Fishing the Unexpected: Navigating the Unpredictable Waters of Entrepreneurship

by Alejandro Mesa

Developing a business means learning how to develop yourself.

Companies are biological systems. While they thrive with emotional honesty and full transparency, they falter with ignored biases and unacknowledged blind spots.

How do you recognize the right nutrients for your business? How do you negotiate inherent uncertainty and learn from inevitable failure? In Fishing the Unexpected, Alejandro Mesa shares his journey in navigating unpredictability, telling the tale of El Rosario, the small venture that taught him how to embrace failure and leverage it for future gain. Through candid storytelling, you’ll learn practical tools and strategies based on biology, mathematics, and cognitive science that reveal how to optimize group dynamics and anticipate change. This is your chance to chart your own path through challenges and celebrate the lessons learned from facing these challenges head-on. For anyone grappling with business uncertainty, Fishing the Unexpected offers an invaluable take on turning setbacks into stepping stones for sustainable success.

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 21, 2025

About the author

Alejandro Mesa is a business leader and entrepreneur dedicated to creating a better-nourished world. With a career spanning roles at Premex and Schering Plough Corporation, Alejandro has founded and scaled companies across the agribusiness, food, biotechnology, and analytics sectors. He is the CEO of Iluma Alliance and leads a dynamic team of nearly one thousand professionals united by a shared mission to improve global nutrition through technology and innovation. A lifelong learner, Alejandro has completed executive programs at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Singularity University. He treasures his role as a father to his three daughters who inspire his commitment to leadership, learning, and creating lasting societal impact.

Reviews

[Alejandro Mesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing this book was a deeply personal journey for me. It comes from a place of reflection on my failures, my lessons, and the path I’ve walked as an entrepreneur. My aim was not to showcase successes or provide a blueprint for others to follow, but to share the struggles and missteps that shaped me. I believe that every setback holds the potential to teach us something profound if we’re open to learning from it.

“Fishing the Unexpected” is a story about navigating uncertainty, making mistakes, and finding meaning in the process. My hope is to reach anyone who has ever faced challenges in business or life and offer them a sense of companionship. You are not alone, and there is value even in what seems like failure. Through this book, I wanted to embrace vulnerability and provide tools and ideas that might help others turn obstacles into opportunities.

Ultimately, I wrote this book as a way to give back—to share my experiences in a way that might inspire others to see the possibilities in their own journeys. It is my small contribution to the idea that we are all capable of creating something better, not only in our businesses but in the world we share.

[Alejandro Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, business books aren’t exactly my favorite, but "Fishing the Unexpected" by Alejandro Mesa really surprised me in a good way. I really enjoyed reading it, especially since it gave me a chance to get to know a family entrepreneur I respect and admire.

What I really appreciate about this book is that, even though Alejandro is a successful entrepreneur, he chose to share the story of one of his failures, which is rare and something I see as a true act of greatness. Through his vulnerability, he invites us to reflect on his struggles and encourages us to embrace a growth and abundance mindset.

The lessons he shares are definitely the result of experiences that cost him millions of dollars and a lot of energy. But Alejandro explains them in such a simple and easy-to-understand way that it feels like a real gift for readers.

[Maria Jose Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fishing the Unexpected is one of those rare books that makes you laugh, cringe, reflect, and nod all at once. Alejandro writes with a voice that is brutally honest, wildly entertaining, and unapologetically his own.
The blend of vulnerability and sharp insights is masterful.

I finished the book feeling both entertained and inspired (as if I’d been let in on stories and confessions that usually stay behind closed doors. It’s witty, irreverent, smart, and very moving.)

[Sam DesRocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively quick read on self-taught lessons of entrepreneurship (but honestly any business) from the lens looking back on a failure. From the number references, the author has done his homework and has plenty of other sources in addition to his anecdotes. Informative, yet he does ramble at times chasing a point home

[Esteban Gaviria · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many valuable tips from these experiences, not just for entrepreneurs or businesspeople, but for everyone. The conclusion and the last part of the book are mind-blowing.

[Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4