FEATURE
Heart of an Entrepreneur
Augusto Sanabria Follows His Passion as the Leader of Prospera BY MEAGHAN BRANHAM
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ugusto Sanabria’s advice to business owners is cliché, he admits, but that doesn’t make it any less true: “They say that when you work in your passion, you never really work a day in your life.”
And he would know. The president and CEO of Prospera has been testing that theory for nearly two decades in his work at the nonprofit, which provides bilingual assistance and resources to Hispanic entrepreneurs. “Every part of my life, from how I grew up, to my journey to the U.S., to my journey into entrepreneurship, is proof that helping small businesses in our community is a passion of mine,” Sanabria said. “I'm still extremely passionate about the future and the ideas I have for the organization.” When Sanabria first joined Prospera, the Spanish word for “thrives,” one of his first business ventures was facing some hardships. “I was buying primarily industrial products in the U.S. and had a friend who would distribute them in El Salvador and other places in Central America. When the price of oil skyrocketed, we went out of business as people started buying products from cheaper alternative sources.” He started the business while attending the University of Central Florida and was just about to graduate with his Bachelor of
16 NOVEMBER 2021 | i4Biz.com
Science in Business Administration when his path intersected with that of an employee of Prospera, then known as the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund. “She was teaching part-time at the university, and she suggested I come and intern for them. At the time, I thought it would be cool to learn about different businesses, hear the ideas people had and help them navigate the things I had already gone through.” Eighteen years later, having been promoted to president and CEO in 2009, Sanabria is still helping those entrepreneurs on their journeys. “Our job is to help immigrant entrepreneurs from Latin American countries, or citizens coming from Puerto Rico, with the language barrier and blocks to understanding how to do business in the U.S.” Growing up in Argentina and then El Salvador as the child of two business owners, Sanabria saw firsthand the struggles entrepreneurs face. His father was the owner of a Volkswagen dealership that focused on heavy equipment, trucks and machinery. His mother started several businesses, including a retail shop, a clothing store and eventually an Argentinian restaurant she opened with Sanabria’s sister in El Salvador. “I saw the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said of watching his parents' endeavors. “It
“Maybe I’m a little biased, but I believe we live in the best region of the U.S., in the best country in the world.” — Augusto Sanabria
