Hi Everyone!
My name is Ralph Quintero and I am the founder of The Great Business Project. I've been following MJs work for quite some time and his book has been quite influential in my life. So it was great when MJ agreed to don the cover of the latest issue of our iPad magazine.
So here's the 411 on me and what I'm all about…
I've been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. I started my first 'real' business at the age of 13 and got paid $60 bucks for my first gig as a mobile DJ (had to split that with two buddies!) Regardless, that started an entrepreneurial fire that has been burning ever since. And there is no signs of it stopping any time soon! :coolgleamA:
The DJing put me through college, got me my first car and allowed me to buy nice things….it also afforded me the opportunity to travel the world, doing gigs in nightclubs in all sorts of places.
After meeting my wife, I decided to get a "real" job and settle down. It seemed like the right thing to do. The gig was being the JBL rep in South Florida and the Caribbean. Not a bad gig! I hustled, worked hard and climbed the corporate ladder as high as I could, eventually becoming the VP of Worldwide Sales. By this time, my first son had been born, my wife was pregnant with our second and we were living in L.A. with no family and no support network…Plus I was traveling about 80% of the time… Corporate life was getting to me.
One night after a long trip, I came home to find my wife crying uncontrollably. She couldn't take it anymore. And I got it. That night we both decided to quit our six-figure gigs and move across the country back home to Miami.
With no plan in place, the entrepreneur in me came back out and I decided to leverage my corporate experience and start a consulting company that would help other audio and video companies establish themselves in Latin America (a specialty of mine). We would handle everything from setting up distribution networks, dealer networks, training, local marketing and PR, events and more. In a nutshell, a complete turn-key service. We were the best at what we did. If you wanted to do business in LatAm, we were the people to call.
What started in early 2003 with no customers or revenue eventually grew into a $35 million business that we sold at the end of 2009. That felt really good!
Since then, I have started several companies that I continue to run today. (App Development, Real Estate and Media/Publishing)
My main focus though, is The Great Business Project. This is what I want part of my legacy to be.
While building the business we sold, I learned a tremendous amount of lessons. If I would have only known what I know now, my journey would have been so much easier. That's why I started The Great Business Project blog. I started documenting tips and stories about things that worked for me so that others would have a shortcut of sorts. The following quickly grew and eventually we built a media publishing company around it.
Today we have one of the top 10 Business/Investing magazines on the Apple Newsstand for the iPad, a weekly podcast, the blog, a TV show in the works and more…. The idea is that we are the media company "By Entrepreneurs For Entrepreneurs"
I am really looking forward to participating in the forum and sharing whatever I can!
I am looking forward to meeting all of you.
Here's to your success!
Ralph
PS - If you want to read the longer version of my story...you can get my book as a PDF for free here!
My name is Ralph Quintero and I am the founder of The Great Business Project. I've been following MJs work for quite some time and his book has been quite influential in my life. So it was great when MJ agreed to don the cover of the latest issue of our iPad magazine.
So here's the 411 on me and what I'm all about…
I've been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. I started my first 'real' business at the age of 13 and got paid $60 bucks for my first gig as a mobile DJ (had to split that with two buddies!) Regardless, that started an entrepreneurial fire that has been burning ever since. And there is no signs of it stopping any time soon! :coolgleamA:
The DJing put me through college, got me my first car and allowed me to buy nice things….it also afforded me the opportunity to travel the world, doing gigs in nightclubs in all sorts of places.
After meeting my wife, I decided to get a "real" job and settle down. It seemed like the right thing to do. The gig was being the JBL rep in South Florida and the Caribbean. Not a bad gig! I hustled, worked hard and climbed the corporate ladder as high as I could, eventually becoming the VP of Worldwide Sales. By this time, my first son had been born, my wife was pregnant with our second and we were living in L.A. with no family and no support network…Plus I was traveling about 80% of the time… Corporate life was getting to me.
One night after a long trip, I came home to find my wife crying uncontrollably. She couldn't take it anymore. And I got it. That night we both decided to quit our six-figure gigs and move across the country back home to Miami.
With no plan in place, the entrepreneur in me came back out and I decided to leverage my corporate experience and start a consulting company that would help other audio and video companies establish themselves in Latin America (a specialty of mine). We would handle everything from setting up distribution networks, dealer networks, training, local marketing and PR, events and more. In a nutshell, a complete turn-key service. We were the best at what we did. If you wanted to do business in LatAm, we were the people to call.
What started in early 2003 with no customers or revenue eventually grew into a $35 million business that we sold at the end of 2009. That felt really good!
Since then, I have started several companies that I continue to run today. (App Development, Real Estate and Media/Publishing)
My main focus though, is The Great Business Project. This is what I want part of my legacy to be.
While building the business we sold, I learned a tremendous amount of lessons. If I would have only known what I know now, my journey would have been so much easier. That's why I started The Great Business Project blog. I started documenting tips and stories about things that worked for me so that others would have a shortcut of sorts. The following quickly grew and eventually we built a media publishing company around it.
Today we have one of the top 10 Business/Investing magazines on the Apple Newsstand for the iPad, a weekly podcast, the blog, a TV show in the works and more…. The idea is that we are the media company "By Entrepreneurs For Entrepreneurs"
I am really looking forward to participating in the forum and sharing whatever I can!
I am looking forward to meeting all of you.
Here's to your success!
Ralph
PS - If you want to read the longer version of my story...you can get my book as a PDF for free here!
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
