Olga Hurtado

I was born on February 19, 1982, in Barranquilla, Colombia, the youngest of my siblings. My parents, Jorge Hurtado and Olga Correa, built something remarkable together - a business called Airmel Ltda, which became one of the largest HVAC manufacturers in Colombia. My father was a visionary, a man who found solutions where others saw obstacles. In the 1980s, long before drones or modern cranes were common, he had the audacity to use a helicopter to install a massive piece of equipment onto the roof of a building. People sought him out, not just for his products but for his ideas, his ability to innovate.

My mother was the other half of the equation - the structured, logical force who kept everything running. Together, they created a thriving business and built a comfortable life for our family. My siblings and I grew up never worrying about money. It seemed like we had everything figured out. But life has a way of testing even the strongest foundations.

When my father was 45 years old, everything changed. He suffered a severe accident that fractured his skull, and overnight, our world was turned upside down. The business, once flourishing, began to unravel. The wealth and security we had known slipped through our fingers, and suddenly, we were struggling. They had invested everything into their home, believing it was the safest financial decision, but they had never planned for a future where the business might not be there to sustain us.

I was 11 years old, but I understood what was happening. I watched my mother transform into the head of the household, taking on the responsibility of keeping us afloat. My father, once a brilliant problem-solver, had to relearn how to do even the most basic tasks. The burden was heavy, and while my mother carried it with strength, I could feel the weight of it pressing down on all of us.

It was during this time that I started to question everything - Why hadn’t they saved? Why hadn’t they planned for this? How could we go from having everything to having nothing? I didn’t just wonder. I resented it. I judged them. I let my frustration spill over in ways I didn’t yet understand. But I was young, and more than anything, I was scared.

That fear pushed me to grow up quickly. While my friends were going to parties, enjoying their teenage years, I was working. At just 16 years old, I was thrust into a world where men in positions of power tried to take advantage of my vulnerability, where bosses propositioned me, believing that because I needed the money, I wouldn’t have a choice. But I did have a choice. And I made it.

I knew then that I never wanted to be dependent on anyone. I needed to be prepared. I needed to be in control of my own future. And that meant understanding money - how to manage it, how to protect it, how to make sure no one I loved ever had to go through what we did.

At the time, I had no idea that this experience, this hardship, would one day become the foundation for my life’s work.

The Ugly Duckling with Big Dreams

Growing up, I was not the pretty one in the family. At least, that’s what everyone told me. My brother had a special talent for teasing me, constantly pointing out the size of my forehead. Among my grandmother’s grandchildren, I was labeled the ugly duckling. It became part of my identity I truly believed I was unattractive, awkward, and plain.

To make matters worse, my father had given me the nickname “Cuquita.” In Spanish, it’s a term of endearment - something small and cute. But over time, people shortened it to “Cuca,” which in some parts of Colombia is slang for vagina. Imagine being a teenager, already self-conscious, and having people casually call you that! Instead of running from it, though, I embraced it. I owned it. Today, I say it with pride - I am La Cuca (QK)

But even though I grew up feeling like the ugly duckling, I had big dreams. I wanted to be a screenwriter. I loved stories, loved the way words could shape emotions and create entire worlds.

Determined to make that dream a reality, I moved to Medellín to study dramatic arts. I never wanted to be an actress, but I saw it as my foot in the door, a way to understand storytelling from the inside. But reality has a way of crashing into dreams.

Living in a new city, away from home, without enough money, was a challenge. I stayed with relatives, but it wasn’t easy. I felt like I was constantly trying to justify my presence. After two years, my mother sat me down for a conversation that would change everything. “This isn’t your path,” she told me. She wasn’t trying to take my dreams away, but she was helping me see something I couldn’t admit to myself - I was struggling.

Leaving that dream behind was hard, but it was the best decision I ever made. I returned to Barranquilla, enrolled in finance and international business, and got a job in accounting. And that’s when my real journey began.

The Hustle: Work, Study, Survive

I threw myself into my new path with relentless determination. While attending university full-time, I was also working full-time. I wasn’t just studying finance - I was living it.

My father had always told us that employment wasn’t for us. He believed we were meant to build something of our own. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what he meant. I was focused on survival, on getting through each day, each exam, each shift.

But the seed had been planted.

Today, both my brother and my sister are entrepreneurs, just like me. Without realizing it at the time, we had all absorbed our father’s mindset. We had watched our family lose everything, and we had each, in our own way, decided that we would never let that happen again.

