I’m An Entrepreneur Because Of My Mom

happy international women’s day, mom.

By Joe Laresca

There’s no possible way I could encompass what my mom has done for my family and the sacrifices she’s made in a blog post. It probably deserves a book (stay tuned, wink wink), but I wanted to write something down. And, what a better time to do so than on International Women’s Day — because, let me tell you, she is the most baller woman I know. Period.

My mom, Caterina Liliana Larriva Laresca, came to the Big Apple (Brooklyn, to be exact) in 1990 at 16 years old — by herself. Yeah, that’s right. 16, alone, living in New York City.

She didn’t know anybody. She didn’t have a dime in her pocket. Oh, and one more thing, she didn’t speak English.

An entrepreneur isn’t someone who starts a business; it’s a lifestyle. It’s someone who doesn’t take no for an answer, knocks on doors (breaks them down, occasionally), creates their own opportunities, never stops learning, isn’t afraid to take risks, and approaches every single day with a positive mindset — even when life continues to throw you curveballs.

Being a single mom at age 20 in a foreign country seems pretty daunting. As a matter of fact, daunting, probably isn’t the best word.

But, my mom always figured things out. She made things happen — because she is an entrepreneur. It’s who she is.

Here are some short anecdotes on what I mean:

1. She supported my brother Jesse and I by working 3 jobs at 20 years old. She’s now a real estate broker, but she’s sold electricity, water, clean energy, and used to hostess at multiple restaurants to make ends meet.This is where I learned to hustle.
2. She taught herself how to speak English, along with a little bit of Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, and Polish. She listened to every type of music, studied every career there is, and knew “who was who?” at every dinner party. People love that about her. This is where I learned that it always pays off to do your research and know “a little bit of everything.”
3. I once her saw negotiate with a major car dealer. They wanted at least $8,000 as a down payment towards the car she was leasing. We walked out of there without putting a cent down, free tire insurance, and lower monthly payments. This is where I learned people skills and how to negotiate.
4. This next one happened on two occasions. I had gotten a partial scholarship to attend Poly Prep Country Day School, but it definitely wasn’t enough. My mom went directly to the Head of Financial Aid and convinced them that I deserved more. The next day I committed to Poly. Same thing happened with college. As a matter of fact, I remember heading down to college and not being enrolled. This time it was me calling; I called both the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. I’ll never forget sitting in the financial aid office for 3 days straight, convincing them to let me in — but I learned from the best, so same story there. This is where I learned that there’s always a way in.
5. She loves Barbara Corcoran. You know, the real estate mogul who’s a judge on Shark Tank? My mom does real estate. So, what did she do? She emailed Barbara telling her why she should hire her. Barbara didn’t get back, but that’s not the point. This is where I learned why it never hurts to just go for it — even if it’s swinging for the fences.