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This is Marketing Uncomplicated.
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Hi, everybody, or should I say hola?
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I have Omar, a first-generation Puerto Rican and a Guatemalan gay entrepreneur with marketing and growth experience from working at a world headquarters of top companies like Nike, Levi's, him and hers, and the list goes on, guys.
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He's an inspiration to a lot of folks and I love, and I'm going to love this conversation and I'm sure you will too.
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Today, he's the founder of Connect and we're going to dive into what that is and how he got to where he is today.
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A platform dedicated to improving relationships and reducing loneliness by harnessing the power of memories.
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Oof, this is a deep one.
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Whatever through our Connect app or Connect book, we're helping families connect more deeply and meaningfully in an authentic personal and private way.
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At Connect, they believe that celebrating and capturing life's moments can create stronger, more connective relationships that last today and into the future.
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Welcome to the podcast, Omar.
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It's so good to have you here.
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Hey, y'all, and thank you for having me.
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Excited to be chatting with you.
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So let's dive in.
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You know, I'd love to just take a step back, obviously, because I think, you know, with the experience that you've had at these big enterprise companies, I'm sure has played a role into, you know, how you're developing Connect in terms of like the back end and how you're working through, you know, pushing the message forward.
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So let's talk a little bit about.
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you know, some of the experiences that you generated from working in enterprise into the startup world, because I love bringing in that kind of process and that setup.
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And a lot of people don't necessarily think that enterprise is really a gateway into entrepreneurship.
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Yeah, that's a phenomenal question.
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I actually get that a lot.
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It's like, how is it going from all these resources, these teammates, these like big projects and stakeholders to them being the one person navigating it?
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I actually believe that that experience that I've had in those spaces has created this opportunity for me to understand what I call the matrix system that we've all heard in corporate America.
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Understanding that I can't be the only one to do the customer support, email marketing, push notifications, who's going to handle the pricing, who's going to think about forecasting.
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Of course, I'm taking a lot of the reins into them, but working at these companies exposed me to really, really smart people.
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I do these individually and I feel like now as I'm building Connect, I'm thinking forward.
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I'm thinking in advance of what are the types of folks that I need to kind of join me in making a billion dollar business, but also having fun doing so.
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There's a lot of personalities that come into these roles and I learned that quite quickly at these enterprise companies.
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Yeah, totally.
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I love that you are manifesting already that the company is going to be a billion dollars.
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That's what we do always as entrepreneurs.
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We have that growth trajectory when we're here and we're shooting for the stars.
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Absolutely.
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I mean, if you're not going to say it, it's not going to happen, right?
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No, you got to put it out there and it will happen.
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So let's dive in a little bit to what was your last position?
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And was it a decision making factor where Connect was born or you had the aha moment?
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Or just give me the background in terms of how you built into wanting to develop Connect and why.
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For me, I was working at Real.
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It was a mental health company back then.
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because I'm helping people understand mental wellness in a capacity that made it easy to people to understand what the word anxiety was.
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Yeah.
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And also how to create the tools to like, once you're feeling it, how to maintain it, how to control it and reduce it.
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I love that.
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Yeah.
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I loved it there.
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I thought I was actually going to be there for a while, but I was part of a big layoff.
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Our whole team got cut.
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So I started working as a consultant afterwards.
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My experience at Hims and Hers and Real allowed me to start working with all these really fine, smaller startups that were trying to become the next Real or the next Hims and Hers.
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I went to Patagonia on a hike.
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And on that hike, I realized that I could do really hard things.
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And what I mean by that is at that time, and it might get a little bit emotional, so I apologize.
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I love this.
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Bring it.
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Bring it.
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At that point, my buddy Brandon was in his year and a half.
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his cancer diagnosis.
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And every day he would use social media to go ahead and kind of share exactly what he was navigating, his medications, the way he was reacting to things, his ups, his downs, his consistencies.
