Flamin' Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man's Rise from Janitor to Top Executive

by Richard Montanez

Now a Hulu feature film directed by Eva Longoria

Read the story everyone is talking how a janitor struggling to put food on the table invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in a secret test kitchen, breaking barriers and becoming the first Latino frontline worker promoted to executive at Frito-Lay.

Richard Montañez is a man who made a science out of walking through closed doors, and his success story is an empowerment manual for anyone stuck in a dead-end job or facing a system stacked against them. 
 
Having taken a job mopping floors at Frito-Lay's California factory to support his family, Montañez took his future into his own hands and created the world’s hottest snack Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This bold move not only disrupted the food industry with some much-needed spice, but also shook up a corporate culture in which everyone stayed in their lane. When a top food scientist at Frito-Lay sent out a memo telling sales and marketing to kill the new product before it made it to the store shelves—jealous that someone with no formal education beyond the sixth grade could do his job—Montañez was forced to go rogue once again to save his idea. Through creative thinking, community building, and a few powerful mindset shifts, he outsmarted the naysayers who tried to get in his way.
 
Flamin' Hot proves that you can break out of your career rut and that your present circumstances don't have to dictate your future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Business, Audiobook, Biography, Food, Autobiography

240 pages, Hardcover

Published June 15, 2021

Reviews

[Kelsey Silverstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always feel like I need to justify my lower reviews -

I picked this book up because I love a good, encouraging, rags-to-riches story. Based on the tag line of the book, I thought that was what I was in for, but that aspect only accounted for about 15% of the book. The rest was more of a business-y self-help book with a very conversational tone throughout. I wouldn't have picked this up had I known that's what I was in for.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy read with an entertaining story and some mildly helpful business advice. The book touches on socioeconomic and systematic issues within our society and Frito Lay in the 1980s. Montanez illustrates some good points. His story is also filled with plot holes. Take it with a grain of salt and on to the next. Chosen for a book club. Should be an interesting discussion.

An LA Times article recently exposed that he is NOT the creator of Flamin' Hot Cheetos like he says he is. Find it at https://www.latimes.com/business/stor... . His response is that he was that he knows what he accomplished and that he was in a different division. Find his response at https://variety.com/2021/film/news/ri... .

I know a few things after reading the book and both articles. 1. He started as a janitor in the 1970s. 2. He was promoted a number of times until he became a marketing executive at Frito Lay. 3. This book does not explain how these promotions happened nor does it address the plot holes.

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who does not like a feel good story? This one is so good Hollywood has already bought the rights to tell the story in the movies. The author tells is story of his rise when he gets his dream job of the time to go to work for Frito-Lay as a janitor. This an individual who did not complete high school had trouble reading and writing who while in school just wanted to get a job to make money to put food in his belly. This is a job that will make it easier to provide for his family that is growing up in Rancho Cucamonga. He carries with a work ethic instilled by his father and Grandfather that no matter what you are doing do it to the best of your abilities always strive to be the best. When sales are struggling for Frito-Lay that it is effecting hours worked by the employees the Pepsico CEO of the time Roger Enrico sends out a an appeal to all employees to treat their jobs like they were the owner. The author is on a mission to help find a way. He accomplishes with in his own words coming up with the idea for Flamin Hot Cheetos. This tells his rise through the company where he faced various forms of dislike and in his words racism. In this book he lays out the ten core lessons he used to rise through the ranks and says will work for you also.

There is one caveat to this story while looking up the claim the author makes in that Flamin Hot Cheetos is the number one snack in the world. There is a recent newspaper article form a west coast newspaper that after exhaustive research claims that what the author claims in this book is not true and when Pepsico was asked about it really did not support the authors claim. So you will have to do your own research and draw your own conclusions

[Strained · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing he invented is the story of inventing flamin hot cheetos.
https://web.archive.org/web/202109251...

