Bísness School

Business
Careers
Entrepreneurship

Business

Did you know Latinos are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States? In Bísness School, NBC and Telemundo join forces to tell the stories of some of the most inspiring Latino founders. Hosted by journalist Fernando Hurtado, Bísness School highlights business owners across all industries, from entertainment to publishing and food. It sounds like business school, but it’s not. You can think of Bísness School as a lowercase MBA with uppercase guests. And while business school is expensive, Bísness School is free. Look out for new episodes every other Tuesday.

Introducing Bísness School: Inspiring stories of Latino entrepreneurs

NBC and Telemundo join forces to map the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States: Latinos. In Bísness School, Latino founders share how they’ve built successful business and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. It sounds like business school, but it’s not. There are no early classes, no homework — and best of all, it’s free. Look out for new episodes every other Tuesday.

Patty Rodriguez: From Ryan Seacrest's producer to making bilingual Lil' Libros books for kids

Patty Rodriguez had a dream job as producer for one of the most popular radio shows in America: On Air with Ryan Seacrest. But her first baby and a house fire gave her the perfect conditions to pursue a dream she had been to scared to pursue: launching a line of bilingual books for kids with her childhood best friend, Ariana Stein.

Learn more about Lil' Libros at lillibros.com, and follow Patty at @pattyrodriguez.

This episode was produced and edited by Fernando Hurtado.

Mike Alfaro: Making Lotería cool again with Millennial Lotería

Mike Alfaro was home in Guatemala taking a break from his career fast-paced career in advertising in the United States when he saw it: the yellow Lotería game box he used to play all the time growing up. The game held a special place in Mike's heart, but the cards inside the box stood out like a sore thumb. Cards portraying a woman as a reserved woman clad in formal apparel stood at odds with the #MeToo movement that was sweeping the nation at the time. Mike decided to create a "millennial" version of a few Lotería cards for his portfolio. When he shared the drawings on social media, they took off like wildfire. Years later, an actual game-top version would be selling out at Target stores across the country. Learn more about Millennial Lotería at millennialloteria.com, follow Mike at @millennialloteria and explore his new venture at @sisabokids.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and edited by James Jeffrey.

Paloma Hecht and Charlie Guerrero: How they helped make Sofía Reyes a Spanglish music pop star

How do you make a Spanglish music star? Charlie Guerrero and Paloma Hecht don't have a formula, but they know what's worked for them. "Authenticity," they say. The duo, who managers singer Sofía Reyes, explains what drove them to make music mixing English and Spanish when executives told them that was a bad idea and they share how they've produced massive hits with artists like Jason Derulo, De La Guetto and Wisin with their company, MITH Media.

Follow Paloma and Charlie at @palomahecht and @charlieguerrero.

Follow MITH Media at @m.i.t.h.media.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and edited by James Jefferey.

Ricardo Sucre and Gabriel González: The recipe for a Latino hard seltzer

Ricardo Sucre, Gabriel González and Gustavo Darquea experienced culture shock when they came to the United States from South America for college. It wasn't just the language or the food — it was what college students drank that was surprising. Beer, vodka and hard seltzers reigned, while rum was nowhere to be found. After graduating from college, the trio decided to create a hard seltzer that was distinctly Latino. Ricardo Sucre and Gustavo Darquea explain how the idea for Casalú, a rum-based hard seltzer, was born — and how they took it from a SodaStream to stores all over Florida and Nevada.

Original photo for episode cover art taken by Irma Fragkogianni - Matsa from Endeavor Miami.

Follow Casalú at @drinkcasalu and learn more at casalu.com.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and edited by James Jeffrey.

Pepe Aguilar: The businessman behind the music

Many know Pepe Aguilar as the Grammy-winning artist whose last name is almost synonymous with Mexican music. What many don't know is that more than 20 years ago, Aguilar launched his own record label, Equinoccio Records, followed years later by Machín Records. Aguilar joins Bísness School to explain why he broke off from the big music labels early on in his career, what business lessons he learned from his parents, Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, and why he says his kids have the best contracts in the music industry.

This episode was produced and edited by Fernando Hurtado.

