Summary: When Roger Duarte (a former investment banker from Monterrey, Mexico) decided it was time to create his own Miami-based business at the age of 24, he did his research. He became interested in the South Florida stone crab market, which has been dominated by Joe’s Stone Crab for 100 years. Roger embraced the chance to challenge the established leader. Using a “blue ocean” strategy, he founded George Stone Crab in 2009, with the aim to offer fast, fresh delivery of stone crabs. Roger’s entrepreneurial instinct thrives in challenging the status-quo. That instinct has quickly turned his company into the largest distributor of Florida stone crabs to Latin America. It also got Roger noticed by Forbes. In 2012, they picked him as a top entrepreneur for their annual list of “30 Under 30.” Roger’s new venture, the seafood restaurant chain My Ceviche, even hopes to dethrone sushi as your raw seafood of choice. Roger’s hiring policy also defies conventions. He famously hires two top candidates for a position, and has them compete against each other for two weeks. The best worker gets to keep the job. Competition is ultimately about forcing entrepreneurs (and the people who work with them) to become the best version of themselves. Are you embracing the competitive nature of your business in ways that make you challenge the status quo?
