The Bold Business Framework: Transforming Growth into Lasting Impact with Onahira Rivas

The Bold Business Framework: Transforming Growth into Lasting Impact with Onahira Rivas

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Welcome back to The Daily Mastermind, George Wright II here with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. And if you're a founder or an entrepreneur or a business owner, you might be feeling some burnout. You might be feeling overwhelmed, but you also might be scaling and growing at a fast pace.

We've got some really good stuff for you today. I am joined by an amazing guest, Onahira Rivas. How are you doing?

Hi. Very well. I'm so excited to be here.

It's interesting because I'm glad you're here. It's been a while for two busy entrepreneurs like ourselves to get together, but we're here and we're gonna be talking about some amazing stuff, especially for business owners, entrepreneurs, and high-level executives.

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Onahira's Introduction and Background

So let me start by giving them a little bit of your background, just so they understand where you come from because you have so much going on. You're the founder and CEO of Florida’s Cotton Clouds, the first women-led factory for U.S.-made cotton products. You’re also a global business strategist, a Forbes Business Council member, and winner of the Blocks TV competition.

You’ve got 24 years of experience scaling brands and growing multimillion-dollar ventures, and a strong corporate background in pharmaceuticals. I think you've got an amazing story, but I’d love for you to just take a few minutes and help our listeners hear where you came from. What got you into this? How did you start your company? Give us a little bit of your backstory.

I'm going to start from the beginning because my story is exciting. I was a born entrepreneur. I started my first business venture at nine years old, selling tiaras at school. It was confiscated within a week—that was my first business failure. But it taught me resilience.

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Corporate Experience and Transition to Entrepreneurship

After that early entrepreneurial spark, I had the opportunity to live, study, and do business across Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States. I learned from diverse cultures, but I also came from the corporate world, where I absorbed the importance of systems and standard operating procedures.

Corporations survive even if the CEO is fired because they’re built on structure. That’s something I carried with me. My educational background reflects that discipline as well—I hold a bachelor’s degree in international studies and three master’s degrees, one in pharmaceutical business, one in foreign trade, and most recently, one in theological studies.

During my time in Europe, I managed complex marketing campaigns, built brand awareness, and navigated the heavy regulatory side of the pharmaceutical industry. I also gained deep experience in sales, marketing, and managing diverse product lines.

Eventually, I decided to leave the corporate world and pursue my own entrepreneurial journey. I started small, with just five products, but quickly scaled to 1,000. That growth led me to strike major deals with Walmart, securing three agreements—a milestone achievement that proved my systems and structure were working.

From day one, I applied what I had learned in corporate: clarity of vision, structured operations, and data-driven KPIs. Those tools became the foundation for scaling my own company.

I want to pause you there, because that’s such an important point. Most entrepreneurs don’t start with sales and marketing. They jump straight into business operations, and then they forget how vital sales and marketing are once things get busy.

But you built your foundation on sales and marketing, then added your corporate background, and scaled from five products to a thousand, eventually negotiating with Walmart. That experience is exactly what sets you apart in helping business owners today. So let’s keep going.

Yes, thank you very much for that. From day zero, I applied systems and SOPs, even though my company was just three or four people at the time. I tracked KPIs because I knew data was the only way to grow strategically.

After selling a variety of products, I introduced personal care items made from cotton. Those sales exploded. After three years, I realized there was an even bigger opportunity—cotton products themselves.

At the time, most of the cotton products in the U.S. market were generic, without a strong brand. Yet they were selling like essentials. That’s when I saw my chance to create something bigger.

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Creating a Legacy Through Manufacturing in America

I decided to create my own brand and manufacture here in the United States. After COVID, when store shelves went empty, I had a wake-up call. Every time I traveled to Europe, I saw fully stocked shelves filled with local products, even during global supply chain disruptions.

In America, it wasn’t the same. I grew up in the 1980s, when nearly every clothing tag proudly read “Made in USA.” But over the years, we became increasingly dependent on overseas manufacturing. Meanwhile, in Europe—even toilet paper in Tuscany was produced locally.

That realization made me determined to bring manufacturing back to America. So I launched Florida’s Cotton Clouds, a company built not only to produce high-quality cotton goods, but also to inspire the 31 million entrepreneurs in this country to think bigger. I wanted to show them it was possible to bring jobs and production back home.

This wasn’t just about my own success—it was about contributing to communities, creating jobs, and building companies that truly serve the American people.

That’s powerful. You saw an opportunity, but it wasn’t just about business—it was about passion and purpose. And you applied your corporate discipline, your sales and marketing foundation, and built a company in one of the toughest industries: U.S. cotton manufacturing. That’s no small feat.

