Angel Alvarez helped build a $1.5 billion organization. But his most important lessons came when the life he had carefully built suddenly changed.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Angel came to America following the Castro revolution. He eventually entered corporate America, learned how large companies build new ventures, and used those lessons to launch his own business. What began as the 48th competitor in its field grew over three decades through acquisitions, organic growth, and a willingness to think bigger.
Then Angel’s wife was diagnosed with stage-three bladder cancer.
He stepped away from his role as CEO to care for her. Nine months later, she passed away. Angel was left grieving the loss of his wife while also facing life outside the company he founded.
In this conversation, Angel shares how faith helped him overcome fear, what building a major company required, and why success always carries a cost. He also explains how he rebuilt his life around family, faith, and the things that cannot be measured in dollars.
This episode is an honest conversation about ambition, identity, grief, leadership, and the danger of assuming we will always have more time.
Chapters:
00:00 Faith and the absence of fear
00:41 Angel’s journey from Cuba to America
02:14 Learning entrepreneurship inside corporate America
03:10 Finding the courage to start a business
04:31 Growing from the 48th competitor to a $1.5 billion organization
06:03 Losing his wife and stepping away as CEO
08:36 Becoming an intentional father and grandfather
10:19 The difference between valuable and priceless
11:31 The search for purpose after success
13:02 Advice for busy executives and entrepreneurs
15:47 What Angel wishes he had done earlier
The 100X Podcast is sponsored by Anchor Investments, whose mission is to build America’s most generous real estate company.
Learn more at https://anchorinv.com
