Bísness School

Many know Pepe Aguilar as the Grammy-winning artist whose last name is almost synonymous with Mexican music. What many don't know is that more than 20 years ago, Aguilar launched his own record label, Equinoccio Records, followed years later by Machín Records. Aguilar joins Bísness School to explain why he broke off from the big music labels early on in his career, what business lessons he learned from his parents, Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, and why he says his kids have the best contracts in the music industry.

This episode was produced and edited by Fernando Hurtado.

Follow Pepe Aguilar at @pepeaguilar_oficial.

Follow Machín Records at @machinrecords_.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

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Ricardo Sucre, Gabriel González and Gustavo Darquea experienced culture shock when they came to the United States from South America for college. It wasn't just the language or the food — it was what college students drank that was surprising. Beer, vodka and hard seltzers reigned, while rum was nowhere to be found. After graduating from college, the trio decided to create a hard seltzer that was distinctly Latino. Ricardo Sucre and Gustavo Darquea explain how the idea for Casalú, a rum-based hard seltzer, was born — and how they took it from a SodaStream to stores all over Florida and Nevada.

Original photo for episode cover art taken by Irma Fragkogianni - Matsa from Endeavor Miami.

Follow Casalú at @drinkcasalu and learn more at casalu.com.

Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and edited by James Jeffrey.

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How do you make a Spanglish music star? Charlie Guerrero and Paloma Hecht don't have a formula, but they know what's worked for them. "Authenticity," they say. The duo, who managers singer Sofía Reyes, explains what drove them to make music mixing English and Spanish when executives told them that was a bad idea and they share how they've produced massive hits with artists like Jason Derulo, De La Guetto and Wisin with their company, MITH Media.

Follow Paloma and Charlie at @palomahecht and @charlieguerrero.

Follow MITH Media at @m.i.t.h.media.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and edited by James Jefferey.

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Mike Alfaro was home in Guatemala taking a break from his career fast-paced career in advertising in the United States when he saw it: the yellow Lotería game box he used to play all the time growing up. The game held a special place in Mike's heart, but the cards inside the box stood out like a sore thumb. Cards portraying a woman as a reserved woman clad in formal apparel stood at odds with the #MeToo movement that was sweeping the nation at the time. Mike decided to create a "millennial" version of a few Lotería cards for his portfolio. When he shared the drawings on social media, they took off like wildfire. Years later, an actual game-top version would be selling out at Target stores across the country. Learn more about Millennial Lotería at millennialloteria.com, follow Mike at @millennialloteria and explore his new venture at @sisabokids.

This episode was produced by Fernando Hurtado and edited by James Jeffrey.

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Patty Rodriguez had a dream job as producer for one of the most popular radio shows in America: On Air with Ryan Seacrest. But her first baby and a house fire gave her the perfect conditions to pursue a dream she had been to scared to pursue: launching a line of bilingual books for kids with her childhood best friend, Ariana Stein.

Learn more about Lil' Libros at lillibros.com, and follow Patty at @pattyrodriguez.

This episode was produced and edited by Fernando Hurtado.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NBC and Telemundo join forces to map the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States: Latinos. In Bísness School, Latino founders share how they’ve built successful business and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. It sounds like business school, but it’s not. There are no early classes, no homework — and best of all, it’s free. Look out for new episodes the last Wednesday of the month.

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