Launched earlier this year, the Business Leaders Speaker Series invites industry professionals and entrepreneurial leaders to share their insights and perspectives on current business trends and leadership challenges.

 

In his talk, Alberto highlighted that the essence of entrepreneurship lies in creating new experiences, challenging established norms, and offering society something genuinely new to believe in. This process, he noted, not only drives innovation but also fuels personal and professional growth by providing a renewed sense of purpose.

 

Reflecting on his own entrepreneurial journey, Alberto recounted the early days of building Emerald Hospitality Group with his twin brother in 2018. Their first major setback - hiring too many chefs before validating customer demand - strained resources and tested their confidence, prompting them to reassess their early assumptions. However, through persistence and reflection, they transformed that failure into a turning point. Within six months, the restaurant became profitable, illustrating how adaptability and reflective learning under uncertainty are central to entrepreneurial progress. Alberto candidly observed that “the hardest moments come at the beginning. Uncertainty becomes the new normal, failure is common, and the constant pressure to sell - yourself, your vision, your ideas - can feel relentless. In those moments, loneliness hits hard, and progress always takes longer than you think.”

 

He concluded with a message to aspiring entrepreneurs: embrace networking, remain open to failure, and see every challenge as an opportunity to grow.

 

Beyond his personal story, Alberto’s reflections underscored a fundamental principle of entrepreneurship: learning through iteration. His journey illustrates that progress rarely follows a linear path; rather, it emerges from continuously testing ideas, adapting, and reframing setbacks as opportunities for growth.