Little Fermín always had the spirit of an entrepreneur. His parents were merchants, and now he owns three companies.

After doing various jobs upon arriving in California, Fermín Morales wanted to do more, to confirm that his journey from Guatemala hadn’t been in vain and that he could improve his economic situation.

“I decided to save money and went to buy shoes from some Chinese vendors, then I went to the Swap Meet to sell them. I did really well that first time. Each pair of shoes cost me two dollars, and I sold them for five, I sold everything,” says Fermín, now the owner of three shipping companies grouped under the corporation El Quetzal Veloz Inc.

“I continued, and later I set out to open a shoe store in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, my hometown. It was my first investment. I took the shoes from Los Angeles to my country, I would spend 15 days there and 15 days in Los Angeles. That’s how the business started growing. One day I got the idea to open a shipping company between both countries. That’s how Trans HueHue was born, then came Mazatex, and later Hue Hue Pronto. We have six offices in Los Angeles, we pick up packages from Arizona, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Currently, we send six to eight containers every month to Guatemala, it’s a pretty large operation,” says Fermín.

Not everything was easy. It took a lot of perseverance, effort, and hard work.

“I came to Los Angeles at 22 years old. I had a friend who gave me accommodation for a while. I started working at a hospital as a housekeeper, and later developed other jobs. The first days were tough, 15 days after arriving in this country I wanted to go back. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t have many friends. I had to drink beer by myself,” he laughs.

He arrived in 1982 in Los Angeles, where there weren’t many Guatemalans living in the city, and getting leaves to make tamales was a real adventure. In 1987, he was fortunate to benefit from the Amnesty by Ronald Reagan’s government, and from then on, no one could stop him.

After starting his business, the biggest challenge was setting it up. He had some competition, but his business acumen began to attract customers.

“We used to have 30×30 boxes for shipments. But in addition, we would give each customer another 14×14 box for free, nobody did that, the customer left happy and rewarded,” he says.

Fermín was always very positive, knowing that things wouldn’t happen overnight. He had to be persistent. It took him a year to get back on his feet and eight years to start seeing the fruits of his labor. His company is now 25 years old.

A large portion of those early earnings were spent on supplies for the company. They buy their own cardboard and had to purchase vehicles to transport the cargo, not only in Los Angeles but also in Guatemala.

“We are in charge of the entire operation. We don’t rely on third-party companies. In Guatemala, we have an office that handles the distribution of the shipments,” he adds.

The reason for his growth and success is very simple.

“To succeed, you have to be honest. I don’t speak with lies, you have to speak the truth to the customers and the workers,” he says emphatically.

“I thank God for everything, He has helped me move forward, He has kept me. As an entrepreneur, I would like to keep doing many things, always moving forward. Now my son helps me, but I don’t know if I will start other businesses,” he concludes.

Advice:

You have to give it your all
Don’t settle for what you have
Keep moving forward
Be consistent