, and so on. I explained that I enjoyed learning the business, but my aspirations where much bigger than just continuing down that path working for my brother and father. I explained how I wanted to branch out on my own while I was young and had no real expenses and only my own mouth to feed. During our meeting, he showed me a list of Real Estate Owned (REO) assets that the S&L had taken back through foreclosure. REO’s are real estate that the bank takes back from borrowers after they default on their mortgages through a process called foreclosure. In short, I identified 12 partially developed waterfront lots in Jacaranda, Plantation, FL (a high-end luxury master planned community) that I wanted to buy. My entrepreneurial spirit combined with my hunger, passion, and vision allowed me to visualize myself becoming a large developer in time. I met with my brother Kenny and told him that I no longer wanted to work for him and our father. I shared my idea of starting my own real estate business with Kenny, told him that I needed him to help me with the books and controls and that I would handle the construction, marketing and sales. I suggested that he remain with Dad since he was married and had kids at the time and I would head out and take the risk conditioned upon him watching over me from a financial perspective (back office, books and records, etc.). Neither of us had the money required to buy these lots and finish the job, so I asked Kenny to help me create a proforma (budget) and a cash flow analysis that we could present to our father for whom I was prepared to ask to lend us the money to acquire these lots. Our father was a tough and smart businessman but, long story short, he eventually leant us the money at 10 percent interest. Once I knew we had the money, Kenny told me to low ball the offer to the S&L to see how they responded. Great lesson I learned because they responded with the number that I was prepared to buy the lots for, but Kenny told me that they would not give me their best price after only one counter. Needless to say, we ended up buying those 12 lots at $30,000 each, which was 33 percent of the loan amount. I left my father’s business and Kenny and I started Tate Development Corporation ‘TDC’ in 1986.” He concludes his story on his introduction to entrepreneurship by noting that “over the next three years, TDC successfully developed a multifamily residential project in Delray Beach; bought and developed a 40 acre thirty-five ( 35) luxury single family home community in Davie with the average home price being over $500,000 each; developed and leased (and still own today) 100,000 sq. ft. commercial shopping center in Weston; built luxury single family homes in Boca Raton; bought a 33,000 sq. ft. warehouse and converted it into a refrigerated warehouse and leased the entire building to a large produce distributer; and, of course, completed the 12 lots and built luxury homes averaging over $450,000 each in Jacaranda Cove, which is what started all of this. Tate Development Corporation has since developed, owned and operated over $500,000,000 in real estate since inception.”

He begins his advice to aspiring entrepreneur with a quote from Sam Walton, “Capital is not scarce; vision is” and continues to say “hence, vision along with creativity, versatility, passion, hunger, confidence and a positive attitude are the characteristics that all successful entrepreneurs have in common.” He also likes to quote Vince Lombardi as he puts it when explaining the importance of hunger, as follows; ‘The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” He continues “I would also share with any aspiring entrepreneur that, in order to be successful, you must be clear with your vision. Set your goals both short term and long term. Determine the best path for you, as an individual, to accomplish these goals as all paths are not the same. There are many ways to get to the top of the mountain.” He cautions that “what worked for me may not work for someone else.” And, he advises to “create an easily understood mission statement so your support staff clearly understands your mission, your objectives and your approach.” He calls it the “Paint by Numbers” approach. He continues to say “keep it simple. Put together a good team (strong and loyal support staff) and get their buy in by offering them a piece of the action or good incentives so they feel like they are part of your vision. It is particularly important to have a quality, competent, hardworking, and diligent team that you can trust and count on.” He concludes his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs by adding “lastly, you must create a realistic budget and cash flow analysis so you know how much working capital is needed to sustain your business (vision) plan until you can break even. Plan for the unexpected and add on additional working capital for same.”

