Familial Inspiration

Entrepreneurship has always been part of my family’s DNA.

A long time ago, my Lolo (grandfather, in Tagalog) owned a hard ware business in the Philippines. Growing up, my mom would joke about having to count stacks of pesos as a kid because the business was doing so well. When my family was approved to immigrate to the United States, my Lolo left the business in the care of a family member — a decision like many immigrant stories, teaches maybe I shouldn’t leave money in a different country unsupervised.

In the next generation, my father — who immigrated from El Salvador — lived the American Dream in its most literal sense. He worked manual labor jobs across restaurants, running errands and taking on whatever work needed to support himself. Over time, he built the experience and relationships needed to open J&M Electronics with his business partner, Milton. Eventually, they expanded to a second location in Fort Washington, Maryland — J&M Sounds — specializing in audio and electronic installations for motor vehicles.

Then there’s me.

I’m a second-generation American who aspires to become a third-generation business owner. Why? Why not try! What’s the worst that could happen? (Don’t answer that)

The Vision Behind SortoInk

SortoInk is the umbrella for how I research, learn, and make sense of building products and growing businesses, with a focus on learning in public.

At its core, SortoInk exists to document learning in public. I believe that sharing knowledge, especially unfinished thinking, invites better ideas, sharper feedback, and ultimately better outcomes. Rather than presenting polished answers, this space is about showing the work.

SortoInk is organized into two segments:

SortoInk is a play-on words for Inc. with ink referencing a creative spin.