And that’s what I love—you’ve now bridged this passion into helping entrepreneurs themselves. Not only are you building a legacy brand, but you’re helping others think beyond hustle, toward building something that lasts.

Exactly. When I developed the factory, I thought beyond my own product line. I already had successful sales, but I wanted to create something with deeper meaning—something that created jobs, supported communities, and restored American independence in production.

That’s when I decided my mission would be to help entrepreneurs build legacy companies. Corporations like Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Nestlé have lasting power because they’re built on systems, not just individuals. Even if the CEO leaves, the company survives.

I wanted to help founders make that transition—going from being overworked entrepreneurs to legacy CEOs. That’s why I created the Bold Business Framework.

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The Bold Business Framework

And that’s what I wanted to dive into next. Because you and I have talked about this—so many entrepreneurs get stuck. Their business depends entirely on them. They’re stuck in the day-to-day, with no clear plan, spending time and money but not seeing progress.

So tell me about this shift you made—how you went from being an overworked founder to a legacy CEO, and how the Bold Business Framework fits into that.

I created the Bold Business Framework for six- and seven-figure business owners. At that stage, they already have traction. They’ve proven their businesses can work. But many entrepreneurs get so consumed by operations that they forget why they started in the first place.

When that happens, they lose vision. For example, if you started a natural products company, what’s your ultimate goal? Do you want to sell in five years? Do you want to become the biggest U.S. brand? Do you want to manufacture locally?

Without clarity, you end up surviving instead of scaling. The framework helps entrepreneurs reconnect to their vision, implement systems, and build businesses that can outlast them.

And I make it clear—this is not about “overnight success.” I don’t believe in that. Social media is filled with the illusion of quick wins. But real businesses are built with structure, systems, and scalability. That’s what I focus on.

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Framework Details and Implementation

The Bold Business Framework is a four-month program designed for entrepreneurs who have already built six- and seven-figure businesses but feel stuck in survival mode. These founders are often overworked, their companies depend entirely on them, and they lack the systems to scale. My framework transforms those businesses into scalable machines that multiply profits and give founders back their time.

The program focuses on four major areas:

Sales and Marketing – Here, we work on brand authority and implement strong sales systems. This includes sharpening market positioning and multiplying revenues. Sales and marketing are the lifeblood of any business, and without predictable systems, growth stalls.

Operations and Systems – We optimize the business model by building a systems infrastructure. This allows the company to run smoothly without depending solely on the owner. With business automation and SOPs in place, founders can step back and focus on strategy rather than daily chaos.

Investor Readiness – We create strategic three- and five-year financial plans to ensure the company is fundable, scalable, or exit-ready. Whether the entrepreneur wants to sell, raise capital, or scale further, having investor readiness built in is critical.

Growth Strategy – We analyze and design the best growth strategy for the business. This might mean vertical expansion, horizontal scaling, licensing, franchising, or exporting. The right path depends on the company’s vision, and clarity here is key to long-term sustainability.

To tie everything together, we integrate AI tools into each section. Artificial intelligence is no longer optional—it’s essential. With AI-driven systems, entrepreneurs can automate repetitive tasks, scale outreach, and gain deeper insights into their business performance.

I love that. So just to recap for everyone listening—you’ve created a system built on four pillars: sales and marketing, operations and systems, investor readiness, and growth strategy. Each one of those is critical for scaling beyond six and seven figures. And I especially like that you integrate AI into the framework.

Because you’re right—automation is the force multiplier. Without it, even the best systems are limited. With it, entrepreneurs can scale faster, smarter, and more sustainably.

Exactly. I want entrepreneurs to understand the difference between growing and scaling. Growth can often just mean working harder, but scaling means building smarter. With the right systems and strategies in place, you can create a company that works for you—instead of you working endlessly for the company.

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Case Study: Car Dealership Transformation

Let’s take a concrete example. You mentioned a car dealership client earlier. Can you walk us through how you applied the Bold Business Framework to help transform that business?

Yes, one of my clients, Mike, is a natural salesman. He could sell cars easily. But his dealership was disorganized, and he constantly struggled with cash flow. Inventory sat too long, money was tied up, and he was losing sleep.

On paper, the business looked profitable. But in practice, it was chaos. We stepped in and implemented systems to fix that. For example:

• We introduced CRM software to capture leads and track every interaction. Mike had been using handwritten notes, which left too much room for error.
• We implemented an AI-driven follow-up system that sent personalized texts and emails, keeping leads warm without requiring extra effort from his team.
• On the financial side, we set up QuickBooks Advanced to track cash flow and guide inventory purchases.
• We optimized his use of Cox Auto AI to manage inventory pricing and reduce the time cars sat unsold.