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And at the same time, him and I were chatting about like how fake it kind of feels.
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Does it feel as vulnerable or emotional or honest?
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And it's not actually helping me, helping him preserve legacy for his mom, for his wife, for like his friends.
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Like when he, he knew he was going to pass and for him, he wanted to think about how to help us grieve.
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It was like, I just wish there was a way for me to know what to say or what to check in.
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And unfortunately there was nothing around that.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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That's the second time someone in my life actually asked me if there was a place someone can save their memories privately.
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In 2008, my grandfather died after a 10-year battle to Alzheimer's.
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And that was a really hard thing for me.
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I was watching him.
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I was a kid and he used to come visit my family and I from Puerto Rico to Chicago every summer.
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And he was like the one who held the traditions, our cultures.
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So he was diagnosed.
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I saw my family, my mom, my aunt, my grandma, my uncle.
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I saw all of their reactions.
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It was horrible.
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It's hard to see immediate regret, immediate challenge.
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You see a famine that's quite close, but separated across the country.
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Ask me for resources.
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What do I do?
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What do I say?
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Like, what's how I prepare?
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And at the same time, he's aware that his memories are going.
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So he's like, where do I save these things?
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We found one solution, but unfortunately it was a book format, but it was only in English.
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Yeah.
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That became the moment where I started to understand what the word inclusivity actually means.
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And I also started to think about when a business says that they're being inclusive to whom and to what.
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And also when they say that they're there for all families, all peoples, same question.
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Who is the families that they're talking to?
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Why does it seem like a broad statement when it's not a full statement?
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So I had a go, you know, when everything started happening, I just realized that like, I need to like, go ahead and just like, I'm going to be direct, just grow some, if you will, and just do it.
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And I just got married.
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My husband was like, you have to do it.
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Like, I will support you.
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Like, let's just do it.
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Like, you've been talking about this idea since he met me.
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Um.
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Yeah, it was an emotional one.
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I left stability.
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I left having a very nice paycheck.
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I left everything.
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I left it all.
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And we're now entering our second year, and we're finally getting some really great traction.
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But it's been painful.
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My buddy died in the process.
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He...
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He very much lives in the brain.
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Like if you look at the way we present our colors, our fuel, it's evocative because when we think about families, we don't really know what a family's feeling.
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Are they happy?
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Are they sad?
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Are they okay?
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Are they dealing with grief?
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Are they planning for welcoming a baby?
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So Connect is really boring off this idea that right now, if I really think about it, if all of us really think about it, is there something that lives as like a family medium to support us?
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No.
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No.
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Yeah.
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Oh my gosh.
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What, what, I feel like the word beautiful just doesn't even captivate like everything that you're trying to encapsulate into this, into this brand and into this product.
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I mean, and two things that I want to bring up that you mentioned was like, I understood what the word inclusivity means.
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And I, and I love that just based on like where we are today in our, in our, in our,
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Our political system?
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Yeah, like our political, our cultural system, like however you want to put it.
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But it's not just about what they want to think of inclusivity in terms of,
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you know, hiring and bringing in people in through, you know, the doors and so on.
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But it's like how as immigrants into this country, and you know, my father was an immigrant into this country, even though I didn't grow up here, but I'm here.
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And you know, I'm an American citizen, and I didn't grow up here.
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But it's, you know, how do we feel included?
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And it's like, to think about how many Hispanic Americans live in this country.
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And you know, there isn't that sort of
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set up in that inclusivity in that sense is just is wild to me and like and I love that you say that there was a book and it was you know predominantly in English and yes like English is the language that is used across the world but it's like there are almost we could say two languages in this country right and it's Spanish and it's and it's and it's English and I love that you also bring up
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how you left, you know, stability and how you left, you know, like a paycheck.
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And really, as entrepreneurs, it's leaving everything behind and on the table and saying goodbye to it, because you're starting from scratch, almost as if you just graduated, whether you have graduated or you haven't, but it's going into the world.
