Ricardo Mora is an El Paso, Texas–based telecom entrepreneur, restaurateur, tech investor, and startup evangelist. His various ventures straddle the U.S. and Mexican markets, and give him a uniquely informed perspective on border politics. Business is better for everyone, he’s found over the years, when companies— and people—on both sides of the border work together.
I was born in El Paso and grew up in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. My dad worked in the maquiladora industry—the large factories just south of the border—in Juárez, and my mom had a salsa bottling company in El Paso. Every day, I would cross the border to go to school in El Paso. Today, I live in El Paso, work mostly in Juárez, and have businesses on both sides of the border.
I got into the mobile-phone business 27 years ago, when I was going to college in El Paso. We were introducing cellphones to people we knew in Mexico—it was a good time to get into the business. Two years later, I dropped out of college and opened a cellphone store in Juárez. We grew that business to 32 stores in Mexico and six in the U.S., and I ended up selling the U.S. business. Eventually, I got involved in restaurants and opened a couple of U.S. franchises of El Taco Tote, a chain that started in Juárez.
This story is from the July - August 2019 edition of Inc..
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July - August 2019 edition of Inc..
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
7 Ideas : Sheila Johnson
The iconic founder of BET and Salamander Collection draws inspiration from basketball courts and symphony halls.
What's Eating Steve Ells? What Steve Ells is Eating
The founder of Chipotle wants to shake up the restaurant industry again, this time with robot kitchens and plant-based food.
5 Team Player
How Stephen Curry, the NBA’s greatest shooter ever, assembled an all-star business team that wins on social mission as much as money.
Regionals BLAZING A TRAIL TO THE INC. 5000
We're a nation of competitors. Always have been-from the sharp-elbowed scramble for land unleashed by the Homestead Act to the improbable televised spectacle that is the American Cornhole League.
The Cult of the Entrepreneur and How to Avoid It
Imperious, infallible, and fawned over by employees and customers: Don't fall for it. You can succeed without being an asshole.
Insta-Worthy RetailEverything, Everywhere, All at Once
How the designer behind some of today’s buzziest businesses lands in-person experiences that are too good not to gram.
Sallie Krawcheck
On battling burnout, insomnia, and the loneliness of being a WFH CEO.
Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia Is Betting on a New Wave of Design-Led Startups
The former chief product officer of Airbnb helps set the vision for Veeraj Chugh’s high-end webcam startup, Opal Camera.
Be Cool. Or Not
How the creators of one of the most influential brands of the past decade learned that cool is in the eye of the beholder.
Yes, You Can Break Free of Your Brand
People change. Interests evolve. The Cupcake Queen learned that firsthand.