A young Cuban man chose to take an unexpected turn with the $100 sent to him by a follower. Instead of spending it on food or daily necessities, he decided to invest it in starting a small business with his mother in Cuba.
The content creator, known on TikTok as @emaanublogger_, shared a video on his account detailing how he used the funds to purchase merchandise and set up a small sales stand from scratch.
"I live in Cuba, and today a follower sent me $100, which turned into 55,000 Cuban pesos. Instead of spending it on food, I'm investing it in my own business," he explained at the beginning of the video.
With the 55,000 Cuban pesos he claimed to have received, the young man went to a wholesale store to buy products for resale. He was well aware that a poor decision could lead to losing the money.
"This is where things get risky because one wrong move and the $100 could disappear," he remarked while showing part of the purchasing process.
Once they had the merchandise, the next step was to prepare the space for displaying the products. Mother and son bought a wooden shelf for 8,000 Cuban pesos and reinforced it with thick nylon at the back to prevent items from falling.
His mother also played a role in the preparations, taking charge of hand-writing the prices for the items they planned to sell.
This initiative joins other stories of Cubans sharing their entrepreneurial experiences on the island, where high prices and economic challenges pose significant obstacles for those trying to succeed in business.
Beyond the investment, the young man shared what starting this project with his mother meant to him. "Packing this merchandise in the backpack gave me a reality check: it was no longer just $100 from a follower, it was my mom's and my own hard work packed in a box, ready for the fight," he expressed.
The Cuban, who summed up his approach to adversity with the phrase "If you don’t innovate, you don’t progress," made it clear that his goal is to keep reinvesting the profits to grow the small business.
"No fear of success, I'm going to keep investing every peso because this is just the beginning. Remember this day because we're aiming for more," he declared at the end of the video.
Entrepreneurship in Cuba: Challenges and Opportunities
What did the young Cuban do with the $100 he received?
He invested the $100 in starting a small business with his mother in Cuba, instead of spending it on daily necessities.
How did the young man use the 55,000 Cuban pesos?
He used the 55,000 Cuban pesos to purchase merchandise from a wholesale store, which he plans to resell at a small sales stand.
What role did the young man's mother play in the business?
His mother assisted by hand-writing the prices for the items they intended to sell and helped in preparing the display space.