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flamin’ Not

[hazelnuttoffee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I constantly craved flaming hot cheetos while reading this book. So, I’d say another effective marketing strategy to get the bookworms!

#truth: “Nothing can compare with the leadership of a woman...God was definitely showing off the day he created woman.”

[Dave Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring! The author is very transparent in sharing his journey and the steps that he took while facing challenges in his personal life and in the corporate world which he clearly laid out in this book. Several years ago I had the great fortune to attend a talk that Richard Montanez gave at our corporate headquarters in Chicago. I was very moved by his presentation that day and then shared that experience with my family. Recently one of my daughters presented me with this book. Mr. Montanez is a shining example of what one can accomplish in life, especially when undertaken with an unwavering solutions-oriented focus, coupled with solid family values.

[Justin Bartram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food history, leadership insight, entrepreneurship endeavors, rising up against all sorts of adversity including poverty and lack of grade school education, all key ingredients for what made Flamin’ Hot Cheetos what they are. Very interesting read to say the least!

[Víc Cs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble historia la de Richard, sumamente motivacional. Para mi el ejemplo perfecto de "fake it until make it"

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A TRULY ‘INSPIRATIONAL’ STORY

Author Richard Montañez wrote in the Introduction to this 2021 book, “There is actually a craving for credible advice that I hear from people everywhere and at every step among their climb. Questions I hear run the gamut from … ‘At my company, you get hired for a job and you’re expected to stay in that position, nobody gets promoted---should I quit?’ to ‘What’s the best way to find a mentor at work?’… and ‘What specific polities help corporate executives empower frontline employees and managers to do more than punch the clock?’ The answers to those questions and more are covered in the chapters ahead. My story of making it all the way from a janitor’s broom closet… to a top-level executive suite can be your story too, and this book will show you how.” (Pg. xiv-xv)

He recalls, “Hours were being cut… An atmosphere of fear spread through the ranks… All I could think about was how to create more hours for myself and for fellow employees too. Then I watched a memorable video … by Roger Enrico… CEO of PepsiCo. To solve the problem of sagging sales… Enrico decided to empower every one of the employees at Frito-Lay… he explained that he wanted everyone who worked for the company to act like an owner. He seemed to be speaking directly to me…” (Pg. 3-4)

He recounts, “my wife and I did our regular shopping… I found myself staring at the section right next to the snacks, featuring all the spices popular with Hispanic customers… The spice race had been there all this time… Something different caught my attention this time… reminders of the richness of my culture and our cuisine. Down the aisle … was the rack with all our brands of Frito-Lay snacks. None of them offered any real spices or flavors that tasted authentic to people here in my community… That’s when it hit me: the time had come to do a chip with some heat, some real spice!” (Pg. 5-6) Later, he adds, “‘Judy [his wife],’ I began, ‘what would happen if I put chili on a Cheeto?’ She looked closely at me and said, ‘Tomorrow… bring home some Cheetos with no cheese. As many as you can get.’” (Pg. 7)

After a period of experimentation, “we made up several Ziploc bags that we’d decided to carefully share with a few friends and coworkers. The response was over the top… they were a monumental success… This was no weakling amount of heat, though. One friend commented, ‘These Cheetos are hot all right, FLAMIN’ HOT!’ And that’s where I got the name… Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.” (Pg. 9)

He managed to directly contact CEO Roger Enrico (with the help of Enrico’s ‘indispensable executive assistant’ Patti, who was ‘A visionary in her own right’), who told him, “‘I’d like to see what you’ve got. In person. How ‘bout I head out to the plant in two weeks? We’ll make it a priority.’ … He recognized something of value in me. He didn’t see someone who only mopped the floors. He saw my potential.” (Pg. 10-12)

