FLAMIN' HOT

A genuine up-by-the-bootstraps American success story.

Once a janitor and now a PepsiCo executive, Montañez gives advice about self-empowerment through an account of his own unconventional climb up the corporate ladder. The son of field laborers, the Southern California native grew up in “the poorest part of the Spanish-speaking ghetto, the barrio.” After dropping out of school in sixth grade, he left home at 14 to work odd jobs. At 19, he became a janitor at the Rancho Cucamonga Frito-Lay plant to provide for his young family. For the next decade, he made ends meet with side hustles, one of which involved selling homemade tortillas and salsa. When Frito-Lay cut his hours, Montañez hit on the idea of making chili Cheetos and experimented on extra unused product from the plant. He called the prototype Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and then broke ranks to “think like an owner” and call then–CEO Roger Enrico to pitch his creation. A revolution was suddenly underway in Montañez’s life as well as in the snack industry. The author suggests that his revelation came about by asking “what if” questions, which helped him take game-changing risks. But his rise through the corporate ranks came slowly because many executives took issue with both his lack of education and his ethnicity. Montañez found support among a few executives like Enrico. Others blocked his progress—e.g., a regional director who “neglected” to tell him about a managerial position offer Frito-Lay finally made to him years after the successful launch of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Rather than embitter him, these lessons taught the author to “fight harder” and, later, to actively pursue deserved compensation and promotions. This classic rags-to-riches story about underdog ingenuity, hard work, and the motto of “faith it til you make it” will appeal to entrepreneurs, specifically among marginalized communities, and anyone seeking motivation to spark the “flamin’ hot” ideas that can change a life.

Down-to-earth and inspiring.