How to Build a Business That People Trust and Remember

Some people dance for joy.
Others dance to feed their kids.
Yesterday, I met a man doing both...

The heat in Monterrey, Mexico was punishing—41°C and climbing.

I was driving through a quiet neighborhood when I noticed something strange: a man dancing in the middle of the road, wearing full Mayan attire, playing a pan-flute.

At first, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at.
It was surreal. Beautiful. But also unusual.

I slowed down, rolled down the window, and the heat smacked me in the face.

The man looked at me. I smiled.
He kept dancing.

His joy and commitment were magnetic. But I still didn’t get it.
Why was he here? Why this performance — in this heat?

So I pulled over.

“¿Qué haces aquí, amigo?” I asked.

He responded in another language — not in Spanish, also using gestures.
Then he pulled out a worn photo of two beautiful children.

He touched his stomach. Then his mouth.

“¿Comida?” (food) I asked.

He nodded.

And in that moment, I understood.

This wasn’t just art.
This was work. This was survival.

He was dancing to feed his kids.

I handed him some money.
He gave me a big smile and a hug.
Then, without a word, he went right back to dancing.

I sat back in my car, A/C on, but I couldn’t cool down the way I felt inside.

I was overwhelmed.
Gratitude. Guilt. Confusion. Respect.
All of it at once.

This experience reminded me how different our realities are.

We all define “work” in our own way.
We all measure “success” differently.
And “doing whatever it takes” looks different for all of us.

Some of us hustle behind laptops.
Others hustle in traffic.
Others—like this man—dance in the street.

But at the end of the day, we’re all trying to feed someone we care about.

That’s why empathy matters.
Because without it, we forget that everyone has different needs.

Be grateful. Be kind.
And while you build your business, do it with empathy.

That’s how we build businesses that matter and trust that lasts.

—HQ