My Grandfather, the Entrepreneur
Decided to write this since people were telling their own stories over at Signal vs. Noise.
My grandfather grew up in poverty in Havana, Cuba. His parents left him and his four brothers to fend for themselves when he was just a teenager. He told me that for a long time they slept under cars and worked for food. After a few months my grandfather was able to get himself a job at a local restaurant cleaning floors. He made just enough to feed himself (and save a little every once in a while) and the owner was nice enough to find him a place to stay and get him a pair of shoes when his wore out.
After a few years he saved up a decent amount of money, and thanks to the terrible state into which Fulgencio Batista had driven Cuba he and his brothers were able to buy themselves a gas station. They fixed the gas station up really well and were able to make a decent living off of running the place. My grandfather was able to save more money and eventually ran a few such establishments. Eventually my grand uncles left the gas station business to pursue their own thing. They were never terribly close to begin with.
He eventually met my grandmother and they got married. A few years before my mother was born Fidel Castro became prime minister of Cuba and within a year my grandfather's properties were taken away and he was given very little compensation. He eventually had to get a "normal" job, but was thoroughly annoyed at the oppressive socialist government. By the time my mother turned 6 my grandfather had gained the courage to move the family to the U.S., but before he was allowed to leave he had to work for a few years for the government and give over everything he owned. My mother, uncle (born a few years after my mom) and grandmother were able to leave right away, but he stayed and worked at what was practically a concentration camp. While my grandfather was working for the government, my mother, uncle and grandmother stayed with friends and family.
He finally arrived in Miami, Florida penniless and knowing only Spanish. He found a job as a construction worker and worked for a few years, providing for his family. Over the course of a few years my grandfather was able to make some connections with a few architects and decided to go into the contracting business. Despite his inability to speak English his business took off and in little more than 10 years he was able to build himself a beautiful house in a really nice part of town and no longer worried about money. My grandfather has lived more than comfortably ever since.
So that's twice rising from nothing to comfortable business owner. My grandfather has been one of my greatest heroes every since I heard his story. It also shows that luck doesn't have all that much to do with building a successful business, you just need a good head and some drive (and in Miami you don't even need to know English).
