Marco Guzman Jr. Interview: Mexican-American Entrepreneur

marco guzman mexican american


“Don’t tell us the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

This motto embodies Chosen WAN Apparel, and fuels its Owner/Creator, Marco Guzman Jr. – a cool visionary who is breaking down the stereotypical views of what it means to be a nerd. Through his street wear brand, he promotes academic hustle, street culture and the geek life.

My take on Marco? His reservoir is filled with pride for his Mexican heritage, hard work and vigor. But his creation of “Nerdkind” – a movement to evolutionize the nerd – captivates me the most. He leads with passion and is unashamed of being a geek off the streets.

By the end of this interview, you will see how he easily reinforces the idea that life is what you make it.


• “I hid it...it has always bothered me till this day.” •

- Marco on being a closet nerd in high school

Tell me about your family and upbringing.

My parents are from Mexico City, Mexico, and came to the U.S. in 1967. I’m the second of four boys and we were all born and raised in the Bay area in Fairfield, California.

I was born the year Star Wars came out, in 1977. All I knew was Star Wars, but I realized early on: ‘Whoahhh, I can’t rock this nerd stuff because I’d get jumped or bullied in school!’ I was living as a nerd in the closest for many years. I grew up in the 80s, so it was all about break dancing and boom boxes…but I also loved the nerd culture. And anything my big brother loved.

We were raised speaking Spanish at home. So when I started kindergarten, I didn’t know any English. It was very difficult because I was in an ESL [English as a second language] program, and I’m a very small guy. So can you imagine not being able to speak the language and being bullied a lot? That was difficult, but the positive from that is I am fluent in Spanish and have a tough skin.

So when did you feel completely comfortable speaking English?

2nd grade. I already got it because I’m a quick learner, but they had me in ESL until the 7th grade.

In middle school, I finally told the teacher: ‘Look, I like the easy work, but I’m not challenged.’ I could do the work in about five minutes and the other kids were having a more difficult time. And then one day, they threw me into English college prep courses and I was like ‘Ahhhh, man! This is really hard!’ I should’ve kept quiet. [laughter]

What was the ethnic makeup of your community?

It was diverse but they grouped me with Hispanic students primarily. I pretty much grew up with the same friends from kindergarten through the sixth grade.

Did you experience any difficulties moving between ‘home life’ and ‘outside?’

I assimilated pretty well…the family culture was: ‘get a job and make some money.’

Around 12/13 [years old], I started thinking – I need to be independent; my parents are too busy with work; I have three brothers; I have to start doing my own thing. So I picked fruit for one summer before high school and went on to work many weekends helping my uncles with floor installations such as carpets.

When was the last time you’ve been to Mexico?

The last time, I was 14. That was one of the moments that changed my life.

My family comes from a rough, poor neighborhood in the heart of Mexico City. When I went, I was like: ‘Whoooaaa, I’m so spoiled here in America.' That’s when I realized that I was very fortunate to be in the United States and that my parents gave me the opportunity – the opportunity to do whatever I wanted in life.

• “I wanted to make my parents proud and honor the struggles they faced coming to America...” •

- Marco on why he flipped the script on his career

What was next after high school?

After high school, I became a laborer. I started digging trenches with my older brother Chris…it was a dirty job, but my parents were happy that I was making good money. I was waking up really early and my clothes were always dirty from the mud. It was working for me, but then we actually got laid off from that job right before Christmas. The boss told me, ‘you don’t need to be in this field. You are a young guy.’ And all the older Hispanic guys were saying: ‘You should go back to school. You are young. You can do something with yourself. Don’t do what we’re doing. You’re going to kill your body.’ I started paying attention to the older people, and from those coaching moments, I started thinking: ‘I could do something different. I’m too smart for this kind of stuff.’