With respect to the areas of opportunities and innovation in construction and development, Jimmy states that “from time to time, each industry has its own imbalances and/or inefficiencies which rear their ugly head. It is in those same veins where opportunities exist and must be monetized through entrepreneurial innovation and creativity. It is therefore incumbent upon all business owners who possess the entrepreneurial spirit to foresee these imbalances and inefficiencies when they occur, identify the opportunities, and then professionally and proficiently act upon them.” He goes on to add, as an example, that “in 2005-2006 when the single family home real estate markets around the country were growing exponentially, we felt that the growth was due to easy money directly related to poor lending practices. The banks had figured out a way to offer fast and easy single-family home mortgages for individual homeowners. Then the banks would warehouse these mortgages until such time as a Wall Street firm would take them and bundle them with other similar mortgage portfolios, thereby mitigating the risk of the larger portfolio. The Wall Street firms would then obtain a credit rating from a nationally recognized credit rating firm, such as Moody’s, Fitch Ratings, and others, in an effort to increase the value of the Mortgage-Backed Securities. Then, Wall Street would sell these tranches of Mortgage-Backed Securities to the retail markets. These transactions were called Securitizations. The buyers were usually large financial institutions looking to get a good yield on their cash. Since each transaction generated big fees, everyone was making money and the best part for all the parties involved was that no one held the risk on their respective balance sheets for more than a month or two.” What Jimmy is describing has since come to be known as the “Great Recession” caused by the country’s housing crisis of the late 2000s. This is where Jimmy’s entrepreneurial instincts kicked in as he continues to say “the problem as we saw it was that the mortgage brokers (originators of these loans) were not paying attention to the most important aspect of any single-family home mortgage and that was the qualification of the borrowers and the quality/value of the assets. The mortgage brokers only cared about earning their fees. The banks that actually made the initial mortgages did not care because, as mentioned earlier, they sold off their risk within a month or two and they also made their fees. Unfortunately, there were no policies and procedures in place to justify most, if not all, of these single-family home loan approvals and subsequent closings. No one cared because they all made their fees, and everyone was getting rich.” He concludes his example by adding “we saw this as a major imbalance within the real estate market and, therefore, we saw it as an opportunity.” Jimmy and his brother, Kenny, studied this segment of the market, determined where the opportunity could be, and then moved in that direction. Jimmy then reached out to his close friend, Sergio Rok, discussed the opportunities they saw, and convinced him to join the team as a partner. Sure enough, what followed was the housing market collapse and by studying the market and understanding the forces at work and having the foresight to act, Jimmy, his brother, Kenny, as well as partners, Sergio Rok and Jorge Perez, were able to take advantage and make money when most people were losing money. Another interesting anecdote that Jimmy shared is how he and Jorge Perez teamed up during this time. He goes on to recount “another savvy real estate developer by the name of Jorge Perez also saw similar opportunities and he called me to set up a meeting. We discussed our approaches to this unique commercial market opportunity. I quickly realized that, with his infrastructure, available cash, and expertise, he could only make the Tate/Rok team stronger; so, we welcomed Jorge and his Related Group on board. The rest is history, we (Tate, Rok and Perez) successfully acquired approximately 25 different distressed debt opportunities. All but one of these acquisitions turned into fee ownership. The total value of the assets we acquired ended up being worth well over a billion dollars. Ninety percent (90 percent) of our acquisitions were institutional grade commercial assets all around the country. The average acquisition price was approximately 30 cents on the dollar. Once we owned the debt, we would successfully negotiate with the borrowers to release them from their personal guarantees on the debt. In return, they would assign their membership interests in their borrowing entities to us and then, at the right time, we would affect a friendly deed in lieu of foreclosure whereby we would take control and direct ownership of the underlying asset. We then did what we do best. We asset managed, created value and, when the market heated up, we monetized our investments by selling into a strong growing market. As luck would have it, the one distressed mortgage for which we paid $100 million but had not yet taken control of the fee was the Omni property in downtown Miami. Genting, a large multi-national billion-dollar gambling conglomerate, actually bought the B note and exercised their right to pay us off in full. The original note that we controlled was valued at approximately $162 million +/-, inclusive of accrued fees and penalties. A little luck never hurts!”

Jimmy believes that the best way to become an expert is “through trial and error.” He adds that “the more experience you have, the smarter you become.” He continues to advise “do not ever believe in get rich quick schemes. I am a research and data driven critical thinker. I listen to others and try to learn from their experiences because, at a young age, I realized that you are only as smart as your past experiences and, for most young professionals, you physically cannot have that many experiences simply as a function of age and time. Hence, the next best thing than your own experiences are the experiences of others in your field.” He concludes by saying “learn from people’s successes and, equally important, learn from other people’s failures. The least expensive failure you can have is someone else’s. As my father, Stanley Tate, used to tell me, ‘Jimmy, don’t let people know what you don’t know. G-d has blessed you with two ears and one mouth. Keep things in that proportion.’ In other words, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. The best lessons in life are free.”

8. Media Relations

Entrepreneur: George Haj

Company: Haj Media

Specialty: Media relations

George is a media relations specialist who spent more than 30 years as a newspaper editor. After leaving his latest employer in 2017, he thought long and hard about returning to the troubled field of newspapers, and instead, after much consideration and thought, he decided that he would take the knowledge and experience gained throughout his career and channel it into creating a boutique media relations firm. He took the leap into entrepreneurship. Like many in the same position, he was unsure of how his journey would go, but he took the leap nonetheless and has not looked back.

George was born in New Jersey and moved to Miami when he was five years old. He and his wife, Jenna, split their time between Miami and Houston. His son, Alex, lives north of Dallas. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Miami, and in 1999 to 2000, he was awarded a Knight Fellowship at Stanford University, where he studied international relations and business. He is the founder and president of Haj Media, a boutique media and marketing firm specializing in media strategy, crisis communications, and messaging for law firms, corporate clients, and nonprofits. He has written and spoken extensively on crisis communications and how companies of all sizes can navigate a fast-moving media environment. Before starting his own firm, he worked as a senior editor at the Miami Herald, Houston Chronicle, and ALM Media, parent company of legal publications such as American Lawyer. He was part of a Miami Herald team that won a Pulitzer Prize, directed work in Houston recognized as a Pulitzer finalist, and served on boards of numerous journalism organizations in Houston and around the nation.

George never really had the goal of becoming an entrepreneur. He explains it as “I’d love to say there was a grand plan but after leaving my last corporate position after 33 years in various newsrooms, I decided I didn’t want to rejoin a troubled news business,” so instead he decided to start his own firm. He goes on to say “I visited with everyone who would talk with me—friends, PR professionals, law firm leaders, CEOs, community leaders, and talked to them about their communications needs. Out of that came one client, then another, then a third and the work started growing.” His story is like many, in that if you are good at what you do, people (clients) will find you no matter where you are. He continues his start-up story by saying “after one year, my one-person shop became two and we just hired a third and brought on an intern.” He concludes by adding “There were no quick wins; work begat more work.” Today, starting his fourth year, he has doubled revenue every year.