He outlines his ‘ten core lessons for achieving your dreams’: “*Your sizzling gifts of imagination… *Your supercharging capacity for INITIATIVE … *The art of practicing the future you… *The habit of knowing when to act and when not to act… *The unexpected edge you gain by studying… successful entrepreneurs… *The ever useful ‘What if? What then?’ empowerment method for navigating risk… *An authentic storytelling approach… to successfully pitch your idea… *Your underused talents for taking on the competition… *Your own pathway to leadership.. *The true greatness that is already in you …” (Pg. 17-18)

He reports, “At Frito-Lay, many of the managers would tolerate me, but they didn’t always appreciate me. I was forever … stepping onto their turf… There was one exception… who taught me how to think, dress, speak, and carry myself like an executive. A production manager, Julius G. McGee… taught me how to rise above the haters, never to let discrimination make me bitter of a victim… Julius commanded your respect … because (a) he was respectful, (b) he had a cool walk, and (c) he’d arrive at work in his long black leather coat---like a movie detective.” (Pg. 57) When company vice president Al Carey came to visit their plant, Richard saw, ‘an opening to go over and introduce myself. This was … against all the rules of corporate command and control. But the ghetto came out in me… I had seen grown men go after each other with knives. This was nuthin’! … he handed me his card with his direct number, making me promise to call him whenever I had anything to run by him. And indeed I would---when … I had my next truly hot idea.” (Pg. 73)

He explains, “With Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, my belief was that I had three USPs [unique selling points]… most major brands were just starting to realize the buying power of Latino consumers… In the second place… Flamin’ Hot Cheetos could be rolled out and tested in stores … within three or four months. Third… Flamin’ Hot Cheetos offered the same ‘meal in a snack’ as a selling point ad captured the real heat of our cuisine.” (Pg. 122-123)

When he was making a presentation before the executives, he was asked, ‘How much market share are we talking about?’ “I literally almost fainted… What is market share? … the fighter in me refused to be intimidated … Spreading my arms … as wide as they would go, I said… ‘This much market share---that’s how much!’ … Roger Enrico stood up … and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, do you realize that Richard just showed us how to go after this much market share?’ And he, too, opened up his arms as far as they could go and smiled even bigger than I had.” (Pg. 132-133)

Unfortunately, “the more the day wore on… the more I could see that their strategy was to intimidate me… By the time I got home, I couldn’t help feeling discouraged, almost as if my brainchild… had been adopted by strangers who didn’t care about its origins. They … didn’t want my input. There wasn’t much I could do, other than … assure everyone that I was happy to be on the team.” (Pg. 143-144)

But later, “It was great to be acknowledged around the time when I somehow became known as the Godfather of Hispanic Marketing… That name was publicly given to me … when I spoke at a luncheon for Telemundo… and that’s how the emcee introduced me as I came up to the podium. The name stuck.” (Pg. 189)

He summarizes, “The message I most want to give you is that ‘You are meant for greatness.’ Once you believe that there is greatness in you, right now, that mind-set will spark your most creative and inspired ideas. No matter how hungry, passionate, purposeful, and hardworking you are, if you don’t believe you are meant for greatness---if you believe that life’s never been fair or that you’re not gifted or not even very smart---you will undoubtedly not get very far.” (Pg. 197)

He recounts, “My decision to retire from PepsiCo toward the end of 2019 had not been a difficult one to make. For the most part, my main mentors and champions had moved on… Many of the new breed of executives knew me and my story, but they didn’t know of the strategies and paradigm shifts that had been made possible by my partnerships with all the CEOs no longer at the helm.” (Pg. 206, 210)

He concludes, “Believe that you are intended for greatness. I believed, and things turned out pretty well, and they most certainly can for you, starting right now---in the moment that you see what has remained unseen yet waiting for you to reveal it. Just believe.” (Pg. 214-215)

You need to watch the movie “Flamin’ Hot” (on Hulu), in addition to reading this excellent book.

[Tie Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring story of someone who created opportunities for himself despite the unleveled playing field -- i.e., Richard and his wife, Judy, were not 'born on 3rd base'. He documents his struggles which make him relatable to most of us. He cautions that when your hard work is ultimately recognized by management and the stage is set for your occasion to shine, make sure you've learned your lines and are prepared!

