I grew up in Cuba, taught myself everything, and still hit the portfolio catch-22

Hey PH!

I'm Daylen. Born in a small town in Cuba where "career resources" meant a
library with books from the 60s.

I taught myself digital marketing, became CMO at
a Canadian startup, then founded an agency in Miami.

The one thing nobody tells you: being self-taught means you're always fighting to prove what you know. Clients
want portfolios. You need clients to build portfolios. I hit that wall 1000+ times.

Now I'm building Swapster — a P2P marketplace where freelancers swap skills instead
of money, and every session becomes a verified portfolio entry. 22 users so far,
backed by two accelerators.

Wanted to share the story with people who've been building from zero.