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in his field is that “nothing beats excellent writing skills. Learn to write compelling copy, whether it’s for a web site, press release or internal communications. And invest the time to understand your client’s needs.” He adds that “You might have the best ideas in the world but if they are not aligned with the client’s needs and desires, you won’t be successful.” He concludes by saying “above all, be tenacious. Constantly network, constantly read and learn about your craft. Whether you have one client or 20, give each one the attention they deserve—and if you can’t, don’t take the business.”

George believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in media relations in working with law firms, corporate clients, and nonprofits lie in helping them effectively tell their stories. He explains that “much of that is still by ‘pitching’ stories to newspapers and TV stations for publication but now there are multiple avenues for firms to produce their own content and distribute them on a variety of channels, from their websites to Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and their own e-mail newsletters.” He continues to add that “as mainstream media outlets continue to contract, helping firms tell their own story through their own channels is going to be critical.”

George believes that the best way to become an expert in his field is to listen. He advises to “listen to other professionals who have come before you. Listen to your interns and young people in your organization about how they are communicating and how they are absorbing news and information. Listen to your clients to understand their business needs, not just their communications needs.” He concludes by saying that you should “be willing to endlessly experiment.”

9. Real Estate

Entrepreneur: Mario Avalos

Company: Kirilauscas & Associates

Specialty: Real estate agent

Mario is a real estate agent who has demonstrated resilience, perseverance, and determination. He embodies what it means to keep moving forward despite how many obstacles are placed in your way. He understands and displays unparalleled customer service and attention to detail and knows how to build trust with his clients.

Mario was born in Peru but was raised in Miami since the age of seven. He has been with his wife, Rosangela Kirilauscas, for 20 plus years and has three boys, Jake, Daniel, and Mateo, ages eight, five, and three, respectively. He attended Coral Gables high and graduated with, admittedly, a not so stellar GPA, putting him in a hole from the start. That was his first hurdle. He overcame that one and went on to graduate from Florida International University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in finance. He began his career as a business analyst for Cordis (Johnson and Johnson). Five years later, in 2006, he realized that he had chosen the wrong career path, so he resigned and started his career over from scratch. That became his second hurdle. He then decided to become a real estate investor and try his hand at flipping homes. Sadly, during what history now refers to as the Great Recession, that included a housing and market collapse, he lost everything and once again had to start his career over from scratch. That became is third hurdle. In 2009, he decided to become a real estate agent, and since then. he has had a successful career and has never looked back. The last 12 months have been one of his most successful of his career having represented 124 transactions, many with notable clients. Mario owns and manages 15 rental units. He purchased four residential lots in 2019, of which he built-out and sold one of the lots and planned to break ground on the other three later in 2020. His brokerage firm, of which his wife is the broker, is among the top real estate listing offices for foreclosed assets in Southeast Florida. They represent Coastland Construction, located in Pinecrest, in the sale of their new construction projects, including their upcoming Vista Lago complex consisting of 113 townhouses and 230 condos in Miami Gardens. Mario has been involved in the community as prior Rotarian for the Rotary Club of Dadeland and the Rotary Club of South Miami. He has supported numerous scholarships and volunteered for events benefiting low-income youth, including Host A Hero, an organization that fully funds veterans’ vacations, including their immediate family members.

Mario never really had the goal of becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship, in Mario’s case is exemplified by his mental toughness. He goes on to say: “I had a great upbringing with awesome parents. Had a fun life thru high school and college. I was a great employee at Cordis. I made great money flipping homes. And I had all the confidence in the world.” Then, reality hit him when the market crashed. Now he realizes that more so than the financial loss that he suffered, it was the mental injury that he was not prepared to deal with. He credits his wife, his self-awareness, and his faith for providing him with the strength to overcome the mental obstacles, as he puts it “in order to start making decisions to better our lives.”

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in his field is “to find 2 or 3 realtors to follow their everyday activities for several months. Observe what they do to generate money day in day out. And then determine if what you see motivates you to get into the business.” He adds that “according to the National Association of Realtors, failure rate in our industry is 87 percent within the first two years on being in business across the country.” He believes that the reason for this is a huge misunderstanding of the work needed to become successful. He admits that he wanted to quit the business every day during his first year. He acknowledges that he had a “foggy illusion of easy work, easy money.” After all, during the height of the market, it seemed to him that half the people he knew, and their family members, all had licenses. He continues to add that “the media, at the time, portrayed a great lifestyle and made it look so easy.”

Mario believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in real estate are “that of consolidating a very fragmented process.” He goes on to add that “when someone buys or sells a property, not only are there too many vendors or entities involved in the process, but they are also moving at different speeds and directions.” This, he says, “can create a lot of unnecessary and unpredictability in the outcome.” He concludes by saying, after providing a few examples, that “the opportunity of innovation lays on somehow consolidating where and how data is extracted at a cost low enough that no longer prevents vendors from performing their tasks without regard to sequence.”

Mario believes that the best way to become an expert in his field is to “invest money in your mind and surround yourself [with] people that are better than you in this trade.” He goes on to provide an example of how he was able to land a developer as a client by hiring consultants to help secure the project as well as to help him navigate problems as they came up. He understood his limitations and sought help. He also highly recommends focusing on converting leads, as opposed to generating leads. He admits that “at first, we were generating lots of leads with low ‘conversion’ rate. Now we generate less leads with higher conversion rate” As he explains, he was able to accomplish this by “learning what to say, how to say and when to say it when talking to prospects. In other words, we invested in our minds.”