Other things I'll takeaway from this book:

* Stand behind your service because they preserve your personal brand.
* It isn't your employer's job (or your manager's) to make you happy. That's your job. If their goal was to make you happy, then they'd give your and your family tickets to Disneyland. Corny? Yes, but the argument seems valid.
* Leaders fall into the category of either Pharaohs (authoritarians) or Deliverers (e.g., Moses). Aim to be in the latter camp.
* Funny anecdote about rocket science and Neil Armstrong -- put a smile on my face :-)
* Kintsugi -- your breaks and scars (similar to a broken piece of pottery) do not mar your greatness; they enhance them!

[CARLA PETROCELLI · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring!!

Love this book from beginning to end. I cried many times as I was reading it because his ourney resonates with my life as an immigrant from Brazil (going through all adversities), still looking for my revelation. Thank you so much for sharing your story of courage, inspiration and a reminder to us all to keep fighting and never let anyone dictate our future! Obrigada! Beijos!

[Cade Graning · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book Flamin’ Hot is written by Richard Montanez, who was born in Mexico and grew up in Guasti, a small town close to small town Ontario, California. The story starts in the beginning of his life in the fields with his parents. Throughout the story, we learn more about his journey and how he got there, along with lessons that he learned on his way. Richard started in the company as what a janitor and moved up in ranks by doing more than what was expected and taking initiative. He used his creativity and initiative to create a great snack that everyone loved. The main idea of the book was to inspire readers to take initiative to achieve their dreams. An example of this occurs in chapter two, which is called “Act Like an Owner.” He talks about what it means to act like an owner and take initiative, like he did when he wrote a report on how to improve efficiency and decrease waste. The rest of the book follows the format of teaching lessons while also telling a story.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I really enjoyed the lessons taught by the author. The lesson that stood out the most to me was in chapter ten. This chapter was called “Believe That There is Greatness in You” and it was about believing in yourself and being confident. It was also about forgetting your history and moving forward in life. Richard Montanez did a good job of providing specific stories and examples to teach the lessons. An example of this was in chapter two where he taught a lesson about taking initiative and doing more than what’s expected. He provided a story to go with the lesson as well, and it was about how he almost got fired as a janitor because he was doing the bare minimum of his duties. I don’t think the author provided enough comic relief in the novel and so it made it a boring read for me. He could have made more jokes or told more funny stories to mix in with the serious stories. I would not recommend this book to everyone, but I would recommend this to people who want to start a business or try to move up in a job. He used a metaphor to explain how to move up in life. He used a ladder to represent ranks in a business and if you see that a ladder isn’t moving or just comes to an end, then you have to get on another ladder to keep climbing. I would also recommend this book to be taught in schools, specifically in entrepreneur classes because it is about acting like an owner. I gained a lot from reading this novel because the author talked about life lessons from a person who has experienced them directly. The biggest take away for me was to do something so well that you could put your name on it.

How do you keep climbing in life even though you don’t know how to keep going?
Why do some people handle adversity differently than others?
What makes someone a hard worker?

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a business self-help book than a memoir, Flamin' Hot spends only a couple dozen pages telling the story of how the author came up with the spicy style of Cheetohs but a couple hundred giving advice about being an entrepreneur and lowly forward-thinking corporate worker. Whether you like this will depend on why you're reading it--if you want to hear a great, detailed, fascinating story of the author's rebellious undereducated life and his rise to the top then you might be disappointed.

There are many asides in which he claims to have been mistreated due to his Mexican background. While I don't doubt that, some of the examples he uses are pretty weak and could be simply taken as co-workers or executives giving him a hard time as they would give any janitor who thought he could bypass them to go directly to the CEO. Montanez filters things through racial eyes but with a positive attitude. There are plenty of examples of people at the company that supported him when they shouldn't have, and that also may have been because of his racial background.

