We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diego Hurtado a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Diego, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I remember one night of frustration when the business started taking off. All I was thinking about was the business: what else can I do to sell, what else can I do to make connections? The day-to-day operations, all by myself, were getting to me. I think it was the first time I ever felt very, very overwhelmed by the business. I wasn’t seeing any results. I started thinking, “All these hours, all this hard work for no reason. I don’t have much; I live in this small apartment, and for what? I might as well just find a job where I had more free time, at least in the afternoon, because I never have free time in the afternoon or at night.”
I was getting distant from my family and friends, and I thought, “Is it worth it?” Even my relationship with my wife was strained. I used to dream I was working; I used to daydream of more work. In the eyes of regular people, this was not okay. But then, my mindset started shifting. I began to listen to big entrepreneurs like Gary Vee, Andy Frisella, Les Brown. I started reading, searching for an answer to whether what I was going through was okay or not. The answer? It was.
The answer was that in order to succeed, I had to become obsessed with my work, no matter the result. From that point, I understood what it really takes to make it, and it shifted my mind because I never wanted to feel the same. From that moment, I stopped listening to outside people and started to read and listen to people I wanted to become like. They were all right: owning a real business comes with a price, but I prefer that over a regular job, today and always.
Diego, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I remember one night of frustration when the business started taking off. All I was thinking about was the business: what else can I do to sell, what else can I do to make connections? The day-to-day operations, all by myself, were getting to me. I think it was the first time I ever felt very, very overwhelmed by the business. I wasn’t seeing any results. I started thinking, “All these hours, all this hard work for no reason. I don’t have much; I live in this small apartment, and for what? I might as well just find a job where I had more free time, at least in the afternoon, because I never have free time in the afternoon or at night.
I was getting distant from my family and friends, and I thought, “Is it worth it?” Even my relationship with my wife was strained. I used to dream I was working; I used to daydream of more work. In the eyes of regular people, this was not okay. But then, my mindset started shifting. I began to listen to big entrepreneurs like Gary Vee, Andy Frisella, Les Brown. I started reading, searching for an answer to whether what I was going through was okay or not. The answer? It was.
The answer was that in order to succeed, I had to become obsessed with my work, no matter the result. From that point, I understood what it really takes to make it, and it shifted my mind because I never wanted to feel the same. From that moment, I stopped listening to outside people and started to read and listen to people I wanted to become like. They were all right: owning a real business comes with a price, but I prefer that over a regular job, today and always.
If there’s anything more you’d like to adjust or any additional details you’d like to add, feel free to let me know!
Born in Colombia’s beautiful capital city of Bogota. Soccer has always been a part of my life; I developed an early passion for the game. It all began when I was given the opportunity to play for a professional team called Equidad seguros at the youth level. At the time, another door opened and I was able to live the American dream; moving to the United States of America with my family was one of the greatest blessings and yet most difficult decisions I’ve ever made. At the age of seventeen, I had no idea it was the beginning of something monumental. I was able to play at the collegiate level with Thomas University, where I spent four years as one of the program’s top players. My professional soccer career began in 2015 as a member of the illustrious MIAMI UNITED squad. From there, I had the honor of playing for several incredible teams, including the NEW YORK COSMOS, LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC, and FC MILWAUKEE TORRENT, before relocating to New York City to compete and win the 2021 UPSL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP with NEW YORK CONTOUR UNITED. I was able to establish my business in the city during this process.
I am the person I am today as a result of this entire journey; all of the experiences I endured shaped me into the businessman I am today. Desire and devotion produced something far greater than I imagined. Growing up in a though environment where it was just me and my family, I never let my roots die; instead, I chose to let them motivate and influence me to become the man I am today. I wanted to instill a completely new mindset, which I’ve named “ the soccer mentality. A mindset that enables us to cultivate a culture within a brand, a club, and a community, the DIAZA brand
I was born in Colombia’s beautiful capital city of Bogotá. Soccer has always been a part of my life, and I developed an early passion for the game. It all began when I had the opportunity to play for a professional team called Equidad Seguros at the youth level. Around that same time, another door opened, and I got the chance to live the American dream. Moving to the United States of America with my family was one of the greatest blessings, yet also one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made.
