Adalberto Ravelo arrived in Miami from Cuba at the age of 37 and had to start from scratch. He worked in construction and at Bongo's Cuban Café, lost $50,000 with his first insurance agency, and after several business attempts, founded Dolphy School, a school for insurance, taxes, and accounting, which, he claims, has served more than 50,000 students.
Today, at the age of 63, the Cuban entrepreneur has extensive experience that allows him to answer a question many immigrants ask upon arriving in the United States: Where to start when resources are scarce?
“If everything was taken from you right now and you started from scratch, where would you begin?” Katia Sánchez asked during the , the podcast for Cuban entrepreneurs from CiberCuba.
Ravelo didn't hesitate: «For any reason. I still have in my mind six, seven, or eight different businesses.»
These are the eight tips shared for those who want to succeed in the United States.
1. Anything can be a business
"If you have a passion for making croquettes, make Cuban croquettes, set up a stand on the corner."
Ravelo notes that in Florida a corporation can be established in less than two hours, although the processes and requirements to begin operating depend on the type of business.
It also recommends looking for equipment on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Amazon to reduce the initial investment.
"And you already have the business up and running," he affirms.
2. Look for short professions
In Cuba, he says, it took five or six years to obtain a university degree.
The United States highlights relatively short training options in sectors such as insurance, taxes, or real estate. "In less than 90 days, you can become an insurance agent," it affirms, although it is necessary to meet the corresponding licensing requirements to practice this profession.
And he jokes with the Anglo-Saxon saying: there are only two things certain, taxes and death.
3. The 20-dollar "cochinito"
For those who say they can't afford to start, the solution is simple: if every month they must pay 2,000 or 3,000 dollars for rent, they can also set aside 20 for a savings jar.
"And when you have 500, which is the cost of an insurance course, then buy the course," he observed.
You need to invest in yourself, he insists, instead of spending 600 dollars on glasses or 1,000 on a shirt.
4. Give five years
Ravelo criticizes those who let five years go by and then complain about not having luck.
Her proposal is the opposite: "From now on, visualize how you want to be in the next five years."
For him, there are only three ways to make money: the lottery, crime, and the one he recommends, working.
"Luck is the excuse of the failures," he says, quoting Pablo Neruda.
5. Do the mirror exercise
"You have to look in the mirror and ask yourself if your neighbor is really to blame or if it’s you. And in truth, it will always be you."
His advice: stop focusing on the flaws of others and work on your own.
6. Don't pay attention to those who call you crazy
Ravelo spent 10 to 12 hours a day in front of a computer without knowing about computer science, learning to create blogs and websites.
A relative told him he was crazy.
"Years later, I told him: look, I've achieved this and that with the madness you told me," he revealed.
7. Accept that nothing is stable
Stable businesses do not exist. You do not create a business for a lifetime; you create a business for 30, 60, or 90 days, he notes.
That’s why, at the age of 63, he began studying artificial intelligence a year and a half ago. His warning: use it, yes, but by personalizing and reviewing everything it produces.
8. Learn for free if you can't pay
"Anyone who doesn't learn these days, with all the opportunities available on the internet, simply doesn't want to."
YouTube tutorials, artificial intelligence, and thousands of websites are within anyone's reach.
The difficult part, he acknowledges, is filtering out the content that is truly useful.
"We are the zero emigrant."
Ravelo does not sugarcoat the beginning. He confesses that he cried behind the columns of Bongo's Cuban Café because he had left a six-year-old daughter in Cuba, whom he did not see again until she was 12.
"You arrive here and you are just a number. Nobody knows you. The relationships you had in your country are gone," he admits.
But it ends with an encouraging message: «We are the zero emigrant when we arrive in this country. There is a journey to becoming the thousandth emigrant, but you can achieve it».
Watch the full episode on YouTube or on the .
Show me the money is the podcast for Cuban entrepreneurs from CiberCuba, hosted by Katia Sánchez and presented by Dolphy School, the program's sponsor. .
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