We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vince Pascua. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vince below.
Hi Vince, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
In October of 2025, I was nominated for the 2025 ILIA Awards (Inclusive Leadership in Action). Each year, RISE seeks nominations from the community of individuals and organizations that are doing the work to make a real difference in the San Diego region. ILIA honorees are selected from these nominations and then announced and celebrated in October at the RISE ILIA Awards event. The awards recognize community members and organizations across eight award categories, which I will only list the category I was nominated for.
Community Change Agent
Honors an individual who has shown dedication and action to make real, sustainable, and systemic change through the creation of innovative programs, policy, platforms, or partnerships. It recognizes the work of assisting the community’s ability to thrive in areas such as education, social enterprise, health and wellness, or advocacy.
This was my recognition of all the things I do for our community to make San Diego safer and more educated on CPR training and awareness. I’ve also collaborated with multiple local organizations to help support small businesses.
Why this was a defining moment for me is because I actually do not know who nominated me for the 2025 ILIA Awards. I told that to my manager and he said, “It’s okay, you train with passion. Someone’s always watching so continue to do what you do!” And that stuck in my head for a while. It is true, I’ve trained with passion since becoming a Medical Instructor at UEI College back in 2014. I was even awarded Instructor of the Year in 2015 because of my passion and dedication.
So going back to the awards ceremony for the 2025 ILIA Awards. When they got to my category, I did not know I was 1 of 40 nominees, I was actually surprised to see that many. So, the announcer got to my category and said only the top 3 were going to be on the big screen. I was 1 of the 3 on that big screen and when I saw my picture up there, I was speechless. I didn’t care that I did not win the award, just being recognized as top 3 was my award. I mean, think about it, I was going up against doctors, engineers, other leaders, non-profit organizations, etc.
I thought to myself, “Continue to lead with passion because someone is always watching!” Doing what I genuinely love to do is priceless, but leading with passion is my purpose. Stop trying to search for your purpose, it’ll find you!
Vince, 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?
If we talk about how BLS Responders started, we’re going to go back to when I was a Medical Assistant Instructor. It is 2014, young Vince the instructor who goes by “Mr. P.” It was just easier so say “Mr. P” instead of people trying to pronounce my last name (Pascua). So part of the curriculum before our students finish their program is to get CPR certified. When it was time for my class to go for their CPR certification, I volunteered to sit and watch to see how the class was taught. During that class, I myself was very interested and engaged, probably more than my students. It sparked a new interest in me and I wanted to become a CPR Instructor as well. Don’t get me wrong, the instructor that taught the class did a great job, but as a young ambitious instructor, I believed that I can do it better. So I immediately spoke to my Director of Education and asked what I needed to do to become a CPR Instructor. I was sent for the instructor course, attended it and got certified. I remember that day I felt like I had a brand new superpower and I wanted to show the world. Let’s fast forward to present day – 12 years total as a CPR Training Instructor with 6 years as my side business. Anytime you want to start a business of some sort, the question that you should always ask yourself is, “How will I be different from the competition?” You really have to take time and think about what it is that people want and like. I thought of how it was to attend a CPR class as a student and how it was to teach a class as an instructor. My personal experiences with this is attending a class, the instructor is a lot more “seasoned” and about to probably retire soon, spoke very monotone, spent 4-6 hours in the class and by the time I left, I hardly remembered anything that was taught because I was trying so hard to stay awake. I didn’t want that for my students and I didn’t want to be that instructor. So I decided that I would be a mobile CPR Trainer because one thing that people want and like, is convenience. Being convenient takes away a lot of stress for us “9-5ers.” I get it, I can related, I know how it feels to work 9-5, get off work and take your kid to soccer practice, get home and figure out what to feed these kids, help with homework that we can barely understand, shower them, put them to bed, spend time with your spouse and then realize its late and you’re only going to get about 4 hours of sleep just to repeat the cycle tomorrow. So a little convenience goes a long way. So now I am going to give you a piece of the pie, I’ll share why this works for me. Being mobile helps especially if you have to bring your child/children somewhere for childcare. That alone alleviates extra expenses. One of my options is that I do house visits/trainings so it is more convenient and we’ll be in a more comfortable environment to maximize engagement and retention of the CPR training. Another option, which is most common, meeting at a park or a nice tourist location, which San Diego has many to offer. Why not enjoy what our city has to offer by being outdoors and walk away with being certified in CPR at the same time. Training at public parks helps when you have kids because we can have training next to the playground in case you don’t have anyone to watch them. So by now, you should have figured out that I do not do anything special. I am understanding of people’s busy lives, I am considerate of my clients’ child/children, not just my client, and I try to be very convenient and adaptable to sudden changes with scheduling. This is what sets me apart from my competition; being a problem solver, having a solution, but most importantly, genuinely caring for others. I am proud to be recognized as a positive role model for our local community members. I love when my name gets disbursed throughout the community and I receive a request for CPR training from a new business/organization/etc. When that happens, I typically hear, “I heard this is a fun CPR class to take” or “I hear that you’re a good CPR instructor.” This is the result of genuine care and passion training others. You wouldn’t fully understand until you actually sat through one of my trainings. When people think of CPR training, I want them to think of my business and myself because I am your local superhero.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I would say being passionate of what you’re trying to do or become, adaptability when things don’t really go as planned, and being tenacious. Being tenacious is a great quality to have because it shows not just you, but people, that you are determined to reach your goal or dream. My advice for people who are in the early stages of their journey is, you have to accept the fact that the people who are supporting you and rooting for you are not always going to be the ones you expect. Try not to advertise what your plans are because not everyone needs to know. You have to feel confident and speak with confidence when you’re trying to market yourself. My reputation was built off of quality training and passion to make San Diego community members feel more confident in knowing what to do if an emergency situation arises.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?
Everything…and I mean everything, was out of my own pocket. In the beginning stage, I thought of my marketing strategy, what would I need to do or have when marketing myself when I am out in public. I started with business cards with my own logo. Then I thought, “How would I get noticed?” So, I put my logo on a t-shirt, long sleeve and hoodie. That led to signage, brochures, etc. Not everyone will have the same thought process, what worked for me, may not work for you. So, I highly suggest coming up with your own marketing strategy and see what necessities and luxuries for your business are. So, for anyone starting off, this is a good starting point to get an idea of how you will fund your business in the beginning stages.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Instagram.com/bls_responders
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/bls_responders
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vince-pascua-9522b162