Rodolfo remembers his grandfather's words to him when he left Colombia to move to New York City, "Don't come back until you have made something of yourself." It was no joke, and Rodolfo took his grandfather seriously.
Rodolfo's grandfather instilled in him a commitment to his responsibilities and tasks - when you start something, you finish it. He remembers building a house for his aunt from the basics - moving cement, talking to engineers, and the like. His first job was at a baby-goods store selling bottles and cribs. At 15 years old, he was traveling 40 minutes on a very populated bus to work. Sales from an early age was in Rodolfo's blood.
At 18, he was on the move to NYC with his grandfather's challenge clear in his mind. Working various jobs from assistant to superintendent to McDonald's, Rodolfo perfected his mastery of the English language and set his mind to college. Soon after working two jobs, he found himself a position at Donna Karan NYC in sales and hit it as a million-dollar producer. His dreams of having a nice house, a beautiful wife, and beautiful kids were always on the forefront.
At 25, Rodolfo was able to be independent and finally return to his home country of Colombia to tell his grandfather that he "had made it." Sadly, his grandfather was not there anymore. Rodolfo recalls a poignant moment when he realized he could not tell him all he had done, all the work, all the hours, and all the success that has happened just under 25 years old.
Destiny brought him to meet his future wife, Simona, in NYC. Rodolfo notes, "We learned from each other, and she encouraged me when I was about to give up from college education."
He recalls, "[Walt] Disney once said something like 'a kick in the teeth might be the best thing that could happen to you in life!' Boom! Got rejected by a corporate job that I really wanted - I believe that was a breaking point where I could have gone in another direction... Instead of crying a river, Simona and I went on to open our own venture, a spa in the middle of Manhattan, Fifth Avenue. Because if you dream, hey, you better dream big. Still under thirty, we funded it, and we were open through sweat and tears."
The couple went on to open a mobile food-cart business and a coffee shop during their time in Manhattan. (Wife Simona is now a skincare therapist/owner at ReVive Spa in Ballantyne: @ReVivesthetics.)
Rodolfo's entrepreneurial spirit and the quest for more quality family time led him to a career change. He initially started the real estate license process in NYC. When the couple had their first child, Chloe, they moved to the Carolinas to make family life a priority over the hustle and bustle of NYC.
Full story at:
https://charlotterealproducers.com/march-rising-star-rodolfo-duq/
Home Types:
House, Lot/Land, MultiFamily, Condo, Townhouse, Commercial
Years of Experience:
8
