We were lucky to catch up with Alejandro Sanoja recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alejandro, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

Being an immigrant and introvert in a country that values extroversion as one of the top professional traits is like playing a video game in “hard mode.”

When I moved to the US to attend an MBA program, it wasn’t because I had always planned to attend graduate school.

I was a below-average student for most of my life.

And I certainly did not fit the mold of what America would define as a good professional.

I attended graduate school as a path to escape a dictatorship regime.

Venezuela was, and still is, going through some of the worst socioeconomic challenges our continent has ever seen.

Inflation levels of one million percent
GDP drops by more than 30% in one year
A refugee crisis with more than 20% of the population leaving the country

I had no choice but to move forward because returning to Venezuela was not an option.

On top of that, if I failed and had to go back, my mother was waiting for me with a chancla in her hand.

So I had to make it happen.

During the very first week of the MBA program, I learned that hard skills and good grades are not enough.

We must have soft skills.

Basically, you have to become an extrovert if you want to succeed in America as a professional.

I started reading and learning about networking, public speaking, and influence as much as possible.

The critical difference between what most immigrants and introverts do and what I did was putting that knowledge into action.

I did everything possible to learn these so-called “soft skills.”

And it worked. I graduated at the top of my class as the Outstanding MBA Student.

But I was exhausted.

There had to be a better way to have a successful career without depleting ourselves by playing by the extroverts’ rules.

David was able to beat Goliath because he used a slingshot. The story would have been different if he had engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

The personal brand I built during those years in business school has helped me attract opportunities such as being invited to speak at events conducted by some of the most prestigious organizations and institutions in the United States of America, such as the Texas Lyceum and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

And this happened because I realized that we can level the playing field with content.

We can get the recognition we deserve as professionals without wearing an extrovert mask.

Alejandro, 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’m Alejandro Sanoja, founder of Latinpresarios.

I’m a consultant, speaker, professor, TEDx and bilingual speaker, and an award-winning MBA. I also serve as adjunct finance faculty in the Bauer Executive MBA program. My work sits at the intersection of personal branding, thought leadership, storytelling, and professional positioning.

At the core of it, I help accomplished professionals turn their expertise into influence so they can attract the opportunities they deserve.

My path into this work was very personal.

As an introverted immigrant, I often felt like I did not fit the mold of what people expected a successful professional to look or sound like. For a long time, that felt like a disadvantage. Over time, I realized that the answer was not to copy someone else’s style, but to build a professional identity around my actual strengths.

Once I learned how to communicate my value with more clarity, confidence, and consistency, I started attracting opportunities that had previously felt out of reach. That journey shaped both my philosophy and my business.

Today, through Latinpresarios, I help leaders clarify their narrative, strengthen their positioning, and build a personal brand that opens doors.

Depending on the client, that can include personal brand strategy, messaging, LinkedIn positioning, thought leadership planning, ghostwriting, content strategy, podcast tours, and helping them show up more powerfully in rooms that matter. The mission of the brand is simple: to help purpose-driven leaders become trusted, influential voices in their industries without relying on hype, ads, or inauthentic marketing.

The problems I solve are often deeper than marketing problems.

Many of my clients are highly capable, but they struggle to differentiate themselves, get recognized, speak about their work with confidence, or create a clear and sustainable content strategy. Some are burned out. Some know they are excellent at what they do but feel invisible. Others are doing great work, but their message is not landing with the people who need to hear it.

I help them close that gap between the value they bring and the way the market perceives them.

What sets me apart is that I do not see personal branding as performance. I see it as alignment. The goal is not to manufacture an image. The goal is to help people communicate who they really are, what they really do well, and why it matters in a way that builds trust. My work is especially meaningful for people who have felt overlooked, underestimated, or pressured to become someone else in order to succeed. I understand that experience personally, and I think that gives me both empathy and precision in the way I serve clients.

I’m most proud of building a brand and body of work that helps people lead with more purpose, clarity, and confidence. I’m proud that my work has grown through trust, teaching, speaking, and real transformation. I’m also proud that Latinpresarios has evolved into a platform focused on helping Hispanic leaders and other purpose-driven professionals become people others trust, follow, and invest in.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

ne of the clearest examples of resilience in my journey was learning how to turn what once felt like disadvantages into the foundation of my work.

As an international student and an introvert, I had to navigate a new culture while also figuring out how to communicate my value in spaces that often reward the loudest voice in the room. That experience eventually led me to build Latinpresarios and focus on helping others strengthen their personal brand and visibility in an authentic way.

What I’m most proud of is that I did not build this work by pretending to be someone else. I built it by leaning into who I already was, refining my voice, and using that experience to help others who feel overlooked or underestimated. For me, resilience has looked less like one dramatic moment and more like consistently turning adversity into service, purpose, and impact

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Absolutely. I still remember the first time I sold a $10,000 contract because, at the time, that number felt enormous to me. I had never said a price like that out loud with real conviction, so before the call I literally practiced in front of the mirror for days, repeating the number again and again until I could say it without flinching. I was nervous, I was in my head, and part of me was afraid the client would laugh, push back, or disappear.

But what I realized in that moment was that the real challenge was not the client believing in the value, it was me fully believing in it first.

That moment changed me. Today, through Latinpresarios, I help clients strengthen their positioning, visibility, and authority, and I now consistently close annual deals in the $50,000 to $100,000 range. What once felt impossible became normal, but only after I learned that charging more is often less about sales tactics and more about identity, conviction, and communicating value clearly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://latinpresarios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulbusiness/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandrosanoja/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@latinpresarios4725