Janitor-Turned-Executive Inspires Graduates With The Best Advice Ever.

I can’t believe I’m only now learning about the creator of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but I suppose better late than never, right?

According to this, Richard Montanez started working for Frito-Lay as a janitor when he was just 18 years old. And now? Well, now he’s an executive at the company after creating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Here’s a great little recap of his story:

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/rPO7orLnZBI”]

He gave the commencement address last week at Chaffey College in Ontario. He recounted how his father reacted when told of the janitor position he’d taken. His father told him, “When you mop that floor, you make sure it shines and you make sure they know a Montañez did it.”

And that’s how Montanez lives his entire life:

“I took that and have been living that statement ever since. It doesn’t matter who I work for, I work for my last name,” he said. “It’s not about how much money you make; it’s not about your title. It’s about your last name.”

When people marvel at the fact that he started at the bottom, he corrects them and says, “No, I started at the beginning.”

Montanez was a high school dropout, and by the time he was 18, he’d worked at a car wash, at a poultry factory, and as a gardener. He worried that his life was going nowhere. But once he was hired at Frito-Lay, he was determined to make something of himself.

And then he had his revelation. “What if I put chili on a Cheeto?”

He pitched the idea to the CEO, and the rest is history. He climbed right up that corporate ladder.

He said during his commencement address: “Graduates, remember, you were not created to fit in. You were created to stand out.”

I love that. Make sure to watch the short video above – you’ll love his spirit!