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And you're like, how am I going to do this with what means and so on and so forth.
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So talk to me a little bit about those those two points, because I think that that's a beautiful kind of, you know, statement.
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as it relates to entrepreneurship and then the discovery of you as an entrepreneur through your brand.
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I'm so excited that you asked me this question.
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So the reason why I'm asking, for those that are audibly listening to us.
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We have video too.
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And yeah, go on video, watch us.
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We're fun.
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I have a Puerto Rican flag as one of my necklaces on right now.
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And something I actually have always struggled with as a U.S. citizen.
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I was born in Chicago.
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My mom and my stepdad were born in Puerto Rico as U.S. citizens.
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That is an island of this country.
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That is part of this country.
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That island is also, again, a commonwealth of this country.
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And they speak a different language, but they are, again, part of this country.
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So when I think about inclusivity, I'm like, hey, you're forgetting that in this country, we have an island that is part of the space and they speak a different language.
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Why are we not thinking about them?
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And then separately for me, that's really affected me because I grew up in spaces where people didn't know that I was Puerto Rican at Juan Amalan.
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They just thought that I was a complete immigrant coming in.
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And because of that, they made assumptions off that.
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Mm-hmm.
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They look at me and they make assumptions where my parents were working.
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One time someone saw when I was volunteering, I said, hablo espanol as a sticker in case someone needed help.
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I literally got yelled at from someone telling me to take that off as a kid.
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So I think to me, when I think about inclusivity as a full, I'm not just thinking about like cultures, but I'm also thinking about identities and really what it means for anyone to look at a word and feel like they belong.
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And I get really, really passionate about this because I've been defending my identity in dualities throughout my entire life as a queer person, as a Latino.
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And it's something that when I think about building KINET, the word KIN, K-I-N, is the most inclusive word for a family.
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That means that anyone can define their family.
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That's what I think is really important in how I build this company is thinking about anyone can bring their people into their spaces.
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They can bond over their memories.
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They can feel like they belong.
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But I'm not there trying to ostracize and create these layers for them.
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That's the purpose of an inclusive family brand.
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You had a second question and I got so passionate about the first.
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No, I'll always remember them.
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And I love that you, I swear this conversation couldn't have come more in a timely manner.
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But when you talk about entrepreneurship and thank you for that, you know, response in terms of inclusivity, because I think,
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a lot of people forget about Puerto Rico, right?
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And a lot of people forget about that island.
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And it's just, again, like this conversation is just at the right time.
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But from an entrepreneurship standpoint, I don't think a lot of people realize in
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what it takes to kind of just step off the ledge.
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And I think there is, we don't talk enough about the mental space in terms of keep trucking and keep moving and keep pursuing and pushing forward and the community that you need around you.
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It's like I saw somebody posted on Instagram the other day that
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as a sole entrepreneur, you won't succeed.
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And I'm not saying just being like a sole business owner, like you being the main person of the business, but I'm talking about your surroundings and who you surround yourself with to keep moving and who are going to support you to keep moving.
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So please let's talk a little bit about that from a mental standpoint of really that grit and what it takes to just make that, not even just make the decision, but it's like actually put it into action.
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I feel incredibly lucky that at the companies that I worked for at those times, when they were talking about DEI initiatives, they just meant about helping people feel like they belong at these places.
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Like, I have a very clear example of being scared to enter a workplace.
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I got my first job at Nike headquarters, and I was so intimidated about entering what I believed would be a very hyper-masculine environment.
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So that made me, like...
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I was petrified for a while.
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I had to get a tattoo, an equal sign on my body at that point, just to remind myself that, like, I am equal to the person next to me.
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And just because my tone of voice is a little different does not mean I can't contribute to the same amount, if not more.
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Yes.
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So, yeah.