I wanted to make my parents proud and honor the struggles they faced coming to America, and leaving everything behind in Mexico. My mother is the strongest person I know. I learned her work ethic and to always try to smile. I really wanted to make her and my brothers proud. I didn't want to work with my hands. I wanted to use my mind. I wanted to take advantage of education. So that’s when I flipped the script.

There are people in this world that are takers, givers and helpers. I knew early on that I’m a helper and always wanted to help people. So I made the decision to enroll in a Medical Assistant vocational program while working at Target, and that’s how the journey kept going. I graduated from San Francisco Community College as a Cardiac Sonographer with honors, then the University of Phoenix’ online program (while working as a Sonographer) with a Bachelor of Science in Management…When I got into the healthcare field, I knew I was in the right career. I am now in a supervisory position and have been with the same company since 1998.

Once I established myself, it was easier to do something that I really wanted to do: to help the youth and be a role model to them and my younger brothers.

Let’s reverse a bit. You mentioned always being a nerd. How did you deal with that in school?

I didn’t want to be in one click, and have always called myself a "universal soldier." They called me a “runner” because during lunch, I would go and hang out with all the crews – the Black people, White people, Asians – I wanted to just be friends with everybody. And that’s when I saw the nerd crew.

There’s uniqueness to being a complete nerd: they don’t care how they look or how they dress, or what people think...I saw how they were bullied and bossed around, so I thought: ‘Mannn, that’s me but I don’t want that to happen to me. I better just play it cool.’...So I hid it. It was difficult and it has always bothered me till this day. I should have stood with them.

So when did you finally accept the fact that you were a nerd?

I have always accepted I was a nerd. However, it was several years after high school that I truly embraced it. I started connecting with my high school friends and realized that I missed out on hanging with these guys because I stereotyped them [and didn’t want to hang out with nerds]. Now, I would take a bullet for my nerd culture and friends.

And then I thought, ‘Man, there’s probably a lot of people like me than I thought there were!’ We call them the geeks off the street – people that like the street culture, like shoes and clothing, but also like the nerd community. That’s how the brand started and evolved.

marco guzman mexican american
Marco and his wife Jaime

Speaking of the brand, why did you even decide to start a clothing brand?

Shopping retail was dull. I couldn’t find anything that resonated with the fusion of my cultures. It’s either one or the other. So my wife said, you should just create your own street apparel brand that you can wear, a Nerd brand. So I said ‘Yea! And I can call it Chosen WAN.’ And she agreed!

We wanted to create a brand that’s the current type of nerd like myself. We’re breaking the stereotype of the nerd by creating a brand that’s accepted just like any other street wear brand.

What year did you launch Chosen WAN?

In 2014, it wouldn’t have been possible without close family and friends – one is a graphic designer, one is a screen printer, and many modeled our gear. Dominic, my little brother is always modeling for us. So much his friends call him Chosen Wan! Their help was cost effective, where I could be lean and methodical to manage our expenses.

How did you come up with the name Chosen WAN?

I had this mentality that everyone is Chosen for greatness. Growing up, you have difficult moments, and I had a frame of mind where, ‘I’m somebody and I’m going to do something with myself.’ So I would call myself The Chosen One. But I started rocking the name “Chosen Wan” because In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Master. I considered myself a street wise nerd master. Then people started asking, what does Chosen Wan mean? But I really didn’t have a clear definition for it.

WAN had to mean something, so my wife and I decided on ‘W’ for witty – we’re quick and have a gift of gab. ‘A’ for authentic, and ‘N’ for nerd.

Our tagline has evolved and is now: "The Future of Nerdkind." I like 'Nerdkind' because we’re nice/kind hearted people. At the same time, it’s an evolution of the nerd. We promote academic hustle, street culture and the geek life. And we believe that there are a lot of people like us, so we want to create that brand and wear it proudly. I’ve seen people put it on – it’s mind over matter – they feel different. And it’s cool because parents and the kids like it!

• “I want the brand to be universal, diverse and inclusive where we see every walk of life come together.” •

- Marco's vision for Chosen WAN Apparel

Who creates your designs?

