Dedicated to the Great Albert Castro

A very good friend of mine, the Reverend Albert Castro from Lubbock, Texas, passed away yesterday. Albert, or as I knew him, "Al," is the subject of this blog entry not only because he was a wonderful husband, father, and person, but also because his story serves as an excellent example of how to maintain a successful career- even in the most difficult of times.

I first met Al through the Yellow Pages- he owned a barber shop business and I needed a reliable barber/hairstylist. Through monthly and bi-monthly visits, we got to know each other fairly well; he shared my views on things ranging from basketball to politics. Most importantly, he was an entrepreneur and had been one for quite some time. Being new to the whole owning-a-business arena, Al was one of the only individuals I could turn to when I had a question about running a business. We discussed the ins and outs of launching a new business, online marketing, customer issues- you name it, we discussed it.

Although the hairstyling business was a primary source of income, Al later launched an automotive unlock business, several different online ventures, and a casual dining restaurant/catering service, always running more than one at the same time. Not only did I rely on Al for my originally stated purpose, but he also assisted me with my automobile issues more times than I can remember, and he provided part of the catering for a very important event that I coordinated. In short, I relied on Al significantly for the past decade in a multitude of situations, and through our interactions, I gained a glimpse into what made Al special from my point of view.

And it was this: the Continual Pursuit of Excellence in One's Career.

Every job that Al undertook was done at the highest level of quality and service. Thousands of individuals over the past 10-20 years can attest to this. And not only did Al provide valuable services and do all his jobs to the best of his ability, but as an entrepreneur, he continually sought opportunities to launch new ventures, particular during downturn economic periods such as the ones we have experienced this past decade. Thus, Al's story should be a lesson to anyone who finds themselves down-and-out, particularly in the current economy. Al was willing to pursue multiple employment opportunities, launch businesses in a variety of different industries, and basically do "whatever it took" to be successful. No job was too menial for him, no opportunity too small, and no business too trivial. It was not uncommon for Al to schedule visits to unlock cars in between haircut appointments. He was not averse to being on-call for 24 hours at a time in order to keep his business going. If the business opportunity was legitimate and there was even a chance that it could work, he would consider it and often jump on it. On top of everything else, I find out after his passing that he was also a reverend at local churches. What did this man NOT do???

Now, I ask you: have we done the same? We can apply the following questions to our careers, regardless of whether we are entrepreneurs or not: 

Have we turned down job opportunities because they were not our ideal choices? 

Have we put in 100% effort on our jobs like Al did every day? 

Have we truly lived our lives in a Continual Pursuit of Excellence in One's Career? 

Because I can tell you right now- and anyone who knew Al Castro would say the same- that Al did all of this and more. Every single day. As recently as 4 weeks ago, in an online discussion on a popular forum, responding to someone who said that there were "no jobs available," my response was, "Well, you can always start a business. I've got a friend who has started several businesses, and he has at least two if not more going on right now. And while his operations may not be multimillion-dollar corporations, they make him money and he does an excellent job at all of them." And that referred directly to Al. 

So, others may have Donald Trump, LeBron James, and other famous figures to cite as an example to model; mine is Mr. Al Castro- correction, the Great Reverend Albert Castro- who inspired me to continue my business when I thought of giving it up and who worked harder than anyone I know. His life and career can serve as a positive example for all of us in our own pursuits-of-excellence - in our careers and our lives.

"Albert, que es paz descanse. Muchos gracias por tu amistad y inspiracion."