The paucity of research on minority entrepreneurship caught my attention. I followed a less traveled research path that led to 3 groundbreaking books namely: Hispanic Latino Entrepreneurship, African American Entrepreneurs, and Native American Entrepreneurs. The grueling journey took me to uncharted research territories offering unfamiliar stories and ideas. I interviewed hundreds of minority entrepreneurs across North America over several years to learn, find solutions, and inspire others. These were some of the voices I heard:
Hispanic Latino Entrepreneur: “I believe that everything happens for a reason. If things were easier, I would not be as passionate in my work. Challenges make you stronger. They push you to improve what you do. I enjoy challenges. I believe without struggles, I couldn’t figure out my way.”
African American Entrepreneur: ”Start-up stages are difficult, because of limited opportunities available to people like me. Big cities offer more, such as Atlanta, New York, LA, Cleveland and Detroit.”
Native American Entrepreneur: “I faced lots of challenges. I think everyday is a new challenge. I overcame majority of challenges by not giving up and quitting. I developed a strong mentality where there is no other choice but to move forward and adapt. I struggled with the lack of financial knowledge. I’m not sure if it’s a racial thing.”
I applied lessons from these books in courses I taught and companies I advised. As a result, hundreds of students learned from it, many companies were helped and thousands of readers were educated and inspired.

In my quest for entrepreneurial excellence, I learned the importance of “educational mindfulness” or heightened awareness and sensitivity to others and environment. This can be achieved in 5 key ways:
Inspire others – research and teach in innovative ways to inspire students. In courses I taught, challenging students to create genuine global branding strategies for Ecuador and Liberia inspired them to accomplish amazing project results.
Uphold the highest standards –offer the best of yourself to others. Upholding the highest standards in teaching, scholarship and service leads to meaningful and profound contributions to multiple stakeholders.
Embrace diversity and inclusion – my minority entrepreneurship research made me realize how much I do not know and how fascinating knowledge in uncharted and unfamiliar areas can be. By uncovering value and leveraging what I learned, I enhanced understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion in the classroom, the community and for readers worldwide.
Perform for impact – I constantly hone my knowledge and skills to stay current and relevant. I authored/edited 9 books on technology and business including: The AI Leader, Global Business Intelligence, and Digital Entrepreneurship and the Global Economy. While challenging, these initiatives provided me an opportunity to make an impact. Similarly, my courses produce real life strategic plans to help companies and countries.
Practice global citizenship – in class projects for Ecuador and Liberia, the students planned to help the countries boost export, improve tourism and attract investments. The projects taught students the intricacies of doing business overseas, heightened cross-cultural appreciation and inspired global citizenship.

My plan is to continue using entrepreneurship as a pathway to diversity, inclusion and global citizenship and further expand the application of “educational mindfulness.” These are some current plans:
Thought leadership (thinking) – I am currently editing a pioneering book with Routledge titled “Technology Entrepreneurship: Perspectives in Science and Engineering.” The goal is to merge research and expert viewpoints to help scientists and engineers successfully develop entrepreneurial ventures. I am collaborating with over 25 academics and experts worldwide. Another book I’m editing is titled “Digital Leadership: Concepts and Cases.” With Edward Elgar as publisher, the book is poised to be the key reference source in digital leadership.
Passion for diversity and inclusion (feeling) – with extensive research on minority entrepreneurship completed, my plan is to utilize the book findings to create training programs for Hispanic Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans. In collaboration with Centers for Entrepreneurship, the findings can be used for government policy changes and to rally for additional support for minority entrepreneurs worldwide.
Performance learning (doing) – my Global Business Strategy classes are currently working on two projects to help Mexican companies successfully enter the US market. One company is the largest Mexican seeds company, and the other is the largest Mexican storage and warehousing company. These projects are pro bono. Aside from building international goodwill, they are designed to train students to learn by doing actual market research, report preparation and business consulting. Discussions are underway for class projects that will help two African countries develop global branding strategies.