You were one of the really nice guys in the competition. In fact, some might say that you tried too hard to please everyone. Do you think that was a mistake?
I truly believe that you have to respect others in order to succeed in life. I take pride in the fact that I was myself on the Apprentice. When it comes down to my legal profession, I have to be aggressive and that does not always work in a business environment because you run the risk of alienating your co-workers.
Do you have to be hard nosed to make it in business?
I think that you definitely need to find a balance between being hard-nosed and too soft when it comes to business. Diplomacy does not always work. Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, I learned early on that you have to be tough if you want to rise to the top.
How big a factor was the dispute with Brent in the loss? In general, Brent was a big distraction. Just imagine that you did not get to see 99% of his antics during the show. The problem is that you have to keep your eye on the prize and we lost focus because we were so concerned with Brent. There were a lot of problems with the task and a lot of them had nothing to do with Brent. The dispute between Brent and Stacy was just the icing on the cake.
Who should we look out for in the weeks ahead? I only got to work with Synergy and I think that Andrea is someone that is very impressive. She is a self-made multi-millionaire and a savvy businesswoman. On top of that, she is a great person. The whole group is very talented though. I would not be surprised to see any one of them make it to the top.
What did you take from your experience on The Apprentice? I learned that I have the most supportive group of family members, friends, and co-workers. My law firm, Akerman Senterfitt, is not only the biggest firm in Miami, but also the most amazing group of people I have ever worked with. I also learned that the Cuban community really embraces its young up-and-comers. The community has really embraced me with open arms. It is because of this support that I am launching www.ElTikiTiki.com, which is the first-ever online attempt to connect the large network of Cuban-Americans in this country. It is going to be an amazing success.