It was also disturbing to hear him say that he thought school unnecessary for his success (he never even got close to graduating, running away often and arrested twice). And that being reported to the cops for shoplifting at age eight was wrong because he considered it racist. Why does someone of color filter all experiences through racism when it's something that occurs to people of any color, including whites? And why does he justify doing wrong, trying to shift the blame to the cops for putting handcuffs on when he was breaking the law? He should just be grateful that his arrest record didn't show up when he applied for work at the Frito plant!

If you are looking to light a fire under your entrepreneurial skills then this might be hot enough for you, but if you want to read a great memoir then this flames out.

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had heard about Montañez and his incredible story: that he rose from being a janitor to an executive in a major company known for its snacks, especially the Cheetos. His claim to fame? How he invented the Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Those are not my personal favorite, but I respect why people love them and I loved the idea of a rags to riches story where this gentleman rose from cleaning floors to creating a food beloved by many and used from being a snack to fun and uh, interesting food items.

So despite the backtracking about what his story really is (Montañez didn't create it, apparently), I still wanted to read this (just look at that cover!). It still seemed like an interesting tale to read, made up or not.

Unfortunately, the negative reviews are correct. It's less of his own personal story but rather a self-help/business plan type of book that was honestly really dull. It's a pity because there are obviously a lot of issues that are important: socioeconomic to social issues, the word of one man vs. well, Frito-Lay. But it appears that this was either about making a quick buck (and hoping no one would notice his claims) or a badly thought out book proposal, etc.

The book definitely wasn't what I thought it would be and ultimately I'm not sure I'd recommend it. These types of business books that try to teach lessons in between personal stories aren't really my thing and knowing what I know now about the holes in his story this was probably skippable.

If you're still interested like me, I'd recommend this as a library borrow or bargain/used book. I wouldn't have spent money on it as a bargain book but it was unavailable at the library and a bargain buy meant I could read it on my own time. Don't pay full price for it.

[Philmore Olazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flammin' Hot is an inspiring and engaging read that goes beyond the typical rags-to-riches story, offering a unique glimpse into the food manufactury industry through the eyes of someone who climbed up from the bottom without the benefit of a formal education.

Montañez recounts his journey from working as a janitor at Frito-Lay to becoming an influential executive within the company, primarily through his creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos (the best kind of Cheetos).

His story is rooted in his experiences growing up in a poor area, where he learned valuable street-smart skills that he later applied to his corporate career. His approach was unorthodox. He dedicated hours outside of his regular work schedule to understand and solve production issues at the plant, an effort driven by his desire to secure more work hours for himself and his colleagues, helping them provide for their families.

Part of the book explains how he came up with Flamin' Hot Cheetos, an idea that initially met with skepticism and resistance within Frito-Lay. Adding a little bit of my own experience within the industry, people can get crazy with new ideas, this changes the status quo in the workplace and it's not comfortable.

Overall it is a funny and fascinating dive into the food manufacturing industry and the story of a man who worked hard, along with his wife's support, to achieve his dreams and give his family a better life.

I think you'll enjoy and appreciate more what Richard Montañez has to say if you have some experience with any manufacturing work.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book with a story that took place here in Rancho Cucamonga.

Richard Montañez wasn't supposed to have big dreams. Born to migrant farm workers and mired in poverty, he left school in the sixth grade, eventually taking a job mopping floors at Frito-Lay's Rancho Cucamonga factory to support his young wife and family.

Everything changed one night when, at twenty-eight years old with no formal education beyond the sixth grade, Montañez took his future into his own hands: he used his wife's recipe for chili sauce to season a bag of plain Cheetos that he'd brought home. After an intense process of experimentation and testing, and an incredibly risky call to the company's CEO that broke protocol, Montañez launched Flamin' Hot Cheetos. He never expected the onslaught of discrimination, backstabbing, and attempted sabotage--or the chip's explosive success becoming one of the company’s most successful products. He not only disrupted the food industry but he also shook up a corporate culture in which everyone stayed in their lane.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had always liked Cheetos but, had never realized that there were Flaming hot Cheetos before I read this book.