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When I think about like now being an entrepreneur, I feel lucky that the mentors and the network that those establishments provided me have now allowed me to have this community where I can think about sharing these ideas, like these brand ideas, these campaigns, or even ask like, hey guys, I'm having a really freaking hard time.
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I need help.
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Or if I didn't have a community, which I didn't in the beginning of building a startup.
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In terms of the startup community, I didn't have anything at first.
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And it's really hard.
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And I tell every single early entrepreneur that you don't need to be alone.
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There are so many amazing resources for free.
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There's so many Slack communities for free.
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There are communities.
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You just have to go on Google and literally just search for it.
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There is, for those listening, if you are LGBTQIA, there is StartOut, an amazing resource hub.
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Connects you with so many other founders, investors, capital support, mentorship.
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If you're in Chicago, there's 1871 Innovation Hub.
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Exact same thing, but for a Chicago ecosystem.
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I just feel like sometimes like when people are really, really scared to take the leap, it's because they feel like they are alone.
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And I want every single queer Latino to remind themselves that they're not alone.
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Like they already are inherently part of a big community.
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But you can also look for us online.
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And I guarantee you, there will be someone that responds to you.
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I reached out to so many people, and I'm not going to lie, the ones I got the responses back from were other queer or Latinos that knew that we are part of a small percentage of entrepreneurship.
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Yeah, yeah.
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That's beautiful.
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I mean, it's just, and it's true.
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I mean, there are pockets of communities that you can find and ones that you're going to connect with the most that are really going to support people.
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you taking this leap into this jungle, if we will, of entrepreneurship, you know?
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Can I also share something really quick?
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Please, please.
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So I think I'm going to share something that I had a really hard time with in the beginning.
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And it made me emotional.
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I think I cried probably like 20 times because of it.
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Yeah.
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And it's what we all know is the devil, the assumption.
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I think when every entrepreneur starts something, they're going to assume that their closest friends and family, maybe former colleagues, are going to immediately rally behind them.
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I think that's a very bad assumption.
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Oh, yep.
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Yes.
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I think it puts not only those people in uncomfortable positions, because they're like, why are you thinking I have to love what you're doing?
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They support us.
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That doesn't mean they need to support our crazy ambitions of working 90 hours a week to do what we want, right?
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I think in the beginning, I had a really, really hard time, because I was making these assumptions that certain people in my life would be like,
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in.
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And I learned throughout the experience that like the more that I let that go, I let go of those assumptions, the less hurt I am and the better our relationships are.
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And I can actually focus on finding the right people to fulfill those needs.
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And I think that's really, really hard in any entrepreneurship journey because in the beginning, you really want your people to be your closest allies.
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And some aren't, but there's some aren't.
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It's okay.
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You can't be mad at them.
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Yeah.
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No, I love that you say that because I think
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We don't talk about it enough.
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And I think as entrepreneurs, unless you're a serial entrepreneur that has done this multiple times, then you understand.
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But if this is your first time dipping into the waters, you don't necessarily know how everyone around you is going to react, right?
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And it's true, right?
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I mean, it's the assumptions and the expectations.
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And I think as people, we have that anyways when it comes to relationships and relationships.
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And they don't know what to expect from you as you're stepping into this new persona of yourself and who you're becoming.
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And it's a it's a it's a learning relationship.
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I mean, relationships in general are are are hard to navigate, but it's it's that uncovering and discovering as you go through the process.
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And you're right.
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I think.
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Letting go of expectations and assumptions of what people are going to do and not do is going to make things so much better.
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Or it's like how, if you're familiar with like Mel Robbins book, where she talks about, you know, let them just let them be, and then let you be right.
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And figure out like how to unfold in this new persona of yourself, and then allow your friends to uncover who you're becoming.
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I love that.
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I was just thinking like also something that's been really fun now that I'm at the stage where I have a product, I am fundraising, we're seeing traction.
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I think now in my head, too, is like anyone that I wanted to rally behind me originally, I'm going to get them to rally behind me because I'm going to impress them.
