Today we’d like to introduce you to Ismael Mercado.
Hi Ismael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Ismael Mercado. I am Venezuelan, hailing from a beautiful city called Maracaibo, the son of Justina Campo and Abel Mercado, Colombian immigrants who arrived in Venezuela in 1978 in search of better opportunities in a country that was experiencing a booming oil industry, being one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. I grew up in a neighborhood with excellent neighbors and good friends. As I was finishing school, I had to decide what to study and do with my life. In Venezuela, it is customary to marry people from the neighborhood at a young age. Back then, there was no internet, and book access was difficult.
One day, a friend of my mother stayed with us for a few days and lent me a book called “Rhinoceros: The Different Way of Being Tough” by Henry Lankast. After reading that book, my vision of life changed. Even though I was only 15 years old, I learned things I never thought I could understand and decided that day to be beneficial to society by creating businesses. Life was shaping up, and I began to explore things others did not do, like studying English and buying books to learn about other realities.
At the age of 18, after deciding to be a businessman, I met a girl while studying English who helped me see life from a different perspective. She was from a wealthy family and used to travel the world, read a lot, and visit luxury restaurants. These activities, which I did not know, opened my mind to continue on my path to becoming an entrepreneur. Time passed in college between learning and realizing that even though I was studying Accounting, I felt no emotion for that career. Upon graduating, I confirmed what I had always thought: in many Hispanic countries, college prepares us for a world that does not exist. I graduated from college, perhaps frustrated for not finding what I wanted. Although my family wanted me to work for a company, I became an entrepreneur.
I started with small import and export businesses. One day, I met an organization of young leaders worldwide called Junior Chamber International (JCI), of which I was the national president of Venezuela in 2020. In this organization, I met people of great value, trained, and traveled the world, learning and making public relations. My mind changed then, taking my mental level to another level. Between October 2001 and 2002, I was appointed public relations director for the Junior Chamber Zulia chapter. There, I began to relate to the entrepreneurs of my city and gave television interviews where I told what the organization was doing and invited people to join. Visits to different media were weekly until a local newspaper asked me to start writing articles for them. I asked for help, and now, I tell my articles and entrepreneurship stories and read them by many. I went through different positions within this great organization. Five years after traveling to other countries in Latin America and opening my training company for businesses, I decided to stop and dedicate more time to my businesses, which were doing well. I started giving lectures and designing workshops on customer service, leadership, and supervision for different audiences. Every week, I held two conferences throughout my country.
One day, at an airport, I found a book called “Introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming.” This book took my thinking to another level. I didn’t know what I could do if I programmed my brain differently. After this, I started studying and reading. Until I discovered that the book’s author I liked so much would be in Bogotá, giving a certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming Coaching. His name is Joseph O’Connor. Combining these two subjects taught me a new methodology to continue growing on the business scale and improve my leadership performance. In 2008, very few people talked about coaching, and a worldwide certification was a great badge that opened doors in many companies. With the application of coaching in companies, the personal performance of leaders was more noticeable.
Studying coaching led me to be more recognized in my country and have more responsibility for what I did and how I did it. At that moment, my company, Soluciones Gerenciales, positioned itself as a company that gave courses and conferences and had different business units for investment. The work never stopped, and I always did very well. So much so that I started neglecting finances and investing in businesses I didn’t know. I made the mistake of believing that everything would work out well without discipline and without immersing myself in the knowledge of the new activity I was doing. About two years I was passed when I had a lot of work but needed more financial control. I needed more discipline and economic intelligence. This dangerous combination led me to bankruptcy. I lost everything: a marriage, my cars, my businesses, and I was heavily in debt. I fell into a maze of sadness and regrets, where I didn’t know what to do. My energy level was low, and I felt no excitement in anything. Each day was heavier than the last. Until one day, I dared to tell my mom, who lifted my face and said, “I’m going to help you.” At that moment, she made several calls, and in less than 10 days, the financial problem was solved. The only business I had left was not making any revenue, and we owed everything. And even though it wasn’t making money, we kept it open, trying to find a way to generate income. There were only two of us, my friend Lisseth Velásquez and me. I lived bored and in depression.
My ability to sell and negotiate was nonexistent until I watched the movie “Iron Man 2”, where Tony Stark handed the company to his beloved Pepper Potts to make decisions and manage the business. I did the same: I gave the company to Lisseth so that she could bring her energy and enthusiasm to handle everything. From that moment on, things began to change. When I looked in the mirror and could take charge of everything that was happening, I took responsible actions, and businesses emerged that, in less than a year, came to fruition, restoring my peace of mind and fostering excellent public relations.
After giving many lectures, I wanted to validate that what I was doing could be successful and start a different type of business. That’s where my beloved Ferretería Libertador was born. Today, after nine years, it remains active and growing. This business led me to delve into unfamiliar territory but tested all my knowledge in finance, leadership, management, and even negotiation.