A New Beginning in the U.S.

In 2005, I left everything I knew behind and moved to the United States. It wasn’t just about starting a new life - it was about proving to myself that I could succeed anywhere. That same year, on October 1st, I got married. A new country, a new marriage, and an entirely new way of life awaited me.

But nothing could have prepared me for what came next.

My first job in the U.S. was unloading containers in a warehouse. It was grueling work, but I took it without hesitation. I wasn’t afraid of hard work, hard work had been my reality since childhood. But this wasn’t just about work. It was about survival.

One day, my boss, a Chinese man, pulled me aside. He looked me in the eyes and said, “You’re too brilliant to let a language barrier hold you back. Learn English. You can do more.”

That conversation changed everything.

I enrolled in Miami Dade College and threw myself into learning English. I had left three semesters of my finance degree unfinished in Colombia, and now, in this new country, I knew I had to finish what I started.

A Life-Changing Moment

In 2007, I landed a job with a man who would later become one of the most influential figures in my life Carlos Ferrando. He wasn’t just a boss; he was a mentor, a leader, and one of the kindest people I have ever met.

Two years later, in 2009, my life changed again. I found out I was pregnant with twins. But life, in its unpredictable way, decided that one massive life change wasn’t enough. Around the same time, my husband was laid off from his job.

Then, the doctors told me my pregnancy was high-risk.

I was put on bed rest, unable to work, and suddenly, the financial stability we had was gone. But in the midst of uncertainty, something incredible happened Carlos Ferrando kept paying me.

I wasn’t working. I wasn’t in the office. But every single paycheck came in as if nothing had changed. He never asked for anything in return. He just believed in me.

On August 9, 2009, my daughters were born. For the first few months, my mother came to help. Then, my mother-in-law. But after six months, it was just me and my husband, alone, trying to figure it all out.

Money was tight. My husband remained unemployed for over a year. There were moments where we didn’t know how we would make it. But we did.

The Struggle to Finish My Degree

In 2010, my mother received a call from my university in Colombia.

"If she doesn’t finish her degree, she will lose everything she has worked for."

At that moment, I had two choices let go of the dream or find a way to make it work.

With online education still in its infancy, the university had just begun offering remote classes, and my mother saw an opportunity. The only problem? I was a new mom, with two babies to care for, and no time to sit in front of a computer for hours.

That’s when my parents stepped in.

My mother was working in another city, and my father was still in Barranquilla. I would download my homework and send it to them. Since my dad had no idea how to use a computer, he would walk to a “café internet”, print out the assignments, and bring them home.

Then, he would call me.

While I cared for my daughters, I dictated my answers over the phone. He wrote everything down by hand, then walked back to the Café Internet, had someone scan the papers, and sent them to my mom. She then transcribed everything into Word and submitted it.

We did this for months.

It was exhausting. It was chaotic. But it was also a testament to the strength of my family.

Eventually, I finished my coursework and was ready to graduate. There was only one problem - I couldn’t travel for the ceremony. My daughters were still too small, and leaving them wasn’t an option.

So my father went in my place.

That day, as he stood on stage and accepted my diploma, it wasn’t just my graduation. It was his, too. It was our family’s victory.

I was also the first person in my university to graduate online. And if that wasn’t enough pressure, I even had to defend my thesis in English.

My parents were proud beyond words.

The Turning Point: From Employee to Entrepreneur

I spent the next few years working hard, applying everything I had learned, but I could feel it, I was outgrowing the life of an employee.

In 2014, everything came to a breaking point.

Carlos Ferrando resigned, and suddenly, all of his responsibilities were handed to me - without a raise, without a conversation, without a choice.

After a few months of doing the work of two people, I asked for what I deserve, a salary increase to reflect the work I was doing.

The company’s response?

They fired me.

Their excuse? The CFO in Spain was making less than what I was asking for.

After seven years of loyalty, I was let go for the simple act of knowing my worth.

I walked out of that office, carrying my things in a box, and as I sat in my car, I had a realization so powerful it changed the course of my life.

This was the last time I would ever work for someone else.

I had spent my whole life learning, surviving, adapting, overcoming - but now, it was time to build.

The Birth of NeatBooks

In 2015, I took the first step toward something bigger - I started NeatBooks.

At first, I had no idea where it would go. My friend, Vanessa, offered me some freelance work, and through that, I discovered something critical - business owners didn’t just need someone to do their books. They needed someone to guide them.

