Sueño millonario: The Story of Fernando Cortés, the Man of Tools

Sueño Millonario shares the story of Fernando Cortés.

Fernando arrived in the U.S. in 1998 intending to make a better life for himself.

He openly admits that he came to the country illegally and that it was not easy to do so.

The story of Fernando Cortés reflects the concept of dedication. A man originally from the state of Morelia, Michoacán, he made a long walk to reach the United States. Cortés recounts that this walk was very tough.

Some of his companions could not endure the journey and needed help because their feet were blistered. Some did not manage to cross.

Upon his arrival in the country, he settled in Georgia because a childhood friend spent Christmas with him in Mexico, which sparked his interest in leaving the country. Since his friend had family in that state, they offered him a place to stay.

Although relatives have hinted that he should move to states where they are, Fernando decides to stay in Georgia because he feels that it is a state with an abundance of work and later moves to other places.

The Story of Fernando Cortés

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When he began working, it was at a hotel in downtown Georgia. He cleaned kitchens, floors, and utensils. His shift started at 10 p.m. and ended at 6 a.m. with an hour break.

Regarding his weekly hours, he covered 48 hours and the salary was $525 biweekly, with two days off per pay period.

However, luck led him to the automotive field. In 2001 his friends asked him to check their cars because they knew he liked it and also knew about the subject.

His father gave him a piece of advice to learn a trade, saying that if he knew one, he could perform it anywhere he went. Due to his love for mechanics, his decision was clear.

The Job That Started It All

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A mattress manufacturing company hired him as a driver. During one of his errands, a tire broke down, and the company told Fernando to go to a workshop to have it repaired.

When he arrived at that place, he expressed his interest in taking up that trade again. During the interview, a question arose.

The workshop manager asked if he knew English, to which he replied yes, as he had taken classes before. That helped him get the opportunity.

The manager hired him more for being bilingual than for any knowledge Cortés might have. Now the manager could communicate more easily with other people in the workshop who did not know or understand the language.

His Own Mechanic Workshop

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Fernando worked for this workshop for 7 years. During this time, the owner told him he needed to have his own tools to work. He advised him to acquire his equipment little by little.

Cortés followed the advice, although his colleagues also helped him while he was acquiring his own materials.

In 2007, he decided to start his own business and found a small space in a local area for rent. He emphasizes that thanks to the work experience he had, this was possible.

Example: he already knew how to get auto parts, negotiate with customers, manage, etc. That, in his words, made all the difference.

Challenges to Overcome

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At first, he only worked with one car in the workshop. The challenges were many.

Since he had no agreement with any mechanical parts company, he had to go look for the part himself, which represented time he had to invest.

Another challenge was that customers couldn’t take the car to the workshop, so he had to go get the car, which, like the previous point, represented time.

Because of situations like this, he couldn’t work on many cars at once, which was reflected in fewer earnings. He could only fix 2 to 3 cars a day.

American Dream

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Over time, he gained more clients and needed more space. The workshop rented him more space, but when the time passed, it was forced to close.

Fortunately, Fernando was able to buy the entire workshop and kept it. He mentions that dedication is fundamental to achieving goals and believes that this helped him get the location.

Today he shares with Sueño Millonario that he has an excellent work team and has the capacity to attend to up to 12 cars. His clients are individuals and companies.

Fernando Cortés advises those who want to achieve success to be dedicated, know their objectives, like what they do, and persist, because if those ingredients do not exist, it will be difficult to achieve what they want.