I found Flamin hot to be inspiring. A man goes from Janitor and works his way up the ranks of a company by learning as much about the company as he can.

Its been awhile since I read the book so I am trying to think about what I liked about it. I suppose I liked that a man can start out as a janitor and make his way up the corporate ladder. I liked the idea that Richard decided to learn more than how to be the best janitor at Lay's. He wanted to be more than the best janitor and he did it.

I also like the cover of Flamin hot. Oh, I was also surprised that Richard said that he did not finish high school.

Anyway I found the story to be very inspirational. What else can I say? I don't know.

[Jonathan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall,
Great book
I loved the initiative they the author took to do his job and to go above and beyond his job description
I also love his initiative to make friends with higher ups
To read books to develop himself
To coordinate with his family on these dreams and goals
And to never stop hustling for his dreams while at the company
There were many tactical errors that he had by not playing the game correctly when he was first hired, almost getting him fired
He also did not mention a lot of allies that were his peers or direct higher ups so his projection to the top could have been even smoother
Lastly, the book could have been half the length of the self help part was taken out
Overall, I love the story and recommend it for people who love rags to riches stories

[Matthew Katz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library because I love hot Cheetos and the title caught my eye. I was expecting a heart warming story about the development of the hot Cheetos and Richard’s story. I wasn’t expecting a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps/hotel ballroom motivational speaker/how-to book. The story is endearing but gets lost among the “you could be just like me” advice that refuses to dig deep on the classist, xenophobic, capitalistic-to-a-fault, predatory nature of corporate America. Richard has a meaningful story to tell and I wish Flamin’ Hot did a better job telling it.

P.S. I think at one point he compares himself to Moses without realizing it?

[Will Plunkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living near the same Frito-Lay plant, and having taken an elementary school field trip there, I wonder if I might have been in the same room as the author was. Do I like Cheetos? Yes. Do I like Flamin' Hot Cheetos? No. Did this book address the debate over whether he actually did invent this snack? No. Does that negatively affect his messages and intentions to share his story and advice about overcoming obstacles and having self-confidence? I don't think so. Does the author (or his co-writer) really like the rhetorical devices of repetition and chiasmas? Definitely. And am I pleased to learn of his love of etymology (the study of words, not insects)? Absolutely.

[Ivette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dissapointing. I picked up this book hoping for an immersive look into Richard's life, and how he overcame his struggles to ultimately impact the world... There's about 10% of that. Very surface level, shallow details. The rest is corporate bootlicking and capitalist propaganda. He drank the Koolaid and gave the pitcher a rim job.

It's jarring to expect an underdog story, and get hit in the face with vague Zig-Ziglar, Brian Tracy-esque, corporate "motivational" jargon regurgitation. The book comes across as that written by a wannabe guru. In doing so cheapening his accomplishments and the unique insight a latino in the 80s at the bottom of the corporate ladder would have.

[Debi Raves & Rants · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raves: I wanted to read this book because of the controversy surrounding the story. After reading it, I believe Richard came up with the original concept. However, R&D isn’t a simple straight line, and there is no way to say if the lab had been developing a similar concept. The company used Richard’s story as an example, so they did give legs to the story that he was the original developer of this idea. He does a good job of making his case and sharing his experiences.

Rants: I could have done without the preachy, how to succeed in business, chapters. I feel it took away from the story.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to give this book a mixed review because I found the frequent psych101 (actually preschool psych, you know, like "You can be anyone you want to be!", etc.) sidebars irritating and patronizing. I did however enjoy the story of the creation of the product, his problems with others' jealousy and attempted sabotage, etc. However, a quick search finds that old Richard, according to Frito-Lay had nothing to do with the creation of Flamin' Hot anything! Oh well, he did climb from janitor to boardroom, that much is true and it's a great story, but, it seems, just a story.

