From being broke to build a steady business🚀 This is my story...

Hi Community!

I will share more with this community. I’ve seen the ability of this community and I’m thrilled to give the same value I get from here.

Let’s kickoff from the beginning...

WHO I AM

I won’t copy & paste my LinkedIn Profile Bio, which was carefully selected to what I am now. I don’t want to start there.

I grew and was born in a modest town in the Dominican Republic. By 1997, I got my first computer with Adobe Photoshop installed. I was in love. I started communicating with friends in Chile who taught me a lot about graphic design.

My family was not rich, my father worked in a factory, and my mother? She was always in charge of taking care of my sister and me. I don’t come from a family full of entrepreneurs, nor does my family have a business.

I got to the age where I needed to select my future college degree; I had to choose any career from my local university—I mean my fathers didn’t have the cash to send me to the capital to study what I wanted in the first place: Graphic Design.

I chose Hotel Business Administration instead, and for many people, the DR is Punta Cana and Punta Cana. We breathe tourism, coconut and beaches. Of course, we’re not only that, but you get the idea. Every Silicon Valley entrepreneur wants to vacation, right?. Yes, hashtag. I live where you vacation.

I fell in love with designing, but too with programming. When I was a 13 years old, I recreated the local Orange telecommunication company website. Just to give an example, my computer teacher was looking to hire me just because of my ability to build websites! I just said no, I wasn’t prepared, and I didn’t feel like compromising at that age with things I didn’t understand. Oh man, I created an online form and emailed using PHP as magic, but that’s another story.

AFTER COLLEGE

I was poor; I walked many times 10km to get back and forth to the university/home, and after finishing the university, I moved to my parents’ house again. At 21 years old, I graduated from college.

After months of living with my parents, I got a job. Guess where?... Punta Cana, I didn’t love the lifestyle so…

I quit my job and moved again to my parents’ home. In 2012, a friend told me they were looking for a graphic designer to create the company ads. I didn’t learn how to design ads as a self-taught person but tried. He instructed me to prepare a few designs so they can see my potential.

The result? They picked me. The problem? They were in Santo Domingo -the capital- and I was living in that small town 122.3 km apart from my new position.

THE STRUGGLE

I only knew that my pockets were empty! How am I supposed to leave this small town? I took a micro-loan... $258 dollars, to be exact. Rented an apartment and paid the landlord $207 as a retainer. They left me with only $51 dollars to survive until my initial paycheck. 25 days and counting until my next paycheck.

I was trying to improve my life. This was only one of many struggles I encountered living alone in Santo Domingo. I finally received my initial paycheck, the interests were killing me.

I was hungry. Sometimes I went to my best friend’s house to eat something. I washed my clothes with my bare hands (Here in the DR you have to buy all your appliances) and I walked 2.6km to get to my new job, every single day.

II got rid of the debt and heard about the business of freelancing. Freelancing? What was that?! I started researching about this.

They hired me as a graphic designer, but I had the entrepreneurial spirit. So I started knocking on doors and got my first client.

FREELANCING

I started with 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 clients, and so on. One of my friends on Facebook posted on his wall about an opportunity to manage a social media account. I just replied to him I was fully capable of it. To be honest, I learned a few things during my previous job, but I was not a Social Media Specialist. This was a new topic. But I took the challenge.

One night I ate every piece of information about strategies on Social Media and started managing good local brands in the DR. This was the start of ARCTOS.

But ARCTOS was just an idea. I was still freelancing. I started managing my clients’ accounts, and I kept freelancing until 2014.

LEVELING UP

As an entrepreneur myself, apart from ARCTOS, I launched a business with some friends of mine. I co-founded 60’S FLOWERS the first eCommerce selling clothing in the Dominican Republic, but it went nowhere. It was an enormous hassle to manage all the graphics, create a website, interview and hire models, be there for the photoshoots, iron clothes for the models. I did everything, but I also learned A LOT. Revenue? None, it ate all my savings. Entrepreneurship Error 101.

I was having a steady income freelancing, but I was also afraid of leveling up, but finally, I did. I started with a formal business ARCTOS in 2014.

ARCTOS - A DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY

I started invoicing clients properly, paying my taxes, and focusing all my energy on increasing revenue for all the brands we have managed globally. But I was not focusing on my company and I was afraid of hiring more people because when you hire more people, you have more mouths to feed.

I’m a sole owner but I took courage and finally in 2021 I started focusing on my agency, ARCTOS.

So I started a new journey. I re-branded and created a Brand Book, an asset I was lacking in the company. I created a new website (I welcome your feedback) and converted the business to a productized service.

Now ARCTOS offers Digital Marketing solutions for startups willing to test new products/services/SaaS by subscribing to one of our tiers from Web Design and Development, Branding, and/or Social Media Management. We have also partnered with companies in the US like The Social Rooster to bring over our Influencer Marketing service.

We have worked for Google Entrepreneurs, Skoda, BYD, Wurth, Honda, Casa de Campo, and many others.

Now we are a team of 11 and soon I want to launch our service in Product Hunt.

After 8 years of hard work, this is the beginning.

WHAT’S NEXT

I need your feedback and guidance on this new journey.

After my 20s struggles, one year ago I started saving, investing in the Stock Market, Crypto Market and soon I will travel to Europe for 1 whole month (if you are located there hit me up, I’m willing to meet new people during my stay) and I’m spiritually and economically much better. I have invested a lot of time in my mental health, and for me that’s everything.

I learned a lot. I was afraid to push myself into too much responsibility. I got comfortable with 20 active accounts in different areas, but I’m ready for the next level.

I will give back to this community. If you are struggling right now with your company, hit me up.

I’m not a millionaire. Successful doesn’t translate into money, but I feel great about where I am now.

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