That’s when I knew - this was it. This was what I was meant to do.

I took everything I had learned from Carlos Ferrando, the master of customer service, and I built NeatBooks with relationships at its core.

The first year? I made $12,000.

It wasn’t much, but it was mine.

One night, I was brainstorming ideas for the business with my best friend, Carolina. We were tossing around different concepts when she suddenly asked me, “Olga, what do you do exactly?”

Without thinking, I blurted out, “I help them keep their shit together in their businesses.”

We both burst out laughing.

Carolina, still laughing, shook her head and said, “Olga, you can’t say that!”

But at that moment, something clicked. The raw honesty behind what I said perfectly described what I did for my clients - it was about bringing order to chaos, creating structure in their finances, making sure they weren’t lost in the numbers.

Carolina thought for a moment and then said, “How about… Keeping Your Financial History Together?”

It was perfect.

A tagline born from laughter, but deeply relevant to what NeatBooks was all about.

That phrase, inspired by a trivial, lighthearted conversation, became a core part of the business - a reminder that even in the world of numbers, clarity and organization bring peace.

From Solo Entrepreneur to Industry Leader

By 2019, NeatBooks had grown enough that I hired my first employee, my cousin Sebastián. It was a big step - not just for the business, but for me personally. Until then, NeatBooks had been just me, my passion, and my vision. Now, I had someone else to guide, to lead, to trust with the business I was building.

Then, in 2020, the world changed.

The pandemic hit, and suddenly, everything was uncertain. Business owners were panicking, trying to figure out what to do, where to go, and how to survive.

I noticed something immediately - they had no guidance. Many of them had accountants, but those accountants weren’t explaining things. They weren’t helping. Business owners were scrambling to figure out which government loans they could apply for, what financial steps they needed to take, and how to navigate a world that had shut down overnight.

So, NeatBooks stepped in.

We worked tirelessly to help businesses navigate government aid programs, to keep them afloat when everything seemed lost.

Some of this work? We did it for free.

Because how could I, knowing what it was like to lose everything, turn my back on businesses that were on the verge of collapsing?

NeatBooks flourished during this time. Not just as a business, but as a lifeline for entrepreneurs.

By 2021, we had opened our first office and hired three employees.
By 2022, we expanded to Colombia with a virtual office.
Today, we have 20 employees across the U.S. and Colombia.

NeatBooks had become something more than just an accounting firm. It had become a financial partner, a trusted guide, and a place where business owners felt seen and supported.

A Deeper Calling: Kabbalah, Manifestation & the Power of the Universe

I have always believed in the power of manifestations and visualizations. It wasn’t something I picked up along the way - it was something I had always practiced without even realizing it.

In 2022, a client and friend introduced me to Kabbalah, and suddenly, everything made sense. The teachings, the philosophy - it all aligned with what I had been doing my entire life.

I felt deeply connected to it, and the more I learned, the more I saw how I had already been living these principles.

I shared it with my father, a devout Catholic, and to my surprise, he embraced it too. My sister, seeing how much it resonated with us, began studying it as well.

Kabbalah wasn’t just about spirituality for me - it became a part of how I ran my business, how I approached challenges, and how I made decisions.

It reinforced what I already knew:

Energy matters. Intentions matter. Giving matters.

And I had been unknowingly practicing those beliefs all my life.

Love, Loss, and Legacy

In December 2021, my world shifted again.

My father was diagnosed with liver cancer.

We tried everything. Every treatment, every possibility. But by June 2023, my mother told us what we had feared the most - the doctors said there was nothing left to do.

We traveled to Barranquilla, knowing these were his final days.

That week was both beautiful and heartbreaking. We didn’t focus on the illness. We focused on being together. We shared memories, laughter, and moments of pure love.

And then, on July 10, 2023, at 8:12 PM, my father left this world.

It was painful, but it was also beautiful.

We surrounded him, we caressed him, we sang to him, we spoke to him. My mother, his rock until the very end, whispered to him, guiding him gently, helping him let go.

And when he took his last breath, we applauded.

Because he left this world in peace.

That void? It hasn’t gone away.

But I feel him with me every step of the way.

His legacy isn’t just in memories. It’s in the way I run my business. It’s in the way I honor my family. It’s in the way my siblings and I, all entrepreneurs, carry forward his vision - his belief that we were meant to build something greater than ourselves.

My Mission Today