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And I think that's a really fun thing for entrepreneurs too is like, once you let go, yes.
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If you really want these people to be like supporting you, you just got to impress them.
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And that's just part of the journey.
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You got to impress your consumers, you got to impress your investors, improve yourself.
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So like, yes, again, letting go and then focusing on just impressing is just going to be this really beautiful formula showing that you can do it.
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Yes.
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Yes, I love that.
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And that's a really great segue into fundraising because again, I think it's not talked about a lot and it's not talked about how difficult it's becoming and how competitive it's becoming.
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And then I wanna hear about the different,
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because there are like, if you're a female startup, or a female owned startup, you could look for female investors.
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I mean, there are pockets of, you know, culturally connected, like VC funds that can support you.
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But, you know, I want to hear what your experience was in raising capital, you know, because we've had a little bit of a conversation about that prior to getting onto the podcast.
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But I think it's interesting.
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And I think,
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your story from that standpoint will shed a light on, you know, who you tap into versus who you don't.
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Yeah, great question.
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And I think the first thing that I learned wrong
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is when people are looking for fundraising, I think they assume they have to go their venture capital route.
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Yes.
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And that's not the only option.
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So rule one, I had an interview yesterday with someone that wants to be an entrepreneur.
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And I asked them, which funding do you want to go?
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And they didn't know.
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That's the first thing I wish I knew early on was like, what are all my resources, potential capital and what's the route that I want to go into?
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Because venture is not an easy one.
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And if you want to go venture, you have to get ready to understand you're playing a card game.
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And what I mean by that is they're looking for something and you need to make sure that you're giving them the exact same details and the way they read data, introductions to your brand, how you present yourself, et cetera.
285
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I had a really hard time in the beginning because I assumed too much of what I believe are the problems that consumers are having.
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So they're really focusing on like my personal experiences and then having a lot of interviews.
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But then I realized I wasn't asking the right questions.
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So I was lucky enough to find that Techstars, they have a ton of free resources.
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Like y'all, they have literally like 20 sections.
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Each section has like 10 videos in it of like understanding who your customer is, your business proposition, your lean canvas model, all free.
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And I didn't get that information until like four months after I started.
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That's the first thing I sent to someone nowadays.
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It's like, here's this like free resource.
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That's everything you should watch and think about.
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I started to work on those elements and I networked a lot.
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I networked like crazy.
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I was every day pinging an investor, pinging someone I don't know that was in the space of memory care or relationship building, loss of life, aging, death attack.
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I wasn't putting myself out there like no other.
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And that allowed me to start developing really great relationships with people who ended up believing in me and still do today.
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They check in on me.
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They ask me if I'm okay, if the business is going well, how can they help?
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But I was able to create my story, understand the right problem, think about the system that VentureWorks, and was able to get two venture investments pre-product, which is very, very hard to do.
303
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And I feel so proud of my experience.
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Myself, my husband and my community that rallied and supported me get really emotional now thinking about that.
305
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But I'm going to be honest with you.
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And I think I believe that one of the reasons that I was able to get the first investment was I was talking to this investor for like six months.
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Like every week, every week we had 30 minute sessions.
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Within that period, I had my first power struggle.
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I had someone who was really, really excited about helping with connect, maybe even investing in connect, but they made it clear that they would only help if they, if there was a sexual favor exchange.
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That set me back for, I don't know, two or three months from a personal feeling.
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I felt like, great, is this what people are going to be assuming?
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Is this a dream that I'm going to be on?
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Yeah.
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And I had a hard time figuring out how to communicate that to the investor at that time because that is so vulnerable.
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And everything you read online says like, hey.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah.
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You need to go to these investor calls, like wowing them, telling them that like everything is great.
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The business is doing great.
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Your mental health is good.
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Like they're looking for these signs to make sure that they invest in you, that you're checking those boxes.
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Yeah.
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I said, screw that.