With more than five businesses running simultaneously, I aimed to elevate my educational level and join what we call the big leagues of business in Venezuela by studying at the seventh business school in Latin America, where I always wanted to study. There, I met great people and entrepreneurs who, with their connections and experience, helped me grow as a businessman. The learning was so enjoyable and rewarding that, due to my performance, I was selected as the keynote speaker for our graduation.
I have never stopped doing business; it’s one of my favorite hobbies. Each lived experience added value to delivering better conferences, from learning and everything experienced in the business world in an environment like Venezuela. These experiences led me to write my first audiobook, “7 Steps to Increase Your Productivity,” a production that summarized a divorce, a bankruptcy, and the experience of moving forward, driven by desire and emotion.
After some time, the idea of producing a Real Estate magazine arose, and after three months, the first edition came out, called “Building.” We published properties, decoration articles, and architectural trends. Given that I had a magazine and had written an audiobook, it is clear that the internet was still developing. Spotify and Instagram did not exist. The work involved much more street presence and media tours to showcase the work. About two years later, a friend invited me to host a radio and television program called “Encuentro Seguro.” For over twenty-four months, I enjoyed being in front of the cameras, informing about different topics, and interviewing interesting people on the radio while continuing to write for local newspapers about entrepreneurship, personal development, market trends, and occasionally politics.
Venezuela was going through a very delicate moment economically and socially. Nevertheless, I decided to open two supermarkets, one targeting the upper class and the other the lower middle class, with different target audiences but with the vision of establishing a franchise chain. For several months, both worked well and generated profits, employing more than forty people directly and indirectly. Our country faced an electricity crisis, leading to a social crisis where no electricity was available nationwide for four days. This unleashed people to go out and loot the streets, ending the dreams of many, including mine. Four out of my six businesses were completely looted. The truth is, although what happened was very tough, I knew I could rise again. I ended up in debt and tried to start new businesses, seeking opportunities, but the region was very depressed due to what had happened. Two of my businesses were still open, but I had debts to pay off after the incident. My future vision was that if I didn’t leave my country to seek to resolve my personal and economic situation, I would collapse completely. That’s why I decided to come to the United States, a country that has opened doors for me and offered me many opportunities. Arriving was very easy, but in the first year, I collapsed between depression and tears. I wasn’t prepared to migrate to a country that, if you’re not ready, drains you emotionally. And support among migrants is often lacking because many are just surviving. I looked in the mirror again and realized that much of what was lost was due to my lack of commitment and discipline. And that the tears shed each night had to turn into strength and inspiration to keep moving forward, challenging who I am and what I do every day, sharing content on social media that speaks not only from theory but also from what I’ve learned, and exercising the muscle of action to reach where I want to be. I embarked on a new path a year ago with renewed energy, enthusiasm, and fewer fears. I have more clients now and better relationships, and I’ve won two awards in my country for my work with my clients. I just finished my first book called “Tales that Inspire Stories,” in November 2023, I hosted the first personal development event for Hispanics, supported by a great Venezuelan actress named Ruddy Rodríguez, which 166 people attended. The United States is a great country to grow in when you dare to work intelligently for what you want, or it can be the perfect executioner of your dreams because, as immigrants, we often get caught up in the day-to-day and stop taking the time to think and find a possible path to success.
Today, with each passing day, I seek inspiration from what I am passionate about, my family’s love, and the love of my three children: Andrés, Samantha, and Salmah. I do things with the thought that they will be proud of what I do and who I am so that someday my grandchildren won’t only know about me through them, but when they search my name on the internet, they can read that I was always willing to contribute to a better society. I always say one day at a time, without hurry but without pause, but with a lot of consistency and focus.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a journey of ups and downs, from financial bankruptcies to divorces. The most vital factor has been the lack of commitment to myself, often having the information and failing to act, waiting for situations to flow without taking action. And when you don’t decide, you are making a decision.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
My company advises small and medium-sized businesses ready to elevate their organizational and commercial capabilities. We excel in generating new ideas, restructuring businesses, improving their structures, and optimizing their costs. What sets us apart is that we practice coaching from a theoretical perspective and draw from the experience of many years as entrepreneurs. Moreover, we have updated our understanding to cater to the American market. Our services range from conducting comprehensive business and executive diagnostics to creating step-by-step objective-based plans. We offer individual coaching sessions and eight executive coaching sessions for individuals and teams.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I watch TED talks on YouTube, particularly those focusing on marketing and personal development. As for books that have influenced my journey, they include:
- “El rinoceronte: La forma diferente de ser un duro” (The Rhino: The Different Way to Be Tough)
- “Tus zonas erróneas” (Your Erroneous Zones)
- “El poder del ahora” (The Power of Now)
- “Hábitos atómicos” (Atomic Habits)
- “Cómo hacer que te pasen cosas buenas” (How to Make Good Things Happen to You)
- “Deja de ser tú” (Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself)
Additionally, I regularly listen to podcasts in English as part of my effort to improve my language skills and comprehension. However, I have yet to have a specific favorite as I always explore new ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: ismaelmercado.wordpress.com
- Instagram: ismaelmercado
- Facebook: ismaelmercado
- Twitter: ismaelmercado
Image Credits
Mila Yount
