At 24, Carlos Castro fled poverty and El Salvador's bloody civil war, paying about $800 for a coyote to smuggle him into the United States. He was caught at the border and deported, but snuck back into the United States almost immediately.

Now 55 and a U.S. citizen, he's the president of Todos Supermarket, which specializes in foods and services to immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa at stores in Woodbridge and Dumfries.

Why he's succeeded: "We were very poor, and I had this great desire to break the cycle of poverty . . . I love to read, and as a teenager, I purchased a book by Dr. Robert Schuller called 'You Can Become the Person You Want to Be.' I got really inspired by that in my early years. I programmed myself to succeed by understanding that success does not come that easy, that you have to go the extra mile with that goal in mind of breaking that poverty cycle."

Worst job he's ever held: Cleaning the bathrooms at an Adams Morgan restaurant, which were so filthy he "almost vomited." He started drinking beer for courage. "I probably downed three or four before I could no longer notice the smell in the bathroom. When the owner came back, she noticed how spotless the restroom was and gave me another beer! She had offered me $3 per hour, but when she saw the job I did, she gave me $5 per hour."

What he's had to overcome: "One of the the most difficult things was getting my grocery business growing because I didn't know anything about that business when it started, and I didn't have enough funding. It put everything to the test, including my marriage. I had to abandon my construction practice and come to work at the store making no money for myself and very little for my wife. At one point, we were going to sell it. We actually had a buyer and then we changed our minds."

Smartest move: "Abandoning my construction [business] knowing that I could later go back if I wanted and deciding to give 100 percent of my energy to the grocery store to make it succeed.

Biggest misstep: "I needed to move out of the place where I had the first grocery store, and I signed a contract with a bowling alley across the street. Later I realized the bowling alley would not work, but at the time I made the decision, I didn't have the know-how. It cost me a lot of money to get out of the deal in lawyers' fees."

Best learning experience: "Being in the detention center when I first came to this country. It taught me a lot. I call that period the most productive 45 days of my life because . . . I had the [time] to ponder every venue or road that I could take because I was at a crossroads in my life."

Source of inspiration: Though Castro's father's drinking problems worsened his family's poverty, "he taught us that when opportunity presents itself, you pounce on it . . . He always said that by age 50, you should have achieved all of the meaningful goals in your life."

What lies ahead: "With the economy, things are challenging now. The business used to be very profitable, but then the economy turned down and the immigration fight drove a lot of people away from Prince William County. It took a lot out of the profitability. Professionally, I want my children to be able to manage the business so I can retire. All three of them work in the food business, and they are gaining experience . . . I may one day run for [political] office . . . I am also writing a book. I want to have something to put into my children's hands to tell them about what I have done."

Advice to the aspiring: To succeed, people "need a strong work ethic . . . Many of our children have no idea how to go about getting things on their own, how much hard work it takes to accomplish the good things in life. I explain to them that inheriting wealth can actually work against you if you don't know how to handle it. In order for them to succeed, they need to prepare themselves with a good education and work habits."

Source:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/on-success/what-it-takes/2009/11/from_illegal_to_entrepreneur.html

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