Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Ricardo Cervantes
Editor's note: This is part of a monthly series spotlighting Latinos who are making a mark in their communities.
Ricardo Cervantes is a co-founder and the CEO of La Monarca Bakery, which includes 12 retail locations in Los Angeles and nationally distributed products. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, he has a degree from Stanford Business School and lives in Los Angeles with his spouse.
Why do you do what you do? My co-founder Alfredo and I met in school in the U.S. and we both shared fond memories of growing up eating pan dulcein Mexico. We started our company not just to make pan dulce, but to create a welcoming place with a distinctive cultural social mission and advancement opportunities in Hispanic communities.
What's your recipe for achieving your goals? Two things have worked for us: conservative planning and patience. We have chosen to grow at our own pace instead of taking huge risks to grow fast. I think we survived the 2009 recession and the 2020 pandemic by having been conservative in case of rainy days, and then by staying the course despite the turbulence.
What is the best advice you ever got? Clearly articulating your purpose in advance. Our purpose at La Monarca Bakery is Making Life Sweeter, not just in our products, but in our daily interactions with everyone around us. Having an intentional purpose crystallizes the thinking behind the majority of our decisions and actions.
What is something you do just for yourself? I exercise for 20 minutes in the morning to start my day. It helps me wake up, and I feel sluggish when I don't.
What is something you can't live without? My 4x6" weekly handwritten schedule and follow-ups. I write a new one every week and look at it constantly so I don't forget anything.