10. Photography

Entrepreneur: Walter Aleman

Company: Walter Aleman Photography and Events

Specialty: Event photography

Walter is a specialty photographer. He focuses on wedding and event photography and videography. He started in photography using the traditional art of the dark room when it took a considerable investment of time simply to see how one image would turn out. He is the epitome of hard work and determination. He understands the meaning of paying your dues and earning your way, regardless of what it takes. He has demonstrated that he is willing to sacrifice to get to the next level.

Walter was born in Yonkers, New York, but was raised in the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens. He then moved to Miami to attend high school and college. He studied studio art and photography and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Florida Atlantic University. He also attended the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale to learn the business aspect of photography. He started his own photography business in 2015 after many years of paying his dues, oftentimes assisting other photographers, and shooting events for free to gain the experience and recognition necessary to go out on his own. In March of 2020, Walter’s firm received the 2020 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards, an accolade representing the top wedding professionals across the board in quality, service, responsiveness, and professionalism reviewed by couples on Wedding-Wire, an honor that has been bestowed on his firm for three years in a row. His firm also was bestowed the 2020 “Knot Best of Weddings” award at the Fourteenth Annual Best of Weddings Awards, honoring the top wedding vendors across America for the second year in a row. In 2020, only 5 percent of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals listed on the Knot received this distinguished award. Walter and his firm have also been very active in the community, having supported, volunteered and/or provided pro bono services for such causes as the Make a Wish Foundation, Best Buddies, Selfless Love Foundation, Cuban American Bar Association, Broward Public Library Foundation, The City Of North Lauderdale Recreation Foundation, to name a few.

Walter decided to become an entrepreneur after much hard work and sacrifice. As he recalls, “I reached out to the best 3 companies in South Florida that work on weddings. I told them I would work for free and was willing to learn.” Walter interned without pay for a full year before he charged for his services. He saved enough money, with jobs he had on the side, to buy his own gear. Once he had his own gear, he offered to work as a second photographer for those same companies. He did that for five years while he built up his experience and clientele base. He managed to develop a good following among his friends who promoted his services through word of mouth. He goes on to say that “my personality is what really sells; however, my work showed my passion for creating moments.” That is when he decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship. To this day, he collaborates, from time to time, with the same three companies with whom he got his start.

The advice he would give an aspiring entrepreneur in the photography industry is to “dream big, have a vision of what you want to do in photography.” He emphasizes the importance of taking a course on the business aspect of photography. He states, “Learning the business aspect of photography was the key factor in my success.” He goes on to say that “there is so much more to learn then just clicking the shutter.” He also highly recommends getting an internship. He says that you should “learn from others who have the experience…learning is always the key.” He concludes by saying that “everyone has their own style. You have to find yours. One must learn the ability to adapt and be resourceful in unexpected situations…look at the view finder with a creative eye… think imaginatively but also strategically.”

Walter believes the areas of opportunities and innovation in photography lie in having the “confidence to take on big, ambitious goals and take risks when shooting…being different than the other photographers.” He also believes it is innovative to share and collaborate with other photographers, instead of obsessively guarding your secrets and techniques. He believes his photography is an art form meant to be shared with anyone who wants to learn the craft.

Walter believes that the best way to become an expert in photography, regardless of the type or subject matter, is to “find your niche, then become amazing at it.” He continues that you should “do your homework. Look at what’s trending, see what other photographers are saying. Go to meetings, join photography organizations.” He reemphasizes the importance of finding a mentor and states that his mentor is still his best friend to this day and concludes that his mentor “is the reason I am the photographer I am.”

11. Politics

Entrepreneur: Juan Carlos (J.C.) Bermudez

Company: City of Doral

Specialty: Mayor

J.C. is the Mayor of the city of Doral located in South Florida. He is a man of his word. He got involved in politics not for fame, power, or wealth, but to help his family and his community. He has demonstrated his commitment to both in his time at office. It is rare these days to find a politician that not only keeps his word but truly cares deeply about his community and lets his actions do most of the talking. Not only did he effectively lead his city through its conception and incorporation in 2003, by acquiring and building new parks, schools and infrastructure, but he is currently knee-deep in the mist of passionately and tirelessly leading his city through the current medical and financial crisis caused by the epic global pandemic (COVID-19). In both instances, he has managed to give selflessly of himself to assist and improve his city and the lives of its residents along the way. For this reason, and many more, the city of Doral has recently decided to bestow the great honor of naming one of its high schools after him, The J.C. Bermudez Doral Senior High School.

