Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby

Episode: Building the Latino LinkedIn ft. Frank López & Edder Barcenas

Date: September 5, 2025
Host: Joseph Shalaby
Guests: Frank López & Edder Barcenas

Episode Overview

In this vibrant episode, Joseph Shalaby invites Frank López and Edder Barcenas—co-founders behind Ngozi and Ngozi Life—to discuss the vision, strategy, and powerful community impact behind their mission to build the “Latino LinkedIn.” The trio explores empowering Hispanic entrepreneurs, creating pathways for wealth, and providing support to undocumented business owners. With personal stories, practical insights, and a deep layer of faith, the conversation weaves together entrepreneurship, community-building, and cultural identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Motivation for Ngozi

[00:00–02:40]

• Frank shares his personal experience growing up undocumented and the challenges it posed, inspiring his passion for Ngozi.
  • “You can be an undocumented person, but you can have a legal entity and you can run business… That spoke to me because I've grown up in this country most of my life without documents.” —Frank [00:00]
• Ngozi started as a passion project, addressing the lack of culturally relevant resources for Hispanic entrepreneurs.
• In four years, Ngozi has 3X'ed revenue and reached 40,000 users.

2. What Is Ngozi?

[02:44–04:05]

• Edder describes Ngozi as “the Hispanic LinkedIn”—a platform for business owners in the Hispanic community to network, post jobs, access resources, and collaborate.
  • “We're bringing in people that do taxes, attorneys, CPAs, real estate people, lenders… help each other grow and win and build opportunities.” —Edder [02:44]
• Ngozi offers both digital networking and real-world events in Latino hotspots across the US (Miami, New York, Houston, California).

3. Brick-and-Click Model: Events and Community-Building

[04:05–05:24]

• Ngozi hosts large in-person events (350–500+ attendees), forging face-to-face connections and reinforcing cultural ties.
• Upcoming three-day conference in San Diego, partnering with organizations like NAREP.
• Emphasizes Ngozi’s inclusivity: “It's very diverse… not just in the Hispanic community but to bring others that see the vision.” —Edder [05:13]

4. Expanding with Ngozi Life

[06:17–09:00]

• Launch of Ngozi Life: a specialized vertical offering culturally relevant life insurance, addressing a massive education and coverage gap for Hispanics.
• Unique B2B approach: working with established business owners to introduce insurance to their clientele, rather than one-on-one sales.
• “No one really speaks to the impact. No one really speaks to the cultural relevance… So we kind of started taking a pulse.” —Frank [06:34]
• Ngozi Life's model enables partners (even undocumented owners) to refer or directly sell insurance, with robust educational support and strong commission opportunities.

5. Tackling Wealth Gaps and Changing Mindsets

[09:23–16:47]

• Deep lack of life insurance and investment product knowledge in the Hispanic community.
  • “There's what, like about 40% people that understand how life insurance works, and the other 52 or 60% are not even insured…” —Edder [10:41]
• Life insurance as a tool for generational wealth, and the secret of leveraging insurance for real estate investment (whole life, IUL).
• Ngozi focuses on education to shift mindsets from short-term survival to long-term wealth creation.
• Empowerment through licensing: “You don't have to be documented in California to get a life insurance license… you can use an ITIN.” —Frank [15:54]

6. Crisis, Opportunity, and Community Response

[17:45–21:38]

• Discussion on rising fear in immigrant communities due to political shifts and deportations.
• Ngozi’s proactive stance: creating “immigrant-friendly” financial service centers, serving as safe havens and networking hubs across the country.
  • “If you want to do business here, come here. It's a safe haven for business.” —Frank [20:25]
• Alliances with other immigrant communities (Indian, Jewish) for broader coalition-building.

7. Leadership, Integrity, and Collaboration

[23:53–29:07]

• Latino identity at the core: building with “integrity, transparency, and vibes.”
  • “If we connect and I vibe with you… sky’s the limit for sure.” —Edder [24:13]
• Long-term friendship and trust between Frank and Edder underpin the partnership.
  • “I trust him… he has full access to the bank account.” —Frank [33:16]
• Frank relates entrepreneurship to the ultimate equalizer, especially for undocumented immigrants: “Entrepreneurship is the equalizer in this country… that's how we equalize a playing field.” —Frank [26:04]
• Leadership growth: learning to listen, balance “lion” and “lamb” sales styles.

8. Faith, Timing, and Personal Stories

[32:36–35:36]

• Stories of serendipitous and faith-driven opportunities, such as unexpected global partnerships.
• “I just follow God’s plan… as long as you have good intentions and you want to serve and do God’s work, [God] will line it up.” —Joe [34:15]
• Plans for Ngozi to go global, with already-forming connections in Spain and Latin America.

9. Personal, Family, and Business Goals

[39:19–42:53]

• Edder: spend more time with his children, support his daughter’s astrophysics aspirations, and build a legacy with his wife.
• Frank: retire his parents, be present for his children, and pursue financial legacy—ultimately seeing Ngozi go public or be acquired.
  • “Not that I want to have billions and billions of dollars… I want to specifically make my community wealthy.” —Frank [41:54]

10. Faith and Reflections on Legacy

[43:04–43:51]

• Reflections on what God might say at the end of their lives:
  • “You're imperfect, my son. You're imperfect, but you tried. You tried, you tried it. You never gave up to be a good man.” —Frank [43:10]
  • “Hey, I'm proud of you. Keep going. Keep doing what you’re doing. This is your time. This is your opportunity. Not just for you, but for others.” —Edder [43:20]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Entrepreneurship is the equalizer in this country…that's how we equalize a playing field.” —Frank López [26:04]
• “They could become active participants with just…with a license, and a lot of people don't know that.” —Frank López [16:47]
• “If we connect and I vibe with you, I feel like we could do business. Sky’s the limit.” —Edder Barcenas [24:13]
• “Whenever there’s crisis…you just got to keep your eyes open.” —Frank López [19:39]
• “If you want to do business here, come here. It's a safe haven for business.” —Frank López [20:25]
• “I want to be like the Mexican Warren Buffett… I want to make other people wealthy, specifically my community.” —Frank López [41:54]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ngozi’s origin story & undocumented entrepreneurship: [00:00–02:40]
• What is Ngozi? Platform overview: [02:44–04:05]
• Events and brick-and-click model: [04:05–05:24]
• Ngozi Life vertical (insurance & education): [06:17–09:00]
• Changing mindsets about wealth in the Latino community: [09:23–16:47]
• Dealing with political climate & crisis response: [17:45–21:38]
• Community building, alliances, and leadership values: [23:53–29:07]
• Faith-filled entrepreneurship & timing: [32:36–35:36]
• Personal/family/business goals: [39:19–42:53]
• Spiritual legacy & reflections: [43:04–43:51]

Conclusion

In this episode, Frank and Edder embody the spirit of empowered, values-driven leadership, blending cultural roots with entrepreneurial grit and unwavering faith. Their mission with Ngozi is about far more than business—it's a call to uplift, unite, and enable wealth creation within the Latino community and beyond. With honesty, practical insights, and humor, they deliver a motivational blueprint for leading with integrity and building transformative platforms.

Connect on Instagram:

• Frank: @frankfunsassets
• Edder: @eder_theeastbayrealtor