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I am going to tell this investor two weeks later after it happened, because I have these sessions with her.
325
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And I told her, I was like, this happened to me.
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And I even told you.
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And I started crying on that call because it felt so weird that I think in society, unfortunately, there's a high percentage of women that deal with this.
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It was the first time, me as a gay male, like had it happen.
329
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Um, and that's, I think what allowed her to see that I have grit and showed her this investor that for two weeks I was like struggling and fighting through it.
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And I was still showing up to our meetings.
331
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I was still pushing a company along.
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I was still pushing along insights.
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And then when I told her, she was like, you just proved it.
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Like you have it.
335
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Like that is a horrible experience.
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I wish it didn't happen to you, et cetera.
337
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Other things that, you know, we should hear.
338
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She realized that that was a moment that I could, I can push and she's right.
339
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I can push.
340
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And that was a moment where I realized that like nothing ever again will like set me back.
341
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That was painful.
342
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Oh my gosh.
343
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That is, that is, I thank you for, for sharing that because I think we don't know how many women go through this.
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I don't, I mean, did you, did you dip into any forums?
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Did you ask if anybody has ever experienced, because a lot of people are afraid to share this because maybe somebody ended up doing whatever they needed to do because they were desperate to get the funding.
346
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And I, I,
347
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Desperate is the wrong word.
348
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I apologize, you know, but it was like, you know, they wanted to move forward.
349
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And it's just, it's so shocking that this has to happen now.
350
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And I think how beautiful of her to realize, you know, and, and potentially maybe because she was a woman that it was, she, she just was like, this is incredible that, you know, you had to go through this and, and no matter what, you still kept moving forward.
351
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Yeah, I, um, Yeah.
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I feel lucky that I was able to text former executives that are females and ask them to, like, give me advice.
353
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And I think it's funny.
354
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I didn't ask any male.
355
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And now that you ask that question, I'm like, wait, I didn't.
356
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I only asked females.
357
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And it was funny.
358
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Not funny.
359
00:26:13.493 --> 00:26:15.575
But, yeah, all of them had a response.
360
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They all, like, were like, yeah, I've seen that happen or I felt that.
361
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And as anyone listening, I'm sorry if you've gone through that.
362
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And I hope that you push through.
363
00:26:24.878 --> 00:26:29.621
I think sometimes when you look at even like not getting political, there's no need for that.
364
00:26:29.661 --> 00:26:37.127
But if we've been looking at the past year and thinking of people who were in the spotlight and you hear how people talk about how they potentially got to where they are.
365
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Yeah.
366
00:26:38.468 --> 00:26:44.753
You just, it really does kind of make you think of like people just don't understand the system that we're in sometimes.
367
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A hundred percent, a hundred percent.
368
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And I think if you're clued in,
369
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wonder a little bit, you know, and it's, and it's sad that we have to wonder if that's not how somebody got there, but it's because there is these situations that are out there, you know?
370
00:27:02.971 --> 00:27:11.299
So I'm sorry that you had to go through this, but I think, you know, sharing this story is really going to support and help, you know, beyond my podcast.
371
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to make sure that people don't get trapped into that decision.
372
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And, you know, just because that's the only person that's going to invest in their company, there's others out there.
373
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It's setting clear boundaries to yourself and something bigger and better will come through.
374
00:27:25.285 --> 00:27:27.326
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
375
00:27:29.186 --> 00:27:32.288
So I wanted to dive in a little bit into...
376
00:27:34.013 --> 00:27:38.760
the business and a little bit of, you know, how you started.
377
00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:42.505
You're in a great position today, but that doesn't mean you started that way.
378
00:27:43.065 --> 00:27:48.393
So talk to us a little bit about, you know, really for a lack of a better term, grit, right?
379
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It's really how...
380
00:27:50.240 --> 00:28:04.848
the road bumps that you hit, and we don't have to go into like the full details of them, but what you've kind of pulled out of it and what you've learned to really, you know, because even knowing as much as I know, just hearing from you and your story, I know that you're in a comfortable spot right now with Connect.
