From Mexico to Europe: Three Startups, Cultural Shocks and Leadership Lessons. Estefania Hernandez on Entrepreneurship, Resilience and Starting Over
From Leadership Kitchen · 00:33:04
Show by Renita Käsper
In this episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Estefania Hernandez, a three-time founder who has spent over a decade building companies across Mexico and Europe, to talk about entrepreneurship, startup failures, cultural differences, resilience and starting over.Estefania's journey began in Guadalajara, Mexico, inspired by watching her father build his own business.While still in college, she co-founded Mi Dulce Hogar, a cleaning services marketplace that delivered over 100,000 services and employed 800 cleaning workers over seven years.Then COVID hit.Demand disappeared almost overnight. Despite trying to save the business, Estefania eventually had to close the company she had spent seven years building.But her entrepreneurial journey didn't end there.An unexpected opportunity took her from Mexico to the Netherlands, where she discovered a different approach to leadership, communication and decision-making.One of her biggest lessons? Being the CEO doesn't mean your decisions shouldn't be questioned.In the Netherlands, she discovered a culture where even an intern can challenge the CEO, direct feedback isn't necessarily personal criticism and leaders are expected to explain their decisions rather than rely on authority.Together we explore:• Building a startup while still in college• Growing Mi Dulce Hogar to 100,000 services and 800 workers• How COVID led to closing a seven-year-old business• Finding the resilience to start over• Moving from Mexico to the Netherlands• Why founders must validate ideas before building• Leadership mistakes when scaling startups• Why growing companies need structure• Curiosity and resilience in the AI era• Dutch directness versus Mexican communication culture• Why employees should challenge their leaders• How cultural intelligence changes leadership• Where resilience comes from• Advice for building a life abroadAnd of course, Estefania shares her Leadership Recipe:🥄 Stay open to feedback, criticism and new ideas🥄 Build resilience and recover from setbacks🥄 Stay curious and explore new opportunitiesBecause great leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about listening, learning and making better decisions.Estefania also challenges the idea that entrepreneurship follows a straight path. Sometimes businesses fail despite years of hard work. Sometimes opportunities appear when you least expect them.Her story is about taking risks, adapting to new cultures and finding the courage to keep building.And yes, we also talk about cooking! Estefania shares her love for Mexican quesadillas and mole, including a shortcut for enjoying Mexican flavours in Europe.No perfect founder stories. No magic formulas. Just an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, cultural intelligence and starting again.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Estefania Hernandez00:32 Becoming an entrepreneur in Mexico03:49 Building Mi Dulce Hogar06:35 Creating social impact07:00 How COVID led to closing the business09:43 Moving to the Netherlands09:57 Validating startup ideas11:15 Cooking and quesadillas12:30 Leadership lessons from three startups13:49 Why startups need structure14:56 Leadership skills in the AI era16:24 Cultural differences: Mexico vs Netherlands18:48 Challenging leadership and hierarchy19:11 Learning Dutch directness21:15 How moving abroad changed her leadership22:43 Cultural intelligence in global teams23:48 Estefania's Leadership Recipe24:45 Where resilience comes from26:53 Bouncebackability and setbacks27:41 Finding opportunity after failure28:42 Advice for moving abroad30:22 Mexican food and mole31:44 Culture and leadership32:25 Final reflectionsConnect with Estefania Hernandez:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estefaniahdz/Connect with Renita Käsper:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitakasper/Follow Leadership Kitchen:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-kitchen/
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