J.C. was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. His family moved from Cuba to the United States in December of 1965 on one of the first “Freedom Flights” under the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Previously, his older brother had moved to the United States, alone, in 1962, soon after J.C. was born, through the Peter Pan Program, a clandestine program of the Archdiocese of Miami where children came to the United States with the help of the Catholic Church. He and his family left Cuba, like many others, because the Cuban Dictatorship had confiscated the personal property of its citizens and denied them the basic human rights required in an open society. J.C. grew up in Hialeah, Fl. He is married to his wife, Vivian, a special education teacher, and together they have three daughters (Eneida Marie, Elena Catherine, and Elisa Nicole). J.C. earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami and a law degree (Juris doctorate) from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He has practiced law in South Florida for over 30 years. In 2003, J.C. was elected the first ever Mayor of the then newly incorporated city of Doral, in South Florida. He served as mayor of the city for the first 9.5 years of its existence, through 2012. In 2016, he was re-elected by the residents of Doral and returned to office where he currently serves, once again, as the Mayor. J.C. is a past president (2010–2011) of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities, and throughout his tenure as a mayor, he has served as a Board Member of the Florida League of Cities, Florida League of Mayors, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors where he also chaired the International Affairs committee. Additionally, J.C. served on the Beacon Council Board and received the Good Government Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of commerce in 2009. He is currently a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board, the Florida league of Mayors Board, as well as the Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization Board. Under his leadership, the city of Doral added over 121 acres of playgrounds, ball fields, and recreational facilities while purchasing, through grants and funds, an additional 45 acres of parkland, all the while creating the new city’s infrastructure. During J.C.’s terms, the city has received numerous national accolades, including being chosen the Best City for Business Start Ups (Business Week), named #2 of America’s top 25 Towns to live well in for its cultural amenities, pro-business environment, and highly educated workforce (Forbes.com), named the third best place in the United States to retire (US News and World Report) and was ranked the 51st best in top 100 places to live and launch a business in the United States (CNNMoney.com). Most recently, the City of Doral was named the fastest growing city in Florida and 11th in the country by the Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center. Working with the Miami-Dade County School Board and local PTAs and PTOs, Doral was the only city in Miami-Dade County to have all of its public schools rated “A Schools” during J.C.’s tenure as the Mayor. J.C. currently works at SMGQ Law in Coral Gables, Florida, and practices in the area of business and corporate transactions, real estate, government and public policy law. Aside from all of his community involvement, as mayor of the city of Doral, J.C. is also personally involved in his community. He is a member of the University of Miami Citizens Board, The Doral Contemporary Art Museum (DORCAM), and is a founding member and part of the Parish Council at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Doral.

J.C. Believes that the areas and opportunities of innovation in politics lie in the areas of technology. He starts by saying “I think that public service is one of the most rewarding things that you can do.” He continues by adding “Having said that, technology has changed everything, from campaigning to how you serve your community and constituents.” He says that “The newer platforms are now needed to reach voters and residents.” Because, he adds, “Technology allows an elected official to keep his or her community informed in real time about decisions that affect them. This includes legislation, events and even emergencies such as impending hurricanes or the COVID-19 crisis.” He believes that “…Mayors, who are on the front lines, and the elected officials closest to the community, will need to really be able to use the different social media platforms to get their message out.” He cautions, however, that “At the same time, this can be a double-edged sword as people can publish anything they want without verification and the elected leader must and should be able to refute those untruths in all platforms.” J.C. also believes that the areas of greatest need, which can make the most immediate impact, if someone wants to get involved in politics, is to get involved at the local level. He believes that is the easiest way to impact people’s lives directly. He recommends to “…start on a city, town, village or even community board.” By either appointment or running for office. He cautions, however, that “The key is to get involved for the right reasons. If you believe you can make a change or help, then you should do it.” He adds, “Don’t do it to improve your business or to see your name on a ballot. Those are the wrong reasons.” J.C. believes that “…the reason for the involvement is as important as the involvement itself. If you truly believe that you can make a difference do it. Keep in mind that if you do it the right way it is very fulfilling.” He concludes his advice on getting involved in politics by saying “Very rarely can you impact things as dramatically as being a policy maker at whatever level you choose. I think that too many people today are dissuaded from being part of this process because of the bad reputation politics has gotten today. If done the right way, for the right reasons it can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life.”

J.C. believes that the best advice he can give an aspiring politician is “One should be a public servant if he or she believes they can bring about positive change for their community, keep an open ear to all and make the best decision possible for your community based on facts.” He warns, however, and adds that “One other thing is—have a thick skin. Being elected in today’s climate of unfounded information means that your life, and your families, will become an open book and your opponents, in general, will certainly use what they can against you, even anonymously on these new social media portals, when they can.” He concludes by saying “This is difficult for anyone and more so for your children, spouse and loved ones.” With respect to his advice on how to get started as a politician he says, “There really is no better way than being in the fray.” He continues “You can study political science, as I did, but the reality is that either working for an elected official or in government is the only other preparation.” He admits his was an unusual circumstance, and that “I took no course on being a person who as a mayor founded a city from scratch. I just had to work hard, analyze lots of material and make the best decisions possible.” With respect to entrepreneurs getting involved in politics, as a profession, J.C. states “I think that entrepreneurs should get involved in politics because real world experience is a great asset to have as a policy maker. Too many people go into politics without understanding that a government, like a business or a family, has to live within its means.” He continues by saying “Businesspeople, and entrepreneurs in particular, know what it is to be creative, to think out of the box, to be efficient and effective with money while focusing on productive and realistic goals.” He adds, “Thus, the business or entrepreneurship experience is an asset to any policy maker.” He concludes by saying that “My time running my own law practice before I was an elected official helped prepare me for handling budgets, a staff, making decisions, running meetings and advocating for my community amongst many other things.”