381
00:28:05.508 --> 00:28:08.149
So how did you get there is my main question.
382
00:28:08.169 --> 00:28:12.712
And where, like, sort of like what you see on Instagram, you know, how it started and where it's going.
383
00:28:14.692 --> 00:28:15.992
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
384
00:28:16.253 --> 00:28:29.337
I think the first thing that I really love is that statement, that quote of be a sponge, where you really wanna enter the spaces or the categories or the funding cycles that you wanna go after.
385
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In the beginning, you should try to be a sponge.
386
00:28:32.058 --> 00:28:38.505
listen to how venture folks were talking to each other, join these webinars and understand how they're like looking for people.
387
00:28:38.525 --> 00:28:47.254
I was able to get accepted into an accelerator by Slauson & Co. And that's where I realized that there can be good investors.
388
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So to be honest, after I was able to kind of get in that position, I feel like for me, things started to change because I started to be a sponge.
389
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I started to understand the dynamics, the language that's being used.
390
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Also, the expectations that other people had on me before they even met me.
391
00:29:03.548 --> 00:29:07.731
I think there's an interesting battle that I'm still going through.
392
00:29:07.751 --> 00:29:10.232
I'm going to always go through it as an entrepreneur.
393
00:29:10.633 --> 00:29:16.497
There's this handshake that you give someone over an email, and that handshake can be either given back to you or not.
394
00:29:16.857 --> 00:29:19.659
And you have to let that go, even if it's bad.
395
00:29:19.679 --> 00:29:23.261
If they just ignore it or say no, it's okay to not have those handshakes.
396
00:29:24.882 --> 00:29:29.984
I think for me, like what I've been able to realize that over time, you're going to find the people who really believe in you.
397
00:29:30.004 --> 00:29:32.225
You're going to find the communities that love you.
398
00:29:32.825 --> 00:29:40.848
And for me, the hardest parts were always around self-doubts, self-sabotage, this idea that I don't fit in, that I'm too different to fit in.
399
00:29:41.468 --> 00:29:59.952
I think the headlines on LinkedIn, the headlines on the internet, what's happening in a political environment right now does affect people like me because it makes you feel like, like, shit, like 5% of all venture funding goes to a shared pot of like queer people, immigrants, women, et cetera.
400
00:30:00.012 --> 00:30:02.353
And the other 95% goes elsewhere.
401
00:30:03.412 --> 00:30:04.052
That's hard.
402
00:30:04.072 --> 00:30:06.693
That's really hard to know that.
403
00:30:06.773 --> 00:30:08.153
It's hard to swallow.
404
00:30:08.573 --> 00:30:09.733
Yeah, completely.
405
00:30:09.753 --> 00:30:12.834
Yeah, so I think for me, I'm in a good spot now.
406
00:30:12.914 --> 00:30:16.214
But I call my investors once I'm crying.
407
00:30:16.354 --> 00:30:17.734
I call friends crying.
408
00:30:18.174 --> 00:30:23.055
I think just being emotional is probably going to let a founder realize that they can push through.
409
00:30:23.075 --> 00:30:26.556
Because once they release that energy, they can focus.
410
00:30:26.596 --> 00:30:27.156
It's go time.
411
00:30:27.776 --> 00:30:28.076
Yeah.
412
00:30:28.516 --> 00:30:28.956
Go time.
413
00:30:29.116 --> 00:30:29.696
I got to get it done.
414
00:30:29.716 --> 00:30:30.457
I don't have to cry.
415
00:30:30.497 --> 00:30:30.897
Let's go.
416
00:30:31.517 --> 00:30:32.817
Yeah, totally.
417
00:30:33.542 --> 00:30:47.436
Um, so what experiences, what, what was the most, I guess, what was the biggest learning lesson out of, you know, when you started to where you are today, that kind of is something that is going to stick with you, you know, throughout this journey?
