When one keeps hearing someone’s name in various circles, one begins to think this is a person to meet. Such is the case with Rick De La Guardia. Through my dealings as the director of the Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Miami Herbert Business School, at any given entrepreneurship networking event, I would hear his name. Time and time again, people would ask me if I had met Rick and would extol his virtues as an advocate for young entrepreneurs. His reputation preceded him. Before long, Rick and I got to collaborate on work connecting engineering and business students to foster entrepreneurship and innovation.
Since that first endeavor, over the years, I have had the distinct honor of volunteering alongside Rick, empowering young people to challenge themselves and following their entrepreneurial dreams. Rick is a dedicated and passionate individual, making time to mentor students, hear their start-up pitches, and provide candid and invaluable advice. His approach is always one that challenges and yet empowers. Every person I know who has had the pleasure of receiving Rick’s coaching has walked away a stronger person, with a better grasp of what to expect and how to go after their goals.
My students have instantly felt a connection to Rick, through his unique ability to read these young entrepreneurs and get to the core of their needs. Rick not only has the technical know-how, the command of financials, and understanding of the needs of the business, he possesses unbelievable emotional intelligence. Working with young people just making their way could actually be his calling. He has mentored my students, one-on-one, taking time to offer a tailored approach to each young entrepreneur. He takes great care to not only thoroughly analyze the challenges they face; he makes sure to wrap that in a personal coaching session that builds them up and prepares them mentally for the challenges they will face.
In Rick’s first book, Engineer to Entrepreneur, he took the engineer and created a paradigm shift to prepare them for entrepreneurship. It is a perfect transition, as in many cases, the engineer is the inventor and innovator, but not necessarily the businessperson. His first book is an easy guide to preparing the engineer not only technically, but also mentally to enter the complicated world of entrepreneurship. I highly recommend it.
This book, much like his first, is an easy guide for anyone who is considering becoming an entrepreneur. Rick’s analytical and logical mind has created an easy, step-by-step playbook, complete with exercises to enable anyone to reach their goal of becoming a successful entrepreneur. I see a lot of what he has done in person with my students in this book. He has refined his practice of encouragement and empowerment and distilled it into this step-by-step guide to help anyone get started, stay focused, stay on track, persevere despite any setbacks, and ultimately, succeed.
Entrepreneurship can be treacherous and unpredictable, but this book is honest, sets realistic expectations of the path you are about to traverse, and offers you support along the way. My students should all graduate with a copy of this book tucked under their arm. Follow this guide and you will be well on your way to being an entrepreneur.
Susy Alvarez-Diaz, MBA
Senior Lecturer, Miami Herbert Business School
University of Miami
CEO, ADG Omnimedia
Miami, Florida
Susy Alvarez-Díaz is a senior lecturer teaching undergraduate entrepreneurship courses through the Department of Management at the University of Miami Herbert Business School, and graduate entrepreneurship courses in the MVSIO program at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. She has been teaching at the college level over the last 16 years. She is the former director of Entrepreneurship Programs at the University of Miami where she more than doubled enrollment, tripled the participation in the annual Business Plan Competition, and hosted ABC’s Shark Tank two years in a row, the only university in all of Florida to do so.
Mrs. Alvarez-Diaz graduated with honors from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in International Finance and Marketing. She then went on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Management. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education and Leadership at the University of Miami.
She has almost 30 years’ experience in marketing and corporate communications, including public relations, branding, internal communications, public affairs, and community and university relations. As an entrepreneur for the last 18 years, she is CEO of ADG Omnimedia—a public relations and marketing firm in Miami, Florida. She served as a coach for Babson College’s inaugural class of WIN Lab in Miami and a mentor at Miami Dade College’s Idea Center. Alvarez-Diaz is regularly featured in national media outlets such as CNN Español and was presented with the Excellence in Teaching award from the Miami Herbert Business School in 2018. Currently, she is the faculty advisor for Women in Business and uStart Entrepreneurship Club.
Previously, Alvarez-Diaz worked for Hewlett-Packard’s Latin America region, launching marketing campaigns and promotions with sales distributors. As the Latin America Region Communications and Public Relations Manager, she then worked on the successful and historic IPO of HP’s spin-off, Agilent Technologies, Inc. She also served as the media and PR consultant to the President and CEO during his VIP visits to the region.