[Greg Kopstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part autobiographical memoir and part how-to-lead executive story, this book was on my shelf for a while before being encouraged by the new Hulu show. It was good, somewhat inspiring, and informative for future business leaders. But I think the story itself is far more compelling than the guide section of this book. Full disclosure: I ate my first ever Cheeto today. It was ok… not my favorite, but I can see why people enjoyed it. Like this book. I wish he wrote more about the story than get mired in an executive leadership book.

[Jezzeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can be a leader at any stage when you work for the benefit of others, using your words and your voice on their behalf. Your success will breed success in others. Look for opportunities to serve as a connector at work, in your neighborhood, and in your community. Act like an owner, and think like an executive.The best ideas are served hot. Do not be afraid to look ridiculous because greatness often comes in ridiculous forms. The power of "What if? What then?" makes it worth the risk. Believe that there is greatness in you.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down.

This book is motivating and the back story reminded me of what my grandfather experienced growing up in the Inland Empire (South Fontana) during the times of segregation, where Hispanics lived in the South Side and worked at local chicken farms and in the vineyards nearby in Rancho.

I challenge you to read this book. It's a tool to help you succeed in whatever field you work in.

[Joshua Southard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a crazy story where a janitor creates a multi-billion dollar product, writes a book on efficiency, and rises above his humble roots to lead his company (Frito Lay) out of decline and into success. Montanez is a character; he has style and humor and many lessons from his struggles. From the mop closet to the board room he worked hard, owned his work, learned what it is to take initiative, and made connections with many of the leaders who believed in him. He teaches younger workers how to take pride in their work. He exemplifies the idea of acting like an owner. Montanez watched a video from the CEO asking for every employee to create ideas for growing the company and took it to heart. He and his family saw an opportunity to expand chips into a wide-open market- there weren’t any snacks for the Latin families who liked things with extra spices. Seeing this huge gap in the market, Montanez invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Then he went way out on a limb and called up the CEO with his idea. Everyone wanted to watch the janitor get fired for calling the CEO directly, but instead, he got the chance to pitch his idea to the CEO and many other executives. Montanez didn’t know how to pitch, so he went to the library and checked out some books, and developed a pitch. Everyone held their breath as he got ready for his presentation, but he still didn’t get fired. He nailed it. But the business wasn’t ready for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to go big. They started small, so Montanez took his family out to the LA shops that were selling a few bags here and there and bought them all up and convinced the owners of the shops to buy more. Orders increased, and eventually, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos became a billion-dollar product. Don’t be afraid to look ridiculous. Don’t stop at “what if?”, keep going through “Why not?”, and work your way through the “What then?” questions that will lead your dream to challenge the status quo. Finally, study your words. Know what they mean. Chose them carefully. They have power. Words define our realities. Speak words of power into your dreams and your families. I love this story. It’s a grander version of my own story (which is not quite as far along).

This book is for the little guy who needs a boost, the brave, and the leaders yet to breakthrough.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Steven Montanez, 6:21)

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued to dig deeper into Richard Montanez’ story after hearing him speak at thr Global Leadership Summit a couple of years ago. His journey from being a janitor to an executive is not only inspiring but a true leadership lesson in resilience. This book isn’t just his sorry, but it feels like he’s written this leadership/business book just for you. It’s a quick, interesting and easy read.
And one that I definitely recommend!

[Amanda Melendez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I may have been a little bit confused when I picked up this book. I was expecting more of a memoir but was confused when it also became a step-by-step guide in climbing the ranks of business.

I’m all for success and equal opportunities for everyone and reading about his success is absolutely heartwarming. I just thought it could have done less with definitions and the etymology of a lot of different words throughout.