What Martinez has been through should serve as an important lesson for anyone who is serious about succeeding in business. When things don't go your way, it's easy just to give up. Real winners, however, simply will not do that. They make their own breaks - in business and in life.
That Martinez came through such a difficult time in the economy to emerge as the head of a successful, growing business might not have surprised those who knew him well. Although he was born into a life he frankly describes as one of privilege, he had to learn early on to take responsibility for himself and his well-being.
"I was born into a tremendously privileged family, not only in economic terms, but also insofar as the love they provided and the examples they set for me," he relates. "But in 1961, when I had just turned 15, that all came to an abrupt end."
The Martinez family were natives of Havana, Cuba, and the establishment of that country was being turned upside down by the revolution led by Fidel Castro. Martinez recalls his family discussing their options: "We could stay in Cuba and live under a system with no freedoms, or we could seek freedom across the water in the United States. My parents chose to take the risk of sending us children here and hoping they would be able to follow later."
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