Long-Time CNM Instructor Writes New Bilingual Entrepreneurship Book

The opening question in Marvin Lozano’s new book aimed at Latino entrepreneurs asks readers to answer the following question: “Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?” It then lists a series of responses that will help someone decide. The two first responses are “Like to solve problems,” and “See things in a new way.”

Those responses are fitting because the book itself does both. Marvin, who was a full-time instructor in CNM’s School of Business & Information Technology for over 25 years (and still teaches part-time), used the book to solve a problem for Latino entrepreneurs who didn’t have resources targeted at them. It also gives the world of entrepreneurship a new way to see the strength of the Latino community.

“At its most basic, I saw an opportunity to create something unique that was really needed,” Marvin says. 

Marvin co-authored the book, which is called “The U.S.-Latino Entrepreneur’s Guide to Balancing Business, Family and Culture,” with his wife Miquela Rivera, Ph.D., who’s a clinical psychologist. It features English text on one page and the same text in Spanish on the opposing page. The idea first came to him after the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce asked him to create a business planning curriculum for their members who spoke Spanish.

That curriculum grew into a full book when Marvin realized there was a lot of material to cover, and that the larger Latino and immigrant community could benefit from entrepreneurial guidance. 

Targeted at people who already own a business and those who want to start one, the book uses many of the same teaching tools you would find in a standard entrepreneurship class, but then takes into consideration the unique characteristics of the Latino community.

For example, family is one of the most important considerations for many Latino entrepreneurs and can influence how a business is run. Marvin says a business owner’s family is often supportive, but their family can also hold an entrepreneur back if they don’t fully understand what it takes to start and sustain a business.

“Family can be a U.S.-Latino entrepreneur’s greatest cheerleaders,” he writes. “If, however, your family or friends are judgmental about your business or insensitive about the challenges you face, keep working toward your goal. It is your dream. Own it, not theirs.”

Ultimately, Marvin says he hopes the book is a useful tool for small businesses here in New Mexico and across the country. As the country continues to struggle with COVID-19, he thinks new business development and small business revitalization will be key to jumpstarting the economy.

“The market needs small businesses, and it needs Latino-owned small businesses,” he says.