J.C.’s recollection and response to what has been his most fulfilling or rewarding experiences as a politician is to say “…there have been many, and some difficult moments, but the one that stands out the most is building a community, which we call a city, from scratch.” He adds that “There are many Mayors across America but very few who get to be the founding mayor and see a ‘place’ become a community.” He continues by saying that “When a young man, or woman, comes back to Doral after having gone away to school and reminds me of something I said in the middle school or high school graduation and how it impacted them and how proud they are of this city called Doral I feel great…” He concludes “…because it was not just a city we helped build but a community with a name and a culture that people can be proud of.”

J.C. never really intended to run for public office, nor did he ever aspire to get involved in politics. He admits that the real reason he got involved, politically, and ran for office is “…because there were no parks for my children, badly maintained roads, not enough schools etc.” He further states “I had never run for office or worked for government so I just did what anyone in democracy would do—I knocked on doors, met with neighbors and told them why I was running for Mayor!” As you can see from J.C.’s bio and accomplishments, while mayor of the city of Doral, he is a man of his word. He, along with his administration, created safe parks, good schools, and improved the city’s infrastructure. Because of that one decision, by one individual, the city of Doral has made incredible strides and has made a positive impact on so many people’s lives. Stories such as these are what should inspire individuals to get involved in politics, especially in the politically charged times we live in today.

12. Philanthropy

Entrepreneur: Ana VeigaMilton

Company: José Milton Foundation and United Property Management

Specialty: Giving back to the community

Ana has degrees in engineering and law and could achieve any goal and any measure of success in the corporate world if she so desired. However, instead of pursuing those careers to enrich herself further, she has instead decided to channel her efforts into giving back to the community and helping to enrich the lives of others. She has chosen to do this as a philanthropist, through her family’s charitable foundation, the José Milton Foundation. She is extremely smart, outgoing, and has a great heart. She embodies what it means to give back.

Ana was born in Cuba and emigrated to the United States with her parents as a baby. She is married to her husband, Cecil, and has three children, all young adults, Alec, Diana, and Eric. She is a proud graduate of the Miami-Dade County Public School system, attending Southwest Miami High, where she graduated as valedictorian. She earned both an engineering and a law degree from the University of Miami, attending under academic merit scholarships. After earning her engineering degree, she worked for BellSouth as a telecommunications engineer while pursuing her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Florida International University. After graduating from law school and passing the Florida Bar exam, she worked pro bono before becoming a full-time mom of three and dedicating herself to community service and philanthropy. She now serves as the president of the José Milton Foundation and as Corporate Social Responsibility Officer of United Property Management, the family real estate business. The José Milton Foundation was established by Ana’s father-in-law to support programs and organizations in South Florida that improve the quality of life and close the opportunity gap, with a special focus on education, research, and health care. The Milton family business, United Property Management, is one of the largest property owners and managers in South Florida, with almost 8,000 residential units and commercial real estate. She guides the philanthropic, volunteer, and engagement efforts for her family and her business associates. Her accomplishments and accolades in these endeavors are too many to mention, and her involvement in the community is unparalleled. Some of her more notable accomplishments include being honored by Big Brothers Big Sisters as a Miracle Maker in 2011, by Chapman Partnership in 2012, and by the American Cancer Society’s Inner Circle of Twelve in 2013. Ana received the Florida Blue Philanthropy Award at the American Red Cross Spectrum Luncheon and was a Plaza Health Network Foundation’s Women of Distinction & Caring honoree. She was also honored by Miami Women Who Rock in 2017, as well as with the Education Fund’s prestigious Sapoznik Insurance Public School Alumni Achievement Award in 2018. Most recently, Ana received the Mayor’s Community Spirit Award from the Parks Foundation’s In the Company of Women Awards. She was also proud to be inducted into the M-DCPS Alumni Hall of Fame and the UM College of Engineering presented Ana with the Dean’s Innovation Award. A sample of her community involvement consists of Emeritus Board member of Zoo Miami Foundation, Executive Board member of the United Way, Executive Board member of the Jackson Health Foundation, member of the Miracle Society of Big Brothers Big Sisters, member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle and Board, and most notably, she is a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees.

Ana believes that for someone wanting to give back and make an impact, the areas of greatest need are those that come “with the goal of improving the future.” She emphasizes and states that one should focus on “those related to closing or eliminating the opportunity gap.” She says that “through philanthropy, engagement, and mentoring, children of low socioeconomic standing and their families may access the tools that encourage learning & experimentation, promote a solid work ethic, and impart soft skills & socialization.” She adds that “mentoring can help instill a love of learning which is so important for growth beyond the adolescent and young adult years. Curiosity needs to be encouraged, but for learning to happen, basic needs must be met, which means addressing the family and the community—access to healthcare, healthy practices, stability at home.” She goes on to add that “for more immediate impact, scholarships for college students will allow academically talented students to pursue learning and experiences that lead to lucrative jobs and self-sufficiency.” She stresses that “I particularly like to encourage minority students to study STEM, especially tech fields like engineering, for opportunities at high-paying internships and careers.” She mentions that “scholarships for students entering accredited trade schools and certificate programs are also impactful as not every student can or should invest in a more formal college education. Qualified tradespeople are in high demand and help move society forward.”