Within 90 days, Mike’s cash flow stabilized. His team’s follow-up rate jumped from 55% to 92%, and his average inventory turnaround dropped by 22 days. These weren’t minor improvements—they completely changed the trajectory of his dealership.

That’s such an important lesson. The growth was already there—he had cars, he had sales—but the opportunities were hidden in the cracks. Without systems, he couldn’t see where the money or time was being wasted. Once those systems were in place, his business became scalable.

Exactly. That’s why I always say entrepreneurs don’t just need consultants—they need mentors who have done it. I’ve built and scaled businesses myself, I’ve negotiated multimillion-dollar deals, and I know where the hidden gaps usually are.

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Mindset Shift for Entrepreneurs

One of the things I’d like to ask you before we wrap up is this—so many entrepreneurs hit that six- or seven-figure wall. They’re overwhelmed, overworked, and don’t know where to start. What mindset shift do they need in order to truly scale?

I believe the biggest shift is moving from “hustler” to CEO. Many entrepreneurs are still trapped in the grind. To scale, you must step back, reconnect with your vision, and realign your company with that long-term purpose.

Passion is important—it fuels your journey—but passion alone doesn’t pay salaries or attract investors. Profit does. That’s why entrepreneurs need to shift from “passion projects” to profit-driven enterprises. The right systems, data, and KPIs give you clarity, so you can make smart decisions instead of emotional ones.

I also remind entrepreneurs: there’s a difference between growth and scale. Growth often means working harder. Scaling means working smarter—creating a company that functions without you, a business that lasts beyond your personal grind.

I love that you pointed that out. Success leaves clues, and what you just said is key: reconnect with your vision, focus on profit, gain clarity through systems, and make the leap from growth to scaling. That’s the recipe for moving from overworked founder to legacy CEO.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

I’m really glad to be here, because my mission is to help entrepreneurs scale smarter, not harder. I’ve applied this framework successfully across industries—automotive, biotech, real estate, and more. These are proven tools, not guesswork.

If you’re ready to transform your business into a legacy company, I’m here to help.

And I love that. For everyone listening, we’ll include links in the show notes so you can connect directly with Onahira Rivas and learn more about the Bold Business Framework.

But I want to leave you with this: no matter where you are—whether you’re growing fast, stuck at a plateau, or struggling—it’s never too late to start creating the business and life you were meant to build. It just takes a decision, a vision, and the willingness to scale smarter.

Thanks for joining us today. This has been George Wright II with The Daily Mastermind. Until next time, keep creating the life you’re meant to live.

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About George Wright III:

George Wright is a Proven, Successful Entrepreneur- and he knows how to inspire entrepreneurs, companies, and individuals to achieve Massive Results. With more than 20 years of Executive Management experience and 25 years of Direct Marketing and Sales experience, George is responsible for starting and building several successful multimillion-dollar companies. He started at a very young age to network and build his experience and knowledge of what it takes to become a driven and well-known entrepreneur. George built a multi-million-dollar seminar business, promoting some of the biggest stars and brands in the world. He has accelerated the success and cash flow in each of his ventures through his network of resources and results driven strategies. George is now dedicated to teaching and sharing his Prosperity Principles and Strategies to every Driven and Passionate Entrepreneur he meets. His mission is to Empower Entrepreneurs Globally to create Massive Change and LIVE their Ultimate Destiny.

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Work with me:

My mission is to help you Master Your Mind, Money, & Business, and I firmly believe:

It’s never too late to create the life you were meant to live…a LIFESTYLE of health, wealth, and happiness.

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About the Guest: Onahira Rivas

Onahira Rivas is the founder and CEO of Florida’s Cotton Clouds, the first woman-led cotton manufacturing facility in the U.S. With over two decades of global leadership experience at companies like Novo Nordisk and Bristol Myers Squibb, she has launched

and scaled multimillion dollar brands across pharma, retail, and consumer goods.

Onahira has introduced hundreds of products to major retailers and now focuses on purpose-driven business. Her work is rooted in values like resilience, transparency, and

faith. She’s a member of the Forbes Business Council, a winner of The Blox TV

competition, and a passionate advocate for U.S.-based manufacturing and female

leadership in business.

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Guest Resources

Valiant CEO Article: https://valiantceo.com/onahira-rivas-of-floridas-cotton-clouds-resilient-leadership-amidst-business-challenges/

Website: https://onahirarivas.com/

Florida Cotton Clouds Website: https://floridascottonclouds.com/

Meet with Onahira: https://intro.co/ONAHIRARIVAS?source=intro

Facebook & Instagram: @onahirarivas

TikTok: Tiktok@onahirarivas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onahirarivas

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