I pretty much come up with the concept and work with my friends and graphic designers that I connect with through Instagram…we come up with new, catchy ideas. My wife designs and approves our women’s and kids line (Little WANs).

We’re a brand, not just a t-shirt company. So we’re focusing on how we can empower the brand, so that when you see the name, you know what it stands for.

Since launching in 2014, what has been one of your biggest moments to date?

I lucked out and connected with Cody Stark. He’s a news anchor on “Good Day Sacramento.” I simply messaged him…and he responded: “Hey, I love your brand! Do you want to come and promote your brand?” I had never been on TV, and I asked my wife, “Do you wanna be on TV? We have an opportunity to get on the map.” She said, “Yea!” I had no idea what to do, but Cody prepped us.

So Father’s Day 2015, we went on TV and started making sales immediately afterwards. It was great as a ‘grand opening’ because people saw us as legitimate, thanks to being on TV. That’s when I really knew there’s a market for our nerd street wear.

Are your products made in the USA?

Yes. Everything is made here. Most of our tees are hand screened and it’s good quality material…it’s about having a good product because I want our customers to be proud of what they’re wearing when they’re wearing it. There are a lot of expensive brands out there, so we’re trying to be in the middle, something in-between.

What’s your most popular product?

The bomber jacket in green. We sold out twice, so I’ve had to order more.

marco guzman mexican american

Have you been to any conventions?

Yes, of course! My first was WonderCon in San Francisco. Many years later, we took our girls to Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim and all wore Chosen WAN Apparel for the first time.

In 2015, at the celebration, I found this flyer on the ground that said “Nerdcon” [San Diego]. People were stepping all over it, so I grabbed it and thought: ‘There’s a reason why I found this.’ I reached out to the owner of the convention, and we were able to get a booth. So we drove eight hours to San Diego with all our nerd gear in the back of the truck, and that was our first experience having a booth at a convention. It was amazing!

And then we started doing a couple more. The big one we attended last year was the Silicon Valley Comic Con. It’s a fusion of technology, nerd culture and pop culture; and around 30,000 people attended. It was a 3-day event that really put us on the map because it was a popular, high quality convention. Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, he runs it. And Stan Lee* was there, so you had some pretty big celebrities, including the cast of “Back To The Future!”

The cool part was on the first day, this kid around eight years old came up to our booth. He was looking at our stuff, then looked at his mom, and said “I like this!” “I want the hat, I want the hoodie.” He put it all on, and totally felt confident and empowered…My brother Leroy was there, looked at me and said, “Bro, that was freaking amazing!” We created that…and now look at that kid walking away with the nerd swag. That was one of the moments where I knew we were definitely on to something.

*Stan Lee is a comic-book writer (among many other titles), and former President and Chairman of Marvel Comics.

What do your parents say about all of this?

They’re supportive. They say “Oh, you’re going to be a millionaire, you’re going to be rich!” [laughter]

They’re already proud of me because of what I do in healthcare, and who I have become. I’ve been in healthcare for 20 years, so this is just a bonus…it really shows my creativity skills, with emotion behind it.

Amongst all of this, how do you balance your cultural identity with your company?

I want the brand to be universal, diverse and inclusive where we see every walk of life come together. I’ve met a lot of unique and authentic nerds from all different backgrounds. This is a brand for us.

I haven’t advertised our brand as Mexican operated business. I’ve always seen myself as a ‘universal soldier.’ Yet, when I see an opportunity to speak Spanish, or tell others what I do, people are surprised. I don’t have an accent. And that’s when I get into my history of: 'if you knew what I’ve been through…some of the derogatory comments…I’ve been thrown in a couple of trash cans because of my size.' So every time I go to the conventions, I tell my story of being different so that people can relate. I try to explain to people, ‘I came from the bottom, now I’m here.’

Everything that you’ve been through…how has it shaped you?