At the age of seventeen, I had no idea that this move would mark the beginning of something monumental. I was able to play soccer at the collegiate level with Thomas University, where I spent four years as one of the program’s top players. My professional soccer career began in 2015 as a member of the illustrious Miami United squad. From there, I had the honor of playing for several incredible teams, including the New York Cosmos, Las Vegas Lights FC, and FC Milwaukee Torrent. Eventually, I relocated to New York City, where I competed and won the 2021 UPSL National Championship with New York Contour United. During this process, I also managed to establish my business in the city.
Of course, here’s your text with corrected grammar and some minor refinements for clarity:
I got into the industry of soccer and fashion because those are my two passions combined. And because I am a sales guy, I can sell anything to anybody. Since I was 12, I have been finding ways to make money—selling candies at school, selling compression shirts at my soccer academy because my mom used to make them for me, recording finals and big tournaments for my youth academy and making CDs to sell to parents so they could watch their kids play on TV. That was back in the day.
When I came to the US, I went back to Colombia with Blackberries, shoes, branded clothes, and resold them there. I used to own a portable car wash at my university. I washed cars so I could pay for my books and eat. I worked at a movie theater, selling tickets on the low for a cheaper price so I could make some money to pay for my soccer academy in Miami. I used to sell lollipops in high school here in the US, 1 for 50 cents, 3 for a dollar. I was always on the move, always motivated to meet people, to talk and sell to anybody—all legal.
I had many opportunities and was even recruited by people to sell drugs, but I was always scared of that. My family had big issues with drugs, and I didn’t want to become one of them.
I make jerseys and soccer uniforms for a living. I came up with this cultural concept behind a brand: passion, sacrifice, hard work, resilience, never giving up. That was my life as a soccer player and in real life as well, day to day. I translated that mentality into one word: DIAZA.
We started selling uniforms, and it became this whole fashion brand for soccer, where we sell anything and everything that has to do with clothing. But we do not just sell clothing; we sell an idea, we sell a superpower, we sell the DIAZA mentality.
One of my proudest moments was when I saw Ronaldinho. For those who do not know soccer, he is one of the legends of the game, one of the top players in the world. He came to Miami to play an exhibition game, and we got the honor of sponsoring the event with our brand. I saw Diaza all over the stadium, and when Ronaldinho was wearing the jersey, I was in shock. Then I went upstairs, far from my team, and started tearing up. So much hard work, so much blood and sweat, was finally starting to pay off.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One story that truly illustrates my resilience is rooted in my early days of building the DIAZA brand. Creating jerseys and soccer uniforms wasn’t just a business; it was a passion project grounded in the values of passion, sacrifice, hard work, resilience, and never giving up—values that defined my life both as a soccer player and in real life.
From a young age, I found ways to make money, demonstrating my resourcefulness and determination. I sold candies at school, compression shirts at my soccer academy, and even owned a portable car wash at my university to pay for books and food. When I came to the US, I resold Blackberries, shoes, and branded clothes back in Colombia. I worked various jobs, from washing cars to selling tickets at a movie theater, all while maintaining my focus on soccer and my dream.
One of my proudest and most emotional moments came when Ronaldinho, one of the legends of soccer, came to Miami for an exhibition game. Our brand had the honor of sponsoring the event, and I saw Diaza all over the stadium. When Ronaldinho wore our jersey, I was in shock. I went upstairs, away from my team, and started tearing up. It was a moment that symbolized all the hard work, blood, and sweat finally paying off.
Throughout my journey, I faced numerous challenges and had opportunities to take illegal paths, but I chose to stay on the right side. My family’s struggles with drugs motivated me to be different, and I refused to compromise my integrity. Despite the difficulties and the sacrifices, I remained resilient, driven by the desire to achieve my goals and uphold the DIAZA mentality.
Seeing Ronaldinho wear a Diaza jersey was a testament to my resilience. It validated every hardship and every effort I put into building the brand. This journey, marked by relentless perseverance and unwavering commitment, showcases the true essence of resilience.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
This question is funny for me because I get it a lot, and in reality, I owe all the capital to my mom, which was $4,500 that she had saved up. That was all I had to start the business. People think I had to save thousands of dollars or that someone gave me a huge amount of money to build Diaza, but it wasn’t like that. I just got this money, registered the name, and bought some sewing machines for my family in Colombia, who were making the uniforms for me. Little by little, I started reinvesting all the money into the company, never taking a cent from the company until I became a full-time employee of it. Even now, I still reinvest all our profits.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.diaza.com
- Instagram: @diazafootball
- Facebook: @diazafootball
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/64698229/admin/feed/posts/
- Twitter: @diazafootball
Image Credits
N/A