Henry Lopez – Full Biography
Henry Lopez – Full Biography
Henry is a Serial Entrepreneur, Small Business Coach & Consultant, and Host of The How of Business podcast show.
Henry is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach and consultant, and host of top-rated The How of Business podcast show. Henry has over 35 years of diverse business experience, including successful careers in the information technology industry, sales, sales training and business ownership. Henry has been involved in 12 different businesses, since buying his first business in 1991.
Henry has bought and sold businesses and has also developed his own new businesses, including franchises. His businesses span various industries including restaurants, real estate investments, salon suites, software, travel, shared office space & coworking, car washing, and small business coaching and consulting. Henry currently resides in Jensen Beach, Florida with his wife Pam.
He is currently the Managing Partner of Levante Business Group (supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners and producers of The How of Business podcast), co-owner of L3 Destinations (a Travel Agency co-founded with his wife), and a minority partner and investor in Office Evolution of Plantation (an executive suites and co-working business center franchise location).
Experience Highlights:
Software Systems – Henry’s corporate career included computer programming and systems analyst positions with companies such as Comcast Corporation and Mary Kay Cosmetics. He implemented and supported enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and led the development of a sales force enablement application.
Sales & Marketing – Henry’s accomplishments in sales and marketing include recognized achievements in various positions with Dunn & Bradstreet Software, Lawson Software (top Pre-Sales Consultant in 1997), Peoplesoft and Ariba. During his 13 years in the enterprise software arena he worked with numerous companies worldwide, helping them improve their human resources, financial, manufacturing and procurement systems.
Sales Enablement & Training – Leveraging his extensive experience and success in sales, Henry delivered sales enablement tools and productivity workshops worldwide for multinational companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, CA and Motorola. Henry continues to offer sales enablement and training for select clients through Levante Business Group.
Business Ownership Highlights:
Henry has been a part of more than twelve different business ventures over the past 30 years.
His entrepreneurial experience began in 1991 with the eventual ownership of three Mr. Jim’s Pizza franchise units in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area. He performed as CEO of these franchises, with responsibilities for planning, systems development, financial management, and marketing. He purchased his first Mr. Jim’s franchise with a partner, increased sales 255% over six years, and sold that unit in 1999 for a 46% annualized return on investment. Henry sold these restaurants in the early 2000’s, and no longer operates any Mr. Jim’s Pizza franchises.
In 2002, Henry became a licensed Real Estate Agent focusing on residential home sales and investment properties. He was a member of the top-producing real estate team in Coppell, Texas and one of the top teams in the state, achieving RE/MAX Executive Club level in 2004.
In 2005, MAR Property Investments was formed by Henry Lopez and his partners, specializing in residential properties and undeveloped land investments in Florida. Henry led MAR Property Investments to acquire a portfolio of properties in Florida including rental homes and residential lots. Henry has also invested in rental homes in the Dallas, Texas area, and is currently a commercial real estate investor though real estate investment funds.
Henry’s next business venture was in property management as the majority owner of Old World Salons, a suite-salon business with two locations in North Richland Hills and Southlake, Texas. Old World Salons leases individual suites to independent health and beauty professionals, and Henry purchased this existing business in 2008. Under his ownership and management, this business generated average annual net profit margins of 29%, with occupancy rates in the 95-100% range. As owner and President, he was responsible for all business owner activities including planning, financial management, operations management, systems development and sales & marketing (including online and social media). Henry sold Old World Salons in 2014, realizing an annualized total return on cash investment of 58%.
In 2010, Henry Lopez and David Begin founded iTopIt, a self-serve frozen yogurt restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado. iTopIt was the first self-serve frozen yogurt concept in Colorado Springs. The business was created entirely by Henry and David, including development of the brand, restaurant design and operating systems. In addition to his leadership and overall management and planning responsibilities, Henry was responsible for all marketing activities including online and social media. In the first calendar year of operation, iTopIt generated a profit margin of 25.6%. iTopIt generated a profit every year since its founding, and after 10 years of ownership Henry and David sold iTopIt in 2021.
Combining their passion for travel and experience in the industry, Henry and his wife Pam (a former American Airlines flight attendant) founded L3 Destinations in early 2015. L3 Destinations is a full-service Travel Consulting business, offering custom cruise and land vacations, group travel, and business incentive travel programs.
In 2015, Henry co-founded Levante Business Group, dedicated to helping people start, run, and grow small businesses. Through Levante Business Group, Henry offers Business Coaching and Consulting services for select clients. Levante Business Group also offers on-line learning solutions, workshops, and other tools and resources for small business owners.
Levante Business Group produces The How of Business Podcast. Henry is the host of this top-rated on-demand show which provides practical advice, tips and techniques for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
In 2016, Henry invested and became a minority partner in Wild Blue Car Wash when he partnered with carwash industry veteran David Begin to build and operate the third location of this exterior-express car wash chain. David Begin and Henry Lopez sold these highly successful car wash locations in 2019.
Henry’s latest business venture is Office Evolution of Plantation. Opened in 2020, this franchise location provides shared office space and coworking solutions for business owners and professionals in Plantation, Florida. Henry is a minority investor and partner in this business, and served as business coach during the development by majority owner Ed Uribazo. Henry continues in an management advisory capacity and also assist with marketing initiatives.
Henry and his wife Pam live in Jensen Beach, Florida.
Henry is a volunteer mentor with SCORE, providing small business mentorship services for existing and aspiring small business owners for all types of small businesses.
Henry graduated from the National School of Technology with a certificate in Computer Programming, and also attended Miami-Dade College.
You can find more about Henry Lopez on his Media Page.
More About SCORE:
Henry is a volunteer mentor with SCORE of Broward. In his capacity as a mentor, Henry offers free one-on-one mentoring session and delivers educational workshops for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Henry recently received the SCORE Platinum Award, in recognition for his delivery of workshops that had high retention rates and customer satisfaction scores of over 90%.
SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. Since 1964, SCORE has provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs.
SCORE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Thanks to this generous support from the SBA and because of the selfless contributions of our more than 10,000 dedicated volunteers, SCORE is able to deliver most of its offerings at no cost (including free one-on-0ne mentoring services).
SCORE Broward has consistently been one of the most recognized SCORE Chapters in the United States. The team of over 70 volunteers have business expertise in a multitude of industries. SCORE Broward offers FREE Mentoring, low-cost or no-cost Workshops, and participates with many community organizations to foster the formation and growth of small businesses in Southeast Florida and US Virgin Islands.