EPISODE 89
Build It and Own It: Entrepreneurship, Wealth, and Opportunity
At two years old, Trixy Castro moved with her Cuban immigrant parents into the guest house of a wealthy Los Angeles family, where her mother worked as a live-in housekeeper. Growing up between two households, she witnessed different expressions of hard work, ambition, and financial opportunity. Her parents provided unconditional love and an extraordinary work ethic, while the family they worked for introduced her to the possibilities of real estate ownership and wealth creation. That early exposure would shape her understanding of what was possible—and eventually inspire a career devoted to creating opportunities for others.
By fourteen, Trixy had launched her first business, a tutoring service that earned more than both her parents combined. Her curiosity about money later led her to a job as a Wells Fargo teller, where conversations with real estate investors revealed an overlooked opportunity in private lending. She went on to establish Genesis Capital, building it into a leading real estate finance company acquired by Goldman Sachs. Along the way, she developed an online real estate auction business that was acquired by Fidelity National Title. Yet despite these extraordinary accomplishments, selling the companies she had spent years building brought an unexpected sense of loss rather than the celebration she had imagined.
In this conversation with Pedro A. Guerrero, Trixy reflects on the personal and professional lessons behind her entrepreneurial success. She discusses learning to distinguish useful advice from limiting opinions, recognizing opportunities in moments of economic uncertainty, and balancing instinct with data when making consequential business decisions. She also opens up about her complicated relationship with money, the guilt she experienced as a first-generation wealth creator, and the realization that entrepreneurs must invest in their own financial well-being rather than sacrificing everything for their businesses.
Today, Trixy is focused on mentoring entrepreneurs and expanding access to real estate investing, particularly for individuals and families historically excluded from wealth-building opportunities. Drawing on her experiences as a founder, investor, and mother, she encourages the next generation to take ownership of their ambitions and become the CEOs of their own lives. Her vision for the Latino community is captured in a simple but powerful idea: Build it and own it. For Trixy, the next chapter of Latino success is not simply about contributing to America’s prosperity, but ensuring that those who help create it have the opportunity to share in its ownership.
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ABOUT OUR GUEST
Trixy Castro is a first generation Latina entrepreneur, investor, and strategic advisor with a legacy of building and backing transformative businesses. The proud daughter of immigrants, she grew up in a guest house behind the home where her mother worked as a caregiver, learning early that your circumstances do not determine your future.
Starting with nothing more than a phone, a desk, and a vision, Trixy founded Genesis Capital and Genesis Auctions, which later became Hudson & Marshall. She successfully built, scaled, and exited both companies to Fortune 500 organizations, Goldman Sachs and Fidelity National Title, within nine months of each other. These acquisitions by two of the most respected names in finance and real estate reflect the caliber of the businesses she built and the lasting impact they created.
Today, Trixy remains deeply engaged in investing, private lending, and scaling high impact companies while mentoring founders and partnering with entrepreneurs across multiple industries. As an early stage investor, she has supported companies spanning real estate, fintech, artificial intelligence, and sustainability, with a passion for identifying exceptional founders and helping founders build and scale enduring businesses. She is especially passionate about democratizing access to real estate investing, believing that the ultra wealthy, but should be accessible to anyone willing to learn, invest, and create a better future.
She is also the founder of Success Unlocked, an entrepreneurial education platform created to help entrepreneurs accelerate their growth by learning directly from proven founders, executives, and industry leaders. Built on the belief that most people do not need more information, they need better perspective, meaningful access, and proximity to people who have already built what they are trying to create. Success Unlocked delivers practical, real world education focused on the decisions, systems, and strategies behind lasting business success.
Recognizing the need to better serve the Spanish speaking entrepreneurial community, Trixy also founded La Escuela Nueva, the Spanish sister company of Success Unlocked. Through culturally relevant education and community, La Escuela Nueva provides Spanish speaking entrepreneurs with the same practical business education, access, and exposure, empowering more founders to build thriving businesses and create generational wealth.
Having built multiple companies from the ground up and successfully exited them, Trixy has made it her mission to shorten the learning curve for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Through investing, education, and mentorship, she is committed to helping others create opportunities they never thought possible.
She believes that opportunity changes everything and that, with the right access, education, and community, anyone can build a business, create lasting wealth, and change the trajectory of their family’s future for generations.