I’m proud of being Mexican and what I’ve been through because it’s made me who I am. I love my background and where I come from. I saw how the family struggled…I had to work hard for everything.

The culture nowadays, and the young kids…something goes wrong and they give up…That’s where the brand comes in: "You’re the Chosen WAN." You’re meant for greatness…saying you’re the Chosen WAN is not to be cocky or self righteous. It is a frame of mind to overcome anything. You can choose to do anything you want to do and believe that you’re great. And if you believe it, you can do it. I’m the perfect example of that because look what I created and what I stand for. Anyone can do it. You just gotta want to do it.

And my daughters: since kindergarten, Lola [our oldest daughter] has been in a Spanish Immersion program. She’s now in the 1st grade and can read, speak, and write in Spanish. She loves speaking Spanish…and speaks English very well because she was raised speaking English… it’s just amazing to see her speak the language because that’s what we want. This fall, Leia [our youngest daughter] will start kindergarten the same way as Lola. I want to promote our Mexican heritage and have them embrace the culture.

marco guzman mexican american
The Guzman daughters with dad: Lola (6) and Leia (4)

How do you balance Chosen WAN and family?

In terms of time, it’s kind of difficult because I’m a dad, husband, brother, and son. I sleep less than other people, and that’s how I get it done. People even say: “Man, you’re posting [on social media] around midnight.” That’s after I put my girls to bed, so that’s when I can focus. Hustlers don’t sleep.

I learned to manage my time effectively and gauge it to make sure I’m meeting my family’s needs…My daughters sometimes say “I want to wear Chosen WAN today,” You should make Chosen WAN PJs.” So it’s nice that they stand behind the brand and when they get older, they can say: “My dad did that. That’s pretty cool!”

My girl is still smiling, so I know I’m doing something right. [laughter]

What should we be looking forward to this year from Chosen WAN?

We’re going to probably do three big events. The Silicon Valley Comic Con is coming up. There’s one in Pasadena that we’re trying to do: Designer Con. Then there’s the San Francisco Comic Con.

I’m also a cosplayer – the people that dress up [as characters] at the conventions. So on top of what I do, I also dress up as Spider Man and do birthday parties.

You are a true hustler!

I do everything! [laughter]…I’m also on the West Coast Avengers Initiative, which is a group of cosplayers that go to hospitals, and kids get a chance to meet their superheros.

We attended one at Shriners hospital a few years back and the children were most from Mexico that were burn victims. And within the whole cosplayer group, nobody spoke Spanish. So as “Hombre de Araña” [Spider Man in Spanish], I was able to translate and connect with all these kids, and even the parents. It was touching and heartfelt knowing the power of cosplay. I am honored being in our cosplay team.

What advice would you give to your 16-year old self?

The best advice I’d say: Learn from other people’s mistakes. They’ve already done it. When they give you advice, they’re telling you the cliff notes. They experienced the bad and are just giving you the good, so you just avoided that step back. And as minorities, setbacks are very difficult; it sometimes takes years to rebound.

Keeping my eyes peeled and listening to advice is what has gotten me here; because I don’t repeat the same mistakes…The answers are right in front of us. People are just not opening their eyes and ears.

Stay Witty. Stay Authentic. Stay Nerd. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re on the right path.


Chi Chi’s thoughts: In the beginning of the interview, Marco "schooled" me on ESL. I must be honest and admit that I never really thought about it, and assumed ALL kids in ESL were immigrants. This is a prime example of how easy it is to be uninformed, especially when something doesn’t impact you directly. Secondly, the depiction of nerds is extremely stereotypical. Looking back to my childhood, I can think of a few kids that were probably hiding in the shadows of being labeled a nerd, in fear of being bullied. For anyone that may be going through this right now, listen to Marco: "Stay witty. Stay authentic. Stay nerd."

• • •

- Check out Chosen Wan Apparel and "The Future of Nerdkind."

- Images courtesy of Marco Guzman Jr.

- This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.