Shakin' Hands

Ep. 76 | The Business of Better Habits Through Recycling - Andrés Iglesias

• Jack Moran • Season 1 • Episode 76

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Jack sits down in Panama City with Andrés Iglesias, founder of Convierte Panamá, a zero-landfill recycling company focused on transforming both waste systems and mindsets. He traces the spark back to traveling the country, witnessing pollution, and deciding to build a service that keeps material out of landfills while educating people to change behavior. The conversation delves into partner selection, alignment, loyalty, and emotional maturity, as well as the importance of prioritizing peace over hype or quick profit, and why protecting your peace matters more than rebuilding a broken business. Beyond the company, Andrés leads one of Panama’s biggest run clubs and also runs and performs with Brunchcast Music as a DJ, channeling community and culture into his work. He reframes fear as a growth signal and explains how sales is purposeful storytelling, clarifying the problem, who it’s for, and the why. 


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Welcome to Shakin’ Hands, where we provide the platform for entrepreneurs and thought leaders to share their stories in order to hopefully influence others to get out of the rat race and chase their own dreams. If you have any recommendations for guests or questions that you want to be asked, please don't hesitate to reach out. Anyways, if you enjoy the podcast, please like, comment, subscribe and share in order to keep the podcast growing. Otherwise, I'm your host, Jack Moran and this is Shakin’ Hands. I have the same questions. What are your pros and cons of being an entrepreneur? And the last one I take? What do you think is the key to drive sales in the organization? Yeah. So yeah, I, I like I try to maybe, maybe I going to have my cell phone here because like I told you, I don't have a perfect English. And I was like, okay, it's going to be my first podcast ever in English. That's guy over area. And I already do like 2 or 3. Because, I have I can say that, degree it's not like a degree. I have, like a certification. Yeah. Of public speaking. I already I, I did that in January because I always are speaking with a lot of people. A lot of a lot of people. This weekend I was in, doing, conference, for 500 people. Well, yeah, for a university. Who did you do the public speaking with, or was it, it's a guy here. You can do a podcast. Quando? Yeah, we had him on the podcast. He's the man. He's the man? Yeah. Yeah, he's my brother. Yeah. He's, We were dancing in this sort of thing, in, in, party in the mountains. Yeah. So it's very. To Santa. Yeah. He was there. He was undressed. I know that you were. You were going to be here. And now let's dance. And one day is my fucking friend. Yeah, well, I do, a certification with him. Improve me. I love how to to to being, nonpublic stuff. So right now I'm doing very good work in his Spanish ways. Yeah. Of course. So I'm going to try to do my best. And thank you for being like, give me the invitation to here. Absolutely. Now we're happy to have you. Well, to start like, what's your business? Okay. We're ready. Sorry. We started. Oh my God. Yeah. Because I was thinking that you're going to do like then now the introduce or we used to do the introduction. Yeah. But then people get like scared. Yeah. No. And then they, they like talk differently. So it's already been going for ten minutes now, you know. Okay. 30 minutes now. So it just makes it more smooth and easier transition. But but yeah I mean like free flow. There's no pressure on me sitting here drinking coffee hanging out. Yeah. You can if you got to look at your phone. Yeah. Yeah. Because I have my, my workers, doing their job. So when my workers ask me for something. Give me a second. Oh, good. For money. That's how it usually goes, right? Yeah. No one's ever calling you to give you money. You got to call them. Yeah, and that's right. Give me a second. I need to refocus, because maybe I can save money that you don't need. We're getting to see the businessman in action. You know? Yeah. Listo. So. Well. Thank you. Thank you again for for for this opportunity for me, to be in a YouTube channel. I see your your your YouTube channel last night, I feel like. Oh, yeah. He's Luke. Great. I like the introduction. Everything. So happy to be here. My name is Andrés Iglesias. And to bring you, like, all my life, boy star, like being in business when I have, 18 years old. I'm a lawyer. I'm a lawyer. I have, degree in management. And I start my first business ever. I started to make, soccer league, you know, soccer league, for university. If you do understand something, you can ask me. Okay, I understand for sure. Well, I that's one of my first ever, company, was doing the league on the organization, looking for sponsors. The university paying to me to build all the delay, and then I like it because in my first year, I have 18, 18 years old, and in my first year I make, 880K 80 K 80 K in my in my first year. Hell yeah, 18 year. Let's go. Because the sponsors und only with the university pay me the the, you know the the ticket for go to the league. Only with that budget was, tricky. How do you spend it? Well, a lot of partying. No, no, no, of course, of course. They they have the costs. Now, you know, we need to be, I, we need to give the, players. The players, the the the forms, the uniforms. We we need to pay the the stadiums everything. But for me, was like, first time everything, in a bank account to see dollar amount of money. Hell, yeah. So I love, that project. But in 2022, I say to my partners, I want to get out and to do another things. Things maybe I love more to do. And then I was traveling in the country. I travel a lot in my country. I love, I love to to travel in my country and to see what you can do more. You know what? You can do more for your country and create something that is special. So I was traveling and doing some donations in a very in a cities that are very poor. And I see people like leaving in the garbage. So. Well yeah. So that give me a message. I need to do something with the garbage I don't love. I don't like the people. I don't like the people who I see to be, living in, in the garbage stuff like, like their houses, you know, and that's not their fault. Is my fault. Because what I'm doing with my garbage, what I'm doing, I'm doing the correct way. If if I, if I'm not doing anything. So the garbage are going to be with everyone, you know, in the only in the oceans, in the streets, everywhere. So. And I give me the message, I need to do something. And I build my company. It's called convert in Spanish. We will love. We love the mindset that we can transform everything in, in, in the persons. So the garbage, everything in the mind and in the mindset of the person. So we can change the way that the people management here with garbage. So the company, we have trucks, we have people working, but we don't put any garbage in the landfill. Nothing. We recycling everything. We recycle everything. We try to, to do. I can say that in, in English like, to, to, with the truth. I can say, you try to build, what, with the food. Well, we will compost. Compost. Thank you. Yeah, we do compost with the food. So every, every guy like that, that we collect, we don't put in the landfill. And that, purpose give us right now to be in, like, 16, six, zero 16. Yeah. 16 buildings in city, 60, 60, 60 buildings in the city right now. That we we do the service and 60 companies in Panama. And the biggest company we have, Samsung Panama, we have Pandora, banks, we have this building, we have a lot of good clients that they love. The way we we manage when the garbage. How did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? Well. Or why did you want to be an entrepreneur? Well, I don't know how how I, like, I would like I would try to, but if I can say something, I see my brother. We are no like, a family of, like, a rich family, you know? But I have some uncles, especially my brother that he's very success. He's very success on how he did it. How did he do the the work and the money? And I was saying, like he a kid because he's very he's old now. He, like, he's go to the 50. To the 50, he have 47 years old, you know. So I was sitting my brother like, he have our construction company. He was the lawyer. He have a lot of restaurant here in Panama. So I was like, I want to be like, like him. And then, while doing my stuff, of course. So I see that, and I try to make my ideas make it real, and that's all. What's the biggest challenge that you've encountered thus far as an entrepreneur? Well, I going I going to do the same you because I prepare this this answer. I, I went to see you like exactly what I, what exactly? Prepare for this. Let me let me show you. Well. Like, the biggest lesson that I learned in this is be extremely careful with who you decide to build something with. I have been in business. Including my great one, where things get really hard because of internal conflict with partners. It doesn't matter how good the idea is. If you learn, if the learn behind is no alienate, alienate. Aligned align. Yeah. Thank you. You can fall apart. At the beginning I draw. Passion was enough. Now I know the values, the communication, angular and the sure long term visions are even more important. So if I can, if I go back, go back like the most. The lesson, most value I learn is take time choosing your partners. One wrong partner can destroy years of work for me. And one more thing is, right now, every idea I want to contract to, to make, I try to be very, very dedicated to know you, who you are. Where are your your values? So if I like it, if in the. In a good way. Lives are good. Yeah. If device are good device check. We can do your business. So that's really important. And a lot of people, even myself my first business that I started, first successful business that I started, I got into a conflict with partners that I didn't know very well that were injected within the company through my first investor. And yeah, as a young kid, I wanted I was eager to get investment. So this guy was going to give me $50,000. Oh my God, when I'm 22 years old and I'm like, where do I sign? And so part of that deal was to inject two partners into the company. And when I came down to Panama, they tried to steal the business. And so, I learned, you know, through that process, how important it is and, and how imperative it is to be diligent about the people that you choose to work with. But I think that what people are curious about is how do you determine if a person has the qualities, of a good partner and how do you my question is, how do you determine if somebody is worth doing business with? For me? And, where we're talking right now is like the experience that every entrepreneur, I think, close to 100, they feel that like this is experience for every entrepreneur in the life. So what's your, watch out with who you work? Because I have to. I had to business. It get destroy for the internal and conflicts with the partners. I had, a club here in Panama, in Casco Viejo and, we make we were making a lot of money. A lot of money. But for internal conflicts, fights, the business get destroyed. Got this right. So for me right now is I need to know you. And you need to know me, too. Because maybe we can be friends. Like a good friends. We can go to party. We can drink whatever you want. But all in all, no, your friends are for business. And that's true. You can love your friend. Laugh with all my heart. But. But I cannot make a business with you. Is not. Is. Is not because I don't love you or I. I don't know you, but I know your way of work and I like it. I respect that by I like it. So the values, the way you work. We have the, the the same share options in the long term if you can give me or we can imagine, I can say that, we can like my ideas and your idea put together. Connect or connect. Yeah. Operate or collaborate in a strong way. The most for me, the most important thing is protect my back. Even if I know with you, even if you are another country. Loyalty, loyalty. Because for all my partner with. I'm working who I give 100% my loyalty. Even if I am in another country, even if I, doing the business with with another guys, I always say, yeah, okay, but I have my partner here, even in Panama. I need to to talk to him first. Let me I don't know, let me let me give you the idea, and then I come back to you. But I don't make decisions, on my own if I have partners. So loyalty values share long visions. The way of work for me is the perfect combination to be a good partner to work with. And it's. This is such a powerful lesson that you're talking about. And something that I pay attention for is when people in those early discovery meetings, when you're building that relationship with the person, if they their whole focus is money. That is a big red flag for me. Because if your top priority is money, that means that loyalty, that the relationship, that trust are secondary to that money. So although if the money is not in the way they might be loyal, they might be trust, trustworthy, they might have the work ethic, but when there's the option for more money, that's when you start seeing them go sideways. And so I think when you meet people that prioritize values and they prioritize the relationship, and that's why they're doing business. For those people, the money is secondary. So they will never impact or affect that loyalty or that relationship in exchange for money. And those are the types of people to pursue a business with. And when you talk about, like doing business with friends, it's a lot different social dynamics when you're in a and like in a social setting versus when you're in a business setting, where in business you have to have such strong emotional intelligence, where you are able to suppress your ego, to push the business forward. That's where a lot of people like your friends, they haven't learned how important that is in business. They're not even aware of it. And so when these ego dynamics come into the business, they are unable to suppress that ego. And that ego shines through in the business. And it and it slows the business down and can cause those conflicts. I want to say something, am I what are you saying? I hear this question before I'm going to say, you know, like a departure or for success for me. I'm going to to to rate it. Well, to define success for you. Yeah. Yeah. It's about something that you were talking okay, for me, entrepreneur entrepreneurship is not just about making money. It's about building something meaningfully meaningful. Meaningful. Thank you. The reflects who you are. You need to. You need to be a success. Yeah. Okay. Yes. With improving learning, falling, adapting and doing it all again. So the people when you start to see like, well, 20 K, 100 K in a bank account first thing ever, they may like, wow, I, I want that money for me. Yeah. It's like crazy. But if you have good values and a good way of thinking, you know that every, every that all of money is known for, for your bodies and go for everything you want, you you need to to talk to all your partners. Why you want to do with the money. We're going to put some some of the money for the company. We can take a little parts on the money so we can give to every partner here. But I want in business in businesses that the people get crazy crazy for first thing ever seen a lot of money. And that's another thing to choose. Good. Your partners, people that are not get crazy when they see a lot of money for the first thing ever. So for me, it's not just the business, it's people. And I think that it's what happens to people is they get screwed over early in their entrepreneurship careers, and they think that's how everybody is. And that that paranoia that, that fear of, like, people fucking them over prevents them from pursuing other opportunities. And the truth is that there are good people out there that are pro business, pro relationship. But it's creating those filters that in that framework that attracts the right people. And and I think that is the important way that you start surrounding yourself with loyal people, with trustworthy people that are relationship driven. And it's like not letting those those relationships that went sour define how you do business in the future. Now, you can be wary because of those experiences. But I see a lot of people that were early in their career screwed over, and because of that, they have such a fear and that becomes another limitation. You know, you know, for, for me, fear. For me fear. At some point, what's my view? Yeah. For at some point, what's my view? I was afraid of failing, to to not be enough. Yeah. To not reach my full potential to see what the people are talking about. Me, you know, like, he make me level. He. I don't see money. I don't see he have a new car or he's not traveling. I know everything of that. What the. The fear push me. But I also dream. Today I try to to fuel my my purpose instead. Instead, I'm still a friend sometimes when I'm no use to be fear. I not use fear as a sign, you know, I'm scared. But if I'm scared, I'm seeing, like I'm growing. If I'm scared, I am growing and I'm trying. I'm trying to say all the entrepreneur because I'm a mentor in this. You also had the city of knowledge. Yeah, I, I try and last year I see my, my my my letter, my card to be a mentor, to be a teacher for all the new entrepreneurs. Like the beginning because I want to. I want to try like, hey guys, you are kids right now. Everything that I that happened to me, my fears, the bad spirit. When my partner is everything I want to like save that kids before they have the fear, before they go to bad relationships and everything. And now, you have a right now I have