I just received information that one of my first startups in my UCSD program just won a pitch competition in Alabama for $750k! Ruth Young Loaza was either the 3-4 startup to join my program in 2022. By using the LEAN Startup and helping her pivot her concept away from home decor, and instead thinking of her bed sheet system as an ergonomic solution to help housekeepers in the hospitality industry be safer and faster when they made up the beds in hotels, she could get better traction and differentiation. I remember when I said ergonomic and she said, .... ergo.. what? That small pivot in her idea opened doors, created a bigger value proposition than just looking good, and got her the attention of the people who were experiencing the problem. The hotel industry, the insurance companies and the housekeepers themselves. And the coolest thing? Ruth was a hotel housekeep herself for over 20 years, became nearly homeless, but had this idea at her most difficult time that there must be a better way to make beds. She made prototypes, tried them out, refined her concept... even applied for and recieved over 3 patents.... and then joined my incubator in 2022. THIS is the power of finding a great problem to solve, applying yourself to solve it in a unique and powerful way and then, persevering through the challenges of finding commercialization partners. She still has new challenges with the $750k, but she has a fighting chance to succeed and bring generational wealth to her and her children. THIS is why I do what I do..... https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/10/01/huntsville-entrepreneur-nabs-3x-pitch-competition-winnings

Seth Godin is an incredibly successful marketing strategist and thought leader. I receive his blog on a frequently basis. Today's blog really hit home. It talks about how groups or cohorts can bond through friendship, but when you add mutual forward progress, it takes on a life of its own. That's my vision for The Latino Startup. I provide the framework, the tools, but its the friendship and the mutual forward progress that breathes life into it! Here's his blog; FINDING YOUR COHORT - Seth Godin Friendship is part of it, but it’s mutual forward motion that transforms a group. The shared journey and mutual respect of a cohort can change the arc of our work and our lives. When we’re in sync, we can find the courage to build something important. Fifteen years ago, I ran a three-day seminar in my office for about 12 women. The FeMBA cohort took a life of its own, and last week I was lucky enough to join them for their reunion. My role in this cohort was tiny–I was simply there at the beginning. Entrepreneurship isn’t about building a giant company that makes money. Instead, it’s the attitude of solving problems, creating leverage and building something bigger than ones self. When people are enrolled in this journey, they’re open to possibility and optimism. The internet has put millions of people a single click away from each of us, but too often, it simply confuses us with the endless blur of ‘next’. When we take the time to commit, it turns out that there are people right here, right now, eager to connect and join us on our journey.

In startups, fear shows up in two forms. There’s the fear of the unknown—will the idea work, will customers care, will funding show up? And then there’s the fear we carry within us—old scars of failure, rejection, or not feeling “enough.” This is where Rocío Pérez’s Identity Alchemy resonates: transformation happens when we rewrite the stories we tell ourselves. As founders, the real work isn’t just testing the market—it’s reshaping our identity so fear becomes fuel. 👉 Which fear have you had to alchemize on your journey? Order the Book now: https://lnkd.in/gxJ9WX-G

All of my experience has shown me that your mindset is everything! In the Teachings of Don Juan, he emphasizes how we start our lives being told by our parents what is good or bad, then our friends and family continue the practice, until we begin to absorb what society tells us as well. I’m not saying it’s bad, but if all these experiences never enabled you to grow further, or they limited what you thought you were capable of, then it’s time to shift your mindset. It’s time to take on new ideas, new possibilities and realities. That’s what the Community of Practice does for all of us. We grow together!