Cuba Study Tour

In December 2017, I traveled to Cuba on board the Norwegian Cruise Line with a group of 30+ fellow Nova Southeastern University grad and undergrad students to study entrepreneurship in Cuba. Before leaving, I wasn’t sure how much I could really learn about business in Cuba since, it is in fact, a communist country. But… I was left blown away by the ingenuity of Cuban entrepreneurs and even better, made memories of a lifetime.

Here is a group shot aboard the Norwegian Sky as we sailed away from Miami and headed towards Cuba!

The next morning, I got myself a nice breakfast to fuel up for the day (yes I know, I opted for the healthy options lol). We had landed in Havana, Cuba!

We started the day at the Cuba Emprende Foundation, which provides education and training to entrepreneurs. Located in an old but elegant building, students are taught the fundamentals of starting a business and guided through the process step-by-step. As honored guests, we got to hear some of the students’ elevator pitches and honestly… I was impressed. Two pitches stood out to me: a young man that aspired to build a sustainable architecture business to improve the lives of his Cuban people and a young woman that had started a tourist business with private salsa lessons included (genius). They were young, bright, driven individuals, just like us. Some of the other business ventures and projects students were working on included: private music lessons, marketing agency, administrator of public places, community management, show production, a barbershop, and a fitness company. Students gave us their opinion on the program and they all stated that it was “very rewarding” and provided “a lot of value and knowledge” (they seemed genuine). It was inspiring to see that even with the limited resources and constraints imposed by the communist government, they had SO MANY DREAMS and aspirations, and worked hard to make them possible.

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving the entrepreneurship foundation, we went for lunch at 5 Esquinas, a locally owned and operated restaurant in Havana. The owner of the restaurant was super friendly and started the business a few years ago with his own hard-earned savings (it’s extremely difficult for Cubans to get loans from the bank, so the majority of businesses are financed through personal savings). He shared his story with us… He had been putting money away for YEARS with dreams of opening up his own restaurant one day. Initially, his biggest obstacle was financing his company to keep it afloat and now, the lack of supplies continues to be challenging. Regardless, he has managed to run a successful business and now has 20 employees working for him.

The thing that struck me the most about [I wish I could remember his name], was how humble and sincere he was when telling us his story. What a great guy. And of course, I had to try the authentic Cuban sandwich from the menu!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, we got to visit several local businesses, all owned by graduates of the Cuba Emprende program. We got to interview the entrepreneurs and learn more about their business, how they got started and the challenges they face. One of the businesses was a local lamp shop. The owner of the store makes and sells artistic lamps. She even travels internationally to showcase some of her work. Pretty cool, right?!

After conducting our interviews with local entrepreneurs, we ventured off to go explore the city. Here are some shots from the streets of Havana, Cuba:

 

 

 

 

 

And it wouldn’t be an authentic Cuban experience without a ride in these classic American cars!

The locals were such warm and friendly people. This is Irma, a local merchant we met. She sold handcrafted jewelry and braids hair.

Not everything was so nice and polished though.  Away from the tourist areas, we saw a lot of buildings abandoned buildings and ruins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later that night, a group of us went to a Salsa nightclub. Epic night!

The next day, we visited a park just outside of Havana. It was so nice to get out of the city and see some greenery.

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we rode around the city, visiting some of Havana’s historic landmarks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back aboard the boat after another pleasant day in Cuba, I had some time to reflect on my experience. The biggest takeaway from this trip was that despite the little (and I mean little) that the Cuban people have at their disposal, there are those that do not accept the confines of the government and seek to create their own livelihoods. And unlike most of the individualistic businesses in the US, their purpose is fueled by a desire to create a better future for their family and their country. To create a life of their own. It is truly inspiring and I hope everyone gets a chance to experience this for themselves.