a fear. It's not my fear. Not anymore. But I hear to that I go anyway in the direction that I need to go. What other, questions you have answered here? Because these are all good answers, so we might as well just go down the list, Which other ones you got? When it's a bit of advice you we give to an entrepreneur, I have another one. So, wait, you make my life easy. I'll just sit back and you does it well, I love this one. I prepared these one. Very good. Be obsessed with your. Why not? Just your idea. With your why? Yeah. Not just your idea or your product. Trend change. Market change. People come and go. But if your purpose is a trend, nothing can shake you for sure. It's great advice. And one more thing. Protect your peace. Yes, you can rebuild a business, but rebuilding yourself, that's takes way longer for sure. So live with purpose, move with clarity and never forget you are the foundation of everything you build. It's great advice. Yeah, you said you answered. How to drive sales on there too, right? Yeah. What's your answer for that? I'm curious. That'll be our final question. Okay. Driving sales is just about having. It's not just about having a good product. It's about communication in the right way. For me, because I love the public speaking, the storytelling about your service or what are you giving for? What are you need to offer it to me? I want to hear that. So first you need clarity. Clarity is what the problem you can solve, who you solve, so who you solve, it for. White wise, what is murder? And then you need a team that truly believe in the mission. Because believe is continues. But here's the real game changer for me in the sales storytelling. People don't don't buy service or products. They buy emotions, solutions and connections are good story told with a purpose. Build trust, create values, and move people to action. When I saw my the company in that recycling stuff, we don't have any product, anything. So we were going for going for clients and we was like, I have these for selling them the service. Yeah. But the people here in Panama and here in Panama, the thing of recycling is like, doesn't exist. Yeah, it's it's very new. Yeah. And when I started five years ago, recycling was like, what? What is what is that? How can it that, you are you you're saying to me that I need to put like, this in this way, this thing in this way and people doesn't like it. The people like the easy thing. So I can put everything here, and that's all. So I was like, okay, I'm going to sell something that people doesn't like, but it's good for the war, a strong purpose. And then I started walking the streets here. I mean, going for this building, another building, another building saying my, my service and the people was okay. Andres, I want to I want this service, not for you. You're good, but not for you. I want this service because I want to change the way we. We treat the garbage. And I want to save the war. The war. It's a great mission. And and as you can imagine, like doing this podcast and doing business, like I meet a lot of entrepreneurs, right? Oh, of course I know. And everyone kind of has their own style, but I've learned through experience. It's the people that talk about purpose, that talk about values, that talk about loyalty. Yeah, like talk about relationships. I've I've realized over time that those are the most important fundamentals of business. It's way less the idea. It's way less the business. It's way more those things like the the mission that you're driving, the vision that you're driving, that pushes the energy and you are not going to have the compounding effect of the collaboration that's needed because you can't do it by yourself. You're not going to get that collaboration without, like you said, the loyalty in the relationship. So it's apparent to me that you have the makeup of someone who's going to be extremely successful because you already are aware of those things. I want to see you. I want to say one more thing. I am the last week, and this is for an entrepreneur. Doesn't matter if you are in the beginning or you don't. You don't have money. Last week I met a guy, a millionaire, that he told me something very strong. It doesn't matter to me if the idea doesn't have money. This. This guy told me it doesn't matter. He doesn't have money. The idea if I met the guy, I have a strong idea. And I love the way he is. I give the money, every money that he need to build the business. So it doesn't matter if you don't have money, if you have a strong purpose, I'm a good idea. You're a good guy or a good girl. Everyone can give the money to build your business. So it's not about the money. It's about who you are 100%. If people are interested in your services and your business or want to connect with you, where can they find you? Yeah, you can go. I'm on Instagram. Convert page, and in Spanish we'll link it to on the bottom. Okay. We have we our site, triple row convert punto com. Yeah. Is my site. And there is all these services, we give we, we can do a lot of things. We only know, collect the garbage we can do. We can be in festivals. We can do educations for companies. How to to change the mindsets of the workers. We do like 10 or 12 services right now. We have, strong workers. Right now I have, like, 15 guys working with me. Fantastic. Well, congratulations on your success. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Coming on. Thank you. If you like to, to run to. We have the biggest run globe right now here in Panama. Are we coming of course I if I don't see you, I'm going to be mad with you. We have the biggest run, run, run club right now in Panama. So we are doing things that we love. And I love to do things that change the mindsets. So that's it? Hell, yeah. I'm inspired. Thank so. Okay, so thank you for sure. Yeah, man, I try to do my best.

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Jack Moran

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