Co-Founder of No Us Without You, Va'La Hospitality & Finca Tachibana, Brand Development Manager of Mezcal Amarás

I’d rather train someone who is genuinely welcoming and willing to work hard than someone whose resume is impressive but isn’t a team player. It’s much more important to be a nice person with little experience than to be overqualified and out of touch with your teammates and guests.

Your team will work harder with you than for you. That promotion isn’t a rise to power, it is a submission to duty. The example we set will be followed if we lead without ego. Worry about your team, they’re the ones who make or break a business.

Advice I’ve received from my hospitality mentors: (1) always be a talent scout, (2) the slow play is always the preferred strategy for long term success, and (3) it ain’t cool to be broke!

Communication is key. There isn’t enough said about effectively communicating directly with staff. I enjoy speaking to everyone I work with daily to make sure that I know what’s going on with their lives. Not to be intrusive, but to try and understand when someone needs time off or maybe just to vent their frustrations. Trust is built over time and if I can understand my team's limits (both mentally & physically) then I can jump in and help when it’s most needed instead of waiting till they’re frustrated.

I knew that this was the right profession for me when I was a barback in college, constantly learning that I knew nothing because I had barely lived up to that point.

I’d be lying to you all if I told you I was living a balanced lifestyle. I almost died in February (2020) because I worked an entire shift with a burst appendix for a client's investor dinner. Taking up golf this year has helped me put life into perspective. It’s really the only time I put my phone on “do not disturb” and spend a few hours letting my brain work for me as I attack a course.

Skills that I think are most important to possess: be self-driven, organized, and dependable. Holding myself accountable is paramount to my success on projects. There’s nothing that can be accomplished by making excuses for failing to prepare, being unorganized, or simply quitting because a project faces challenges.

The hospitality industry seems to be more full of examples of what not to do than of those who I should actually admire. COVID-19 is bringing the failures and flaws of our industry to light. I’m proud of those who continue to fight to rebuild what was broken. Those are the industry leaders to applaud.

I read the words of those who came before me and I learn from their triumphs and tribulations alike. History is my favorite subject matter and the more I dig into a time period, the more it’s apparent that we must always continue to learn.

I could not do my job without my business partner and best friend, Damián Diaz. We speak a very unique language when we’re scheming and dreaming.

Books and publications I recommend that everyone to read: The Art of War (Sun Tzu), The Economist, The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway), Ego is the Enemy (Ryan Holiday), The 48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene).