Very Short Interview Part 2

Bellow in Grey is my old post and interview for convenience. 

Who I interviewed was Eduardo Cortez, he is a tested business entrepreneur and a clergyman. He first came to this country from Ecuador at the age of 30 with his family, with only one goal, to establish a Hispanic church. Eventually he found a work opportunity with the United Methodist Church. He started with a congregation of 5 members and is now the biggest and growing Hispanic Methodist congregation in Central Florida. Before that, Eduardo was very much involved in the business world. In Ecuador, Eduardo learned at an early age the tactics and strategies it would take to become a successful entrepreneur. By the age of 25 he was managing several male boutiques in 3 central malls in the capital. Finally here in the United States, he decided to dedicate his time to his ministry. A few years later, he would make a bad business decision and invest a large amount of his savings into a business called “The Natural Home” which would eventually go under. But business is trial and error. With this failing business venture came lessons, tactics, and strategies, which he put into practice with his church and his current successful day care business.

I started off by letting him know about my assignment and I just had a couple general questions for him to answer. After he agreed I started the interview.

My first question was, what does it mean to be an entrepreneur? And he responded as follows…

“It means to be persistent and consistent, and you need to shows dedication towards your projects at all times. It’s a challenge in someone’s life, but it’s definitely a reachable goal. Entrepreneurship isn’t always about money, but money is something that’s critical in a starting business. You have to realize that when you are an entrepreneur, you are helping other people, not just yourself, you’re a part of what’s helping your community and this country prosper.”

I went on to ask him my second question, which was, what should I learn from this course? And he said…

“You have to have a vison, and entrepreneurship vision, with a goal. This class should teach you how to focus on that goal and how to identify it. It should help you take those beginning steps in becoming an entrepreneur. It should help you have a general idea of those first steps, so when you do start your own business you have a solid foundation that will sustain you.

Another thing that I usually notice is that people usually start off with an emotional plan, an emotional business. When you first start off you need to start with a profit point of view. A lot of people don’t like to hear that. But in order to be successful you have to be organized and start off on the right foot or you could potentially lose a lot of money.”

Lastly I asked him if there was anything in school they wished they would have taught him, or if there was anything he wished he would have known before starting on this entrepreneurial path. Which he responded as follows.

“I always had a vision of what I wanted to do, but I never had a vision with a strategic plan. These two things go hand in hand. Something I wish they would have taught me in school is how to manage people. Also I wish I would have known, but also accepted that failure is inevitable. Lastly, it’s important to save money, to have something to always fall back on just in case, because business is not always good.”

Revisiting this interview, my thoughts haven’t changes. I think Mr. Cortez answered the questions really well, and I think his advice was good also. This time around I got to ask him my own questions. I contacted Mr. Cortez but due to both of our busy schedules I had to interview him on the phone.

My question where as follows:

What do you regret the most about pursuing your entrepreneurship dream and why?

“What I regret the most is the strain it had on my family. I moved here from Ecuador not knowing English and not with a lot of money as you know. And there were times where I found myself questioning if it was all worth it, leaving my family behind, putting my kids in such a new environment, and having to struggle just to provide for them. If I regret anything is what they went through for me and I am very grateful for my family.”

If you could go back in time would you change what happened?

“If I could, at the end I wouldn’t do it. Everything that happen to me, the failures, the bankruptcies, the division of my church, all of these things collectively are what have brought me where I am today. All my kids have gotten or are in collage right now, they all have good jobs, they got a better education that I could have ever offered them in Ecuador, my business is doing great, and the church is stronger than ever. Everything just happens for a reason.”

What the one main advice/ or tip that you could give me?

“Never give up, it might sound and seem simple but that has to be one of the hardest things about all of this. I had my wife and my kids to always keep me motivated, but some don’t have that. I was lucky enough that I did, but there have been plenty of tie where I’ve just wanted to give up or just retire and move on. But I’m still here, and I am glad that I am.”

I feel like the interview I did 3 months ago was sort of an ice breaker, this time around I felt more comfortable asking more personal questions. I could definably see that he was more comfortable talking to me too. It didn’t feel like much of an interview but more like a conversation. This could have also been in part to the fact that I did it over the phone. Either way this class has really drilled in us to talk about entrepreneurship and keep our minds open to possibilities.