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DAPHNE, Ala. (WKRG) — In the small office of Fortitude Business Solutions, CEO Mario Castañeda spends his days not just reviewing spreadsheets, but also counseling the people behind them.
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One example is his client Elias Saybe, who moved to Mobile from San Francisco, California, and opened Taquería Mexico.
When Saybe started his restaurant, he faced the challenge of starting from scratch in a new state. Instead of handling just his taxes, Castañeda guided him through the entire process of starting and running a restaurant in Alabama.
“I am very grateful to God that he is in my path,” Saybe said. “In everything I need — documents, anything — Mario is always there for me.”
For Castañeda, that kind of support is only natural.
“A lot of my clients, I consider them my friends,” he said. “We don’t just focus on the business part of it; we become part of their families.”
From El Salvador to Fortitude Business Solutions
That mindset comes from the years he spent working for a financial company.
Castañeda immigrated from El Salvador to the U.S. in 1979. He studied accounting at the City University of New York and worked for 23 years advising large corporations. After that experience, he realized he could do more for people who didn’t have big teams or financial experts behind them.
“I figured out that my knowledge can help small businesses to become more profitable,” Castañeda said. “And also helping Latino families to be more financially independent.”
He launched Fortitude Business Solutions in 2011 as a family operation with his wife and two daughters. He funded it with their money instead of a bank loan or outside investors.
“The first challenge [was] to basically raise capital; find the capital to start a business,” he said. “You have to be ready to use your own funds because at the beginning, nobody [is] going to give you loans.”
In the beginning, it was just his wife and two daughters working alongside him until they started hiring more people.
That focus on family support wasn’t just practical — it has become one of his core values.
“One of the most important aspects for any business owner or individual is family values,” Castañeda said. “I think that without values — without your family — it’s very hard to be successful in the United States or anywhere.”
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For Castañeda, that means building a life around people you care about, staying connected to your community, and helping each other along the way.
He also put those values into practice as the treasurer of the Hispanic American Business Association. And he helps lead Mobile Latin Fest, an annual downtown Mobile event that funds $500 to $1,500 scholarships for local Hispanic students.
“My motivation, beyond my services, is to empower and unite the Hispanic business community,” Castañeda said. “[To] serve as a bridge to other cultures and communities in the region, building connections across all communities.”
It is that desire to empower others that led him to host free financial seminars at churches like La Tierra Prometida in Foley, where he covers finances, taxes and legal responsibility while encouraging people to pursue legal status when possible. Pastor Enrique Escobar of that church has experienced that support himself.
“I have personally benefited because I have been there,” Escobar said.
Castañeda has been Escobar’s accountant since he first arrived in this country. After nearly 20 years of knowing him, Escobar sums up Castañeda as “a helpful, generous person and a true counselor.”
Castañeda sees his work as a larger commitment to the Latino community.
“Being part of the Latino community in this area for me is very important,” Castañeda said. “When I came to Alabama in 1994, there were not too many Latino business owners.
“Now that we’re growing and there are more business owners, I feel that we have an obligation to help others.”
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