Ana believes that entrepreneurs should get involved in giving back to the community and their profession because “being involved in one’s community makes good business sense and is a positive way to activate one’s brand on a broad scale while enjoying the feeling of contributing and helping others.” She states that by getting involved in community and with charitable organizations as well as your local university or college, public or private schools, and other nonprofit groups aiming at helping the community, “entrepreneurs can connect with new people—other business people, philanthropists, high net worth individuals, government officials—and get to know the needs of the community.” She stresses that “Millennials and Gen Z individuals, both consumers/clients and employees, demand social impact and look to connect with viable businesses that care about people, community, and the environment – the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. Therefore, having a brand associated with social impact, addressing local as well as global issues, may help attract and retain talent and clients/customers. Doing well by doing good!” She concludes that “connecting to the community in a way consistent with your business model and integrating social impact into the company’s values infuses the brand with meaning and depth.”

One of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences as a philanthropist, for Ana, has been involving her family in mentoring students who have been awarded the José Milton Foundation Advancing Minorities in STEM Scholarships. She says this “is very fulfilling as you see the positive, life-changing impact my family can have on a young person’s future. The Milton STEM Scholarships are awarded to underserved, talented students who graduate from the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. These students are on their way to a successful academic experience, but with the added support provided by the Milton STEM Scholarship, the students can focus on learning.” She is especially proud and recalls a moment when one STEM scholar texted her the following message: “Thank you so much for encouragement! It means a lot to know that people are excited for my success.” She concludes that “when scholarship dollars are combined with mentoring, the investment pays off dividends and the experience is extremely gratifying.”

Ana has always enjoyed being involved in her school and community, and as she puts it, “am driven to share my gratitude for the life and family I am so fortunate to have.” She states, “I am pragmatic and understand that we are all connected and need to collaborate, find strength in diversity, and cooperate to make our community better, encouraging every member to rise to his/her potential.” Ana started giving back in high school, raising money for school activities, and volunteering with community agencies. Once she had kids, she volunteered at their schools so as “to meet the parents and faculty and stay close to my own kids and their friends, all to create a community of support and friendship and improve the educational experience.” Her first experience with formal philanthropy started at the Zoo Miami Foundation, where she volunteered for a committee and eventually joined and chaired the board. She states that “board service is gratifying, builds leadership skills, affords professional development, and connected me to the community and an important economic driver and family/community builder as well as STEM-educator in my county. By leveraging my resources, both personal and through the family business, and connecting our associates and friends to Zoo Miami, I have exalted my brand as a force for conservation and education and have provided funds and friends to Zoo Miami while having a lot of fun along my journey.” She concludes that “as my brand and my friends grew, I was asked to participate in other programs and orgs that build community and help close the opportunity gap, and now I select where and when to invest time, talent, treasure, and my sphere of influence and connections to address societal problems I feel I can best impact.”

13. The Significant Other

Significant Other: Frances G. De La Guardia

Entrepreneurial Association: Wife of author or entrepreneur

Specialty: Supporter and advisor to an entrepreneur

Frances is the author’s or entrepreneur’s wife, and this piece may actually be the most important of all, as it comes from the perspective of the individual that more than likely, you have pledged your life to, for better or for worse. The importance of this often overlooked perspective cannot be overstated, and it hits home because it was not until I asked her to write this piece that I fully understood what she went through and how I could have done better. I hope that every aspiring entrepreneur reads this piece carefully and does a better job than I did in making their significant other feel a part of the dream and more fully engaged and informed. It is never too late to learn and grow from your mistakes.

Frances was born in Miami Beach, Florida, at St. Francis Hospital but raised in Hialeah, Florida. Her mother and father, Betty Diaz and Jose A. Fernandez, were Cuban immigrants who fled to Miami in 1961 from Communist Cuba. They were a young recently married couple, both only children, who had immigrated to the United States under the sponsorship of her father’s American-born aunt who lived in Key West, Florida. Both parents left their parents in Cuba when they fled to the United States. Frances has two sons, William and Nicholas. She attended Deerborne High School, a private school, in Coral Gables, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Miami and followed that with a law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law. Her first job as an attorney was for a pilot program where attorneys worked as law clerks for circuit court judges in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Broward County, Florida. Frances clerked for five circuit court judges during the two-year clerkship program. In 1990, she began her advocacy career as a litigation attorney at a mid-sized insurance defense firm in Miami. While practicing at that insurance defense firm, Frances developed and honed her litigation skills and conducted jury trials alongside the senior managing partner. During her three years at that litigation firm, she began her appellate advocacy practice and fell in love with the practice of appellate law. The practice combined the academic aspects of research and writing with an advocacy component. After the birth of her first son, William, she began a judicial clerkship as staff attorney for the Honorable Judge Melvia Green at the Third District Court of Appeal in Miami. During her time at the court she had her second child Nicholas. Following her clerkship, Frances was recruited and hired to work as in-house counsel for State Farm Insurance Company Clams Litigation Counsel offices in Miami. She helped head the appellate section of the law firm and eventually became the head of the appellate department for the South Florida legal offices for State Farm Insurance Company. She spent seven years working as in-house counsel for State Farm Insurance until 2006 when she was recruited and hired to work for the international law firm of Holland & Knight, LLP (H&K) by Rodolfo Sorondo Jr., a former appellate judge of the Third District Court of Appeal. She joined the firm as senior counsel in the appellate litigation group. After two years as senior counsel, she was promoted to partner at the firm where she currently works to this day. During her last 13 years with H&K, she has received the following recognitions: from 2007 to 2009, she was recognized as a Florida Legal Elite Lawyer in appellate law by the Florida Trend magazine. In 2010 and 2015, she was selected as the Most Effective Lawyer finalist by the Daily Business Review. From 2016 to 2020, she has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer by the Florida Super Lawyers magazine. In 2017, she was nationally recognized with her firm’s “Living the Commitment Award” for her pro bono and charitable client services. In 2018, she was honored with the Amicus Service Award by the International Municipal Lawyers Association for her legal advocacy. In addition to her service to her clients and her firm, she also has an outstanding record of community service. Her pro bono work includes representing asylum applicants on behalf of Catholic Charities, working with Legal Services of Greater Miami’s Hurricane Relief Clinics Charity in the Florida Keys to assist victims of Hurricane IRMA, and traveling to Puerto Rico to assist victims of Hurricane Maria with their insurance claims. In 2014, Frances was appointed Alumni Association President for the St. Thomas University School of Law and also serves on the Law School’s Advisory Board. In 2015, she was elected to the board of directors of the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) where throughout the years, she served on numerous committees, was chief editor of the CABA Briefs magazine, was elected as secretary, vice president, and then, in 2019, she was elected as the President-Elect of CABA. While serving as president-elect of CABA, in 2019, she served as president of one of CABA’s two charitable arms, CABA Pro Bono, which advocates for unaccompanied minors, veterans, and victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. She began her leadership term as the President of CABA in 2020 when she was sworn in at one of the most successful installation galas in the history of the organization with over 1,100 persons in attendance and a record number of funds raised for CABA’s two charitable arms (CABA Pro Bono and CABA Foundation). She began her term with tremendous success and then had to pivot and temporarily reinvent the organization to adapt to the challenges of the 2020 global pandemic COVID-19.

