Sep 9, 2021
Mario Sagastume, an acclaimed shoe designer who started his career creating innovative million-dollar-selling footwear collections, working for brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, is our guest in this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. We compare notes on the experience of working in Corporate America, feeling like you are on a pathway to success and compelled to dive into entrepreneurship when everything comes to a sudden halt due to the economy. Mario candidly discusses hitting rock bottom and relying on his creative talents and tight-knit network of family and friends to start his own painting and design company. In true Latino fashion, his mother-in-law offered up her house for him to practice everything from faux finishes to installing moldings. He masters it all. It wasn’t easy to pursue his craft and design his own shoe line, but he was determined to never give up on his dreams. Today he owns a patent for a versatile paintbrush that will be hitting the market soon, his painting business is booming, and Sagastume branded footwear launched with a fresh new twist to athletic shoes.