From Connection to Transformation: Jose Carrera’s Mission in Guatemala

From running funeral homes with empathy to launching CCI, a transformative program for at-risk youth, Jose’s story is a powerful reminder that profit should be a result, not a goal. With roots in family, faith, and resilience, Jose is reshaping how business and social good can work hand in hand.

The Tailspin:

Jose’s journey begins in Antigua, Guatemala, where family and community shaped his worldview. Early in his professional life, he discovered one truth that would guide every step forward: people are wired for connection.

“I believe we were made for connection, we are wired for connections,” Jose says. “If you develop some skills to connect with people, despite their background or nationality, you are going to make it.”

That belief was tested in his most sensitive line of work: cemeteries and funeral homes. With a staff of more than 40, Jose faced the difficult balance of leading a team while serving grieving families. He admits the industry around him can be plagued with hidden agendas, where competitors rush in like vultures to profit from tragedy. 

Jose refused to take that path.

“One of the things that we cannot think about when we are giving one of the families that belong to our group of clients, in the process of serving them and connecting with them, is about money,” he shares. “Money is a result of how well we connect with our customer.”

By focusing on dignity and connection, rather than exploitation, Jose redefined what compassionate business could look like, even in the most painful moments of life.

The Work:

That same philosophy carries into his leadership of CCI (Centro de Crecimiento Integral), a program he co-founded with his wife to support youth aging out of orphanages.

“We fall in love with problems or issues that we know we have the capacity to bring some solution to,” he says. “And we always had a passion for youth.” 

The problem was stark: when orphans turned 18, they were legally required to leave, often unprepared for adult life. Jose and his wife stepped in with a holistic model, teaching emotional intelligence, business skills, and personal responsibility.

The program became a safe space where young people could reconnect with themselves, others, and their future. By introducing practical tools, like a 72-page handbook of rules and daily structure, Jose reframed leadership as the ability to follow before leading.

“Who is the leader in CCI? It’s not me. The leader is the handbook,” he explains. “If it’s not written, it’s going to be very hard to create behavior from that.”

The results were transformative. Students launched their own businesses, gained independence, and built lives that once seemed out of reach. 

A partnership with Soles4Souls even turned into real-world entrepreneurship, where youth learned to buy and sell shoes, manage money, and build confidence in their abilities.

“It worked great,” Jose recalls. “The product was easy for them to create an opportunity to find a market.”

Jose shares that the program became so successful that they’ve been contacted by those outside the orphanages. “We started to receive a lot of applications and we're trying to manage how we can scale it right now.”

The Tailwind:

Today, Jose continues to expand both his family businesses and his social ventures, always guided by the same principles: connection, structure, and faith. His personal mentors include living advisors as well as voices from the past, gleaned through daily study of the Bible and its commentaries.

“My favorite book of my entire life is the Bible,” he says. “It’s a history document that shows you how things work in the kingdom that is perfect. It teaches you principles about managing, about money, about how you can be better.” 

Whether riding his motorcycle through Guatemala’s mountains with his wife, mentoring young leaders, or navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship in a developing country, Jose remains focused on what matters most.

“Business can eat a marriage alive if we don’t develop the skill to talk. In 20 years from now, I don’t want to forget how beautiful it is to jump on the motorcycle with my wife and just talk to her,” he reflects. 

“I want to make sure that that is the one aspect in my life that I enjoy the most right now to stay very alive with me as the decades go by.”

Jose’s story is one of deep conviction: that real success lies not in chasing money, but in building lives of dignity, structure, and connection. By falling in love with problems rather than quick solutions, he has modeled a path for entrepreneurs and communities alike — one rooted in compassion, resilience, and purpose.

To hear more about Jose Carrera’s work in Guatemala, the founding of CCI, and his vision for transforming youth through connection and opportunity, check out the full episode of re:Purpose with Buddy Teaster.