Professionals who work at Wall Street seem like they have figured out how life works, what with all the numbers they are crunching up — but it’s not entirely true.
Look at Steven Marks, who used to work for one of the top hedge funds at the famous Manhattan spot but left the office for something unexpected.
Steven was just one of the graduates of his batch to have worked for Steve Cohen’s New York team, a huge achievement for the then-23-year-old who grew up in Brooklyn in the ’70s. He also had a rough childhood because his mother, who first gave birth to a blind boy, didn’t want kids anymore.
However, Steven and his twin came along, which is why his mom looked at them as investments. The patriarch left them and got married multiple times.
Obviously, the businessman didn’t grow up to an ideal family, nonetheless, he managed to secure a scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania where he studied business at The Wharton School of Finance. Going back to his stint at Wall Street, it was a pretty big deal.
Many years sitting at his office desk, Steven enjoyed his time. After all, he was able to provide for his family, but when he reached 30, he had an epiphany.
It suddenly came to him that he hated what he was doing and although he loved the pace, the entrepreneurialism, and the flexibility of the job, he knew he wanted to get out of this life. After a few unsuccessful plans, he flew to the Land Down Under to try his luck.
In 2006, a few years after his move to the country, he dipped his toes into the fast-food industry. Once in Australia, he noticed how every Mexican restaurant fell through their promises of delicious food, which was where he got the idea for his business.
So he took everything he had saved from his office job in the United States and, together with his friend Robert Hazan, started Guzman Y Gomez. Steven hired Mexican chefs and staff to take care of the venture.
But it wasn’t easy, especially because there had been so many Mexican restos at the time that offered the same food. So, they also resorted to promos such as free burrito days to help attract customers, and their efforts paid off.
The duo concentrated on building their brand in Sydney, and soon, investors noticed this effort. But he didn’t immediately give in just because people have money, he made sure that they align with his beliefs.
Now, there are over 120 Guzman Y Gomez branches in Australia, Japan, and Singapore.