Frances’ advice to both an aspiring entrepreneur and the significant other of an aspiring entrepreneur before they start their journey is, first, to the entrepreneur: “have a detailed business plan and discuss that plan with your spouse or partner.” She adds that you should “Be candid and frank in that discussion and consider the reality that any dream of being an entrepreneur comes with sacrifices both monetary and emotional.” She believes that “The planning of a new business is a challenging process and because it does not happen overnight, it requires an open line of communication with your spouse regarding goals and a realistic timeline to achieve those goals.” She goes on to say that “The conversations and discussions have to be constant and open and must include the hard discussions of how you will financially manage the business, what you will you do if the first attempt fails or if you encounter obstacles.” To the significant other, she advises that “Because there will be roadblocks and issues, as the partner of the entrepreneur, you must be open-minded and be part of the decision making process and have the knowledge necessary to face those obstacles when they arise.” She continues saying that “together with open eyes and open dialogue, the business and the partnership will succeed simultaneously.” Finally, she says that “My advice is for the partner to ask questions and set goals of communication beforehand and to keep that dialogue open from the inception and throughout the duration of the business.”

Frances recalls that during the start-up process, of which she nudged her husband to embark on, she became aware of “The amount of time it takes to build a business and that once it is built you still have to keep working at it day after day.” She adds “It’s an ongoing process each year, depending on the economy or what is happening in the world.” She continues to say, “For instance, with the pandemic, this year, business owners have had to reinvent and adapt their goals and ideas to fit the challenging times.” She adds, from experience, that “The partner of the entrepreneur has to be prepared to have financial lows and debt, short term and long term, during the inception and during the continuation of the business.” She continues that “Because of these economic struggles, it is important to have long range plans and back up plans in case the business has to be temporarily downsized or reimagined. Thus, the partner of the entrepreneur must have flexibility and understanding as well as being supportive of the idea and the dream.” She further states that “It is a fine line to walk to be inspirational and yet provide honest practical opinions that may not be what the person with the dream wants to hear.” She concludes by saying that “It can be done; however, it is best done when the conversation of these possibilities is discussed before the start of the business.”

Frances believes that the most difficult aspect of being the significant other of an entrepreneur or ambitious individual is “Being an observer and not having an active part in the decision making process on a business you helped build, either because you gave monetary or emotional contributions to make the business possible.” She adds that “Being the partner of the entrepreneur requires you to have many roles; that of a supporter, of a financial sounding board, a psychologist, and a friend and none of these roles are easy to undertake.” She continues by saying that “My advice would be to be optimistic and keep your eye on the prize and that the outcome is the legacy and pride of being part of building not just a business, but a dream.” She concludes by saying that “To assist in making someone’s dream is the best part of the entire process because you get to see your loved one’s dream realized and are part of that accomplishment.”

Frances believes that one of the most fulfilling or rewarding experiences as the significant other of an entrepreneur or ambitious individual is to “see your partner enjoy the success from his hard work and when he receives the accolades he deserves for making a plan, seeing it through and then passing on that knowledge to new entrepreneurs.” Another fulfillment is to witness her partner’s “commitment to his dream and the desire to teach others what he learned, to help them achieve their dreams.” She continues to add that “Perhaps the most surprising reward is to be witness to the evolution of the dream and see it become more than either of you imagined or planned.” And, while she admits that “the evolution is not something you foresee or even plan for at the beginning, it is certainly one of the most fulfilling emotions you will ever feel.” She concludes that “despite all the trials and tribulations and missteps that will occur, the end result of seeing a partner’s dream and business come to fruition makes it all worth it.”

Chapter 8: Specialize and Become an Expert

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