From Ultra Marathons to Ultra Success

How Kendall Picado Fallas brought world-champion mindset from the trails to building Bortika Coffee

Here's the thing about ultra marathoners: they're built differently. We're talking about people who look at a 100-mile race and think "yeah, I can do that." People who understand that pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever. People who've learned that the real race isn't against anyone else it's against the voice in your head telling you to stop.

Meet Kendall Picado Fallas. World champion ultra runner. Coffee entrepreneur. And proof that the mindset that conquers mountains can absolutely build empires.

THE SETUP: COFFEE RUNS IN THE FAMILY 

Kendall didn't just wake up one day and decide to be an entrepreneur. This story starts in Costa Rica, with the Fallas Naranjo family coffee business, generations of knowledge, tradition, and some seriously good beans.

But Kendall had a different vision. He didn't just want to continue the family business. He wanted to transform it. Build something that honored his roots while reaching new heights. Enter: Bortika Coffee. The question wasn't IF he could do it. The question was HOW. And that's exactly why he came to the Academy of Entrepreneur.

THE TRAINING GROUND 

When Kendall joined the Academy of Entrepreneurs, he brought something most students don't have: a world-champion mindset. See, ultra running teaches you things that no business book ever could:

• When it gets hard, you don't quit, you adapt

• Focus on the next mile, not the full 100

• Your mind will give up before your body

Kendall came to the Academy of Entrepreneurs  with one clear goal: learn how to build a brand and business. Not just any business—a daily coffee brand that could stand alongside the world's best. He needed the framework, the strategy, the roadmap.

What he found was so much more than that.

THE BREAKTHROUGH 

The magic happened when Kendall realized something crucial: the entrepreneur mindset isn't just for business.

The same energy that conquers 100-mile races can build 100-year legacies.

He started applying AE principles to everything. His training. His relationships. His vision for Bortika Coffee. His entire life became an experiment in optimization, growth, and relentless forward motion.

And here's what's wild about Kendall: through all of this intensity, through all of this drive and determination, he remained exactly who he's always been: a gentle soul. Someone who's the first to help a fellow student, share a perspective, or offer encouragement.

What Makes Kendall Different?

Let's be real for a second. The Academy of Entrepreneurs attracts driven people. Ambitious people. People who want to change the world. But Kendall? He's operating on a different frequency entirely.

He's mastering multiple domains simultaneously:

Physical excellence — World champion ultra runner, constantly pushing the limits of human endurance

Business building — Transforming family legacy into Bortika Coffee, creating a brand with global potential

Mental mastery — Applying entrepreneur mindset to life itself, not just business

And through it all? He stays humble. He stays helpful. He stays real.

THE TRANSFORMATION 

Here's what happened during Kendall's time at Academy of Entrepreneurs: his confidence went from "I think I can do this" to "watch me build this empire." His goals expanded from "successful coffee business" to "global brand that changes how people experience coffee."

But the most important shift? He proved to himself and to everyone watching, that exceptional performance in one area of life can fuel exceptional performance everywhere else.

The determination that gets you through mile 80 of an ultra? That's the same determination that gets you through the hard months of building a startup. The mental toughness that keeps you moving when your body is screaming to stop? That's the same toughness that keeps you going when investors say no or customers don't convert.

Kendall didn't just learn business at Academy of Entrepreneurs. He discovered how to weaponize his existing strengths in entirely new contexts.

THE REAL TALK 

Look, we could tell you about Kendall's achievements all day. World champion this, successful entrepreneur that. But here's what really matters:

Kendall Picado Fallas is an exceptional human being. Not because of what he's accomplished, but because of how he moves through the world. With humility. With determination. With genuine care for the people around him.

He's the kind of person who makes everyone in the room better just by being there. Who lifts others up even while he's climbing his own mountains. Who proves that you don't have to choose between ambition and kindness, you can embody both, fully.

Humble king energy. World champion heart. Entrepreneur mindset.

SO WHAT'S NEXT? 

Kendall's story is still being written. Bortika Coffee is growing. New races are being run. New mountains are being climbed. But one thing is certain: whatever Kendall sets his mind to, he's going to achieve it.

Because he's already proven the most important thing: that the only limits that exist are the ones we accept. And Kendall? He stopped accepting limits a long time ago.

What's Your Ultra Marathon?

Kendall proved that world-class performance in one area can fuel world-class performance everywhere else. What's the legacy you're building?