Jumping from a plane in the Army and the shoot doesn't open. Nearly going broke and having to move the family in with the parents -- for three years -- while he worked things out with suppliers. Two heart attacks and cancer. When these things happen, as they did to South Florida's ultra-successful serial entrepreneur Miguel "Mike" Fernandez, "you start valuing your life," he said at the Miami Herald Small Business Forum's keynote address Thursday.
Along the way, Fernandez, who came to this country from Cuba as a child and never finished college, has founded and sold 11 businesses. He currently has six, all debt free, and is chairman of MBF Capital Partners, a private equity fim focusing on healthcare services. "We buy things that are broken, we fix them and we sell them." (Photo of Fernandez by Peter Andrew Bosch/Miami Herald Staff)
Tweets flew as he spoke -- people in the audience of 175 or so in FIU's College of Business Complex were inspired and greatly admired his passion. Some commented on how humble he came across, despite his super-wealth, as he told story after story, speaking from the heart. Though he could slow down, he said: "I love what I do, I am passionate about what I do." He says he works just as hard as he always did, but "probably smarter." Great leadership begins with you, he said. "You've got to believe your own BS. Live it, dream it, see it, believe it" he said, adding high ethical values are very important. More advice: Surround yourself with smarter people than you. He recommended the book "Tell to Win" about using story-telling strategically in leadership.
His mantra and screen saver says it all: Achieving SUPER Results: Sacrifice + Urgency + Passion + Execution = Results.
Now Fernandez says he is more in the give-back phase of his life, and his philanthropic efforts are centered on healthcare and education. He admitted that it took a while to fully get on board with this, and credits his Jewish friends as role models. "The more you give, the more you get."
Read an earlier profile of Fernandez and other South Florida serial entrepreneurs by my colleague Ina Paiva Cordle here. And look for Ina's coverage of the Forum in Monday's Business Monday.