At 17, Héctor left school after his family lost nearly everything. His first business, a club in the Bosque de Tarango in Mexico City, didn’t work. He later tried real estate in Tijuana, but that failed too. Inspired by a gym in San Diego, he returned to Mexico and launched Sports World, the only Latin American fitness company listed on the stock exchange.

He got funding, including from Zague, but ran out of money before opening. They pushed forward but lost control of the company during an IPO. Then, he was diagnosed with cancer. After recovering, he started FITSI. Today, the business has 18 locations and a $70 million valuation.

“The faster you fail, the better you’re going to,” he said.

He also shared: 

“Ego is a gigantic monster that’s hard to control. But once you do, you start surrounding yourself with people better than you—because you accept you can learn from those right beside you.”