Follow Pepe Aguilar at @pepeaguilar_oficial.

Follow Machín Records at @machinrecords_.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

Ricardo Cervantes: Bringing Mexican pan dulce to everyone with La Monarca Bakery and Cafe

Growing up in Monterrey, Mexico, Ricardo Cervantes and Alfredo Livas were used to the smell of pan dulce, or sweet bread, enveloping block after block. When Ricardo and Alfredo moved to the California for graduate school, they realized Mexican panaderías weren't as uniquitous as they were in Mexico. That wasn't necessarily surprising, but what was surprising was the difference in taste. Armed with a business degree from Stanford, Ricardo and Alfredo set out to create a chain of Mexican bakeries that celebrated Mexican sweet flavors—and created new ones—with La Monarca Bakery and Cafe. Today, the Los Angeles-based company has 12 locations and sells its coffee and cookies in Costco stores all over the Southwest. Ricardo joins Bísness School to explain why people told him it was a bad idea to make a bakery for Latinos and why he wants La Monarca to be a business that does well and good for the community.

This episode was produced and edited by Fernando Hurtado.

Follow La Monarca Bakery and Café @lamonarcabakery.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

Sandra Velasquez: From making bars of soap in her kitchen to selling them in Nordstrom—with $110K in debt

What do you do after you lose your job, you’re $110,000 in debt, are raising a daughter, and you need to make ends meet fast? For San Diego-native Sandra Velasquez, the answer was starting Nopalera, a luxury brand of bath and body products using the nopal cactus. Nopalera is sold at over 400 retailers, including Nordstrom and Free People. Sandra Velasquez joins Bísness School to tell us why she launched a soap company when she herself is not obsessed with soaps, how she managed to build her business off of credit cards and how rejecting offers on Shark Tank affected her business. Plus, she answers questions from small businesses around the country.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and Miguel Estrada and edited by James Jeffrey.

Follow Nopalera at @nopalera.co.

Follow Sandra Velasquez at @officialslv.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

Pedro A. Guerrero: He wanted a magazine with stories of Latino executives, so he made one

When Pedro A. Guerrero entered corporate America, there was one national magazine covering Latinos in business, Hispanic Business. Yet at the time, 1 in 10 people in the U.S. was Hispanic, and the number was growing rapidly. Pedro Guerrero, once a frustrated art school graduate, wanted to make sure there was more than just one magazine for the community. He wanted to create a magazine that would highlight the stories of Latinos in powerful positions across some of the United States’ biggest companies. Today, Hispanic Executive is far more than a magazine. It boasts interviews with some of the country’s biggest changemakers, from Jessica Alba to former Housing and Urban Development Secretary under President Barack Obama Julián Castro. And Hispanic Executive is just one of the lines of business under Guerrero's larger namesake company.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and Miguel Estrada. It was edited by James Jeffrey.

Follow Hispanic Executive at @hispanicexecmag.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

Miguel Leal: Making Mexican food easier to cook at home with SOMOS Foods

When Miguel Leal was in college, he had the chance to live with his grandma, and it was precisely at her kitchen where he learned how to make Mexican recipes. But as he grew older, he realized that a lot of people who loved Mexican food, especially in the U.S, didn't have an abuela that could teach them how to make these recipes. Miguel wanted to change that. He wanted to show Americans that Mexican food at home was more than hardshell tacos and greasy dishes, so he and his co-founders Daniel Lubetzky and Rodrigo Zuloaga, started SOMOS Foods, a brand of ready-to-eat non-GMO and gluten-free Mexican products. Today, the company makes the number one salsa brand at Whole Foods, according to SOMOS Foods, and it’s available in more than 9,000 retail locations across the country. Miguel Leal joins Bísness School to tell us why he decided to sell a company that was generating $100 million in sales, how being a marketing executive for the salsa brand Cholula shaped SOMOS Foods, and how years working at KIND Healthy Snacks, the company behind the popular snack bars, prepared him to launch a new business directed to third generation Hispanics in the U.S.

This episode was produced and edited by Miguel Estrada.

Follow SOMOS Foods at @eatsomos.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.