418
00:30:48.623 --> 00:30:50.464
positioning matters.
419
00:30:51.044 --> 00:31:00.289
I think I know that from being a marketer, I think all of us who look at like TV commercials or like when you're email, you look at your subject lines, like positioning really matters.
420
00:31:00.589 --> 00:31:10.655
And I think for me, the thing that I really stick out in the beginning to now, and it's always going to stick out as like, just don't make assumptions on what problem you're solving or what you're
421
00:31:11.355 --> 00:31:16.658
what you're providing someone else, like let them guide you to that proposition, that statement.
422
00:31:16.758 --> 00:31:24.122
And that's how you can kind of reframe your positioning to really stand out in the marketplace and stand out to yourself, your peers, et cetera.
423
00:31:24.963 --> 00:31:29.385
For me, it's always going to be from now on and I have been doing it, but now I'm a little bit more adamant.
424
00:31:29.565 --> 00:31:31.326
It's like, let me go back to asking people.
425
00:31:31.346 --> 00:31:32.387
Let me go find the data.
426
00:31:32.407 --> 00:31:35.669
Let me like validate these assumptions before like I get anywhere.
427
00:31:36.549 --> 00:31:44.431
So for me, I think, especially the last two weeks, I'm going to be honest, there was a moment of a positioning change and things started to get better for me a week later.
428
00:31:44.611 --> 00:31:45.772
Like, yeah.
429
00:31:46.012 --> 00:31:56.435
So I think the more that we focus on these customer insights or business insights, it's just going to lead us to having like deeper, stronger positionings that open the doors for us.
430
00:31:57.206 --> 00:31:58.287
Yeah, I love that.
431
00:31:58.367 --> 00:32:01.610
And I think that, you know, it's what I always like to say.
432
00:32:01.770 --> 00:32:10.257
It's, you know, you're doing business, you're in business for your customer or your client or your patient or whatever it is.
433
00:32:10.357 --> 00:32:17.423
But if you're not listening to their feedback, why are you even in business at the end of the day?
434
00:32:17.463 --> 00:32:20.125
You need to consistently have your ear to the ground.
435
00:32:20.871 --> 00:32:23.673
to hear what they like and what they don't like.
436
00:32:23.693 --> 00:32:30.397
And I'm not just saying maybe your best customer is going to be the only one you listen to, but what's the collective?
437
00:32:30.698 --> 00:32:31.858
And then what's the through like?
438
00:32:32.399 --> 00:32:34.300
Yeah, I like that a lot.
439
00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:34.860
Yeah.
440
00:32:36.021 --> 00:32:43.006
So I have a question because not a lot of entrepreneurs have this leverage that you do in terms of being a marketer.
441
00:32:43.737 --> 00:32:45.738
And understanding that landscape.
442
00:32:45.758 --> 00:33:01.546
So let's dive a little into that because you're the first entrepreneur that I've had on my podcast that is similar to me in the sense where we've taken a leap of faith, but we've had the understanding of like how to grow it because we have the marketing experience.
443
00:33:01.566 --> 00:33:09.290
So how do you think that that plays a role for you and puts you at an advantage compared to somebody who doesn't and is just an entrepreneur and crafting their ideas for you?
444
00:33:10.111 --> 00:33:18.694
I want to start by telling any listener or any watcher that if you're a marketer and you think that you cannot be an entrepreneur because you're non-technical, screw that.
445
00:33:18.994 --> 00:33:20.735
Do not listen to that voice in your head.
446
00:33:20.755 --> 00:33:25.397
Do not listen to an investor that you meet one time that says like, oh, you have no CTO.
447
00:33:25.437 --> 00:33:25.597
No.
448
00:33:26.417 --> 00:33:39.004
I completely will fight that and believe that being a marketer allows us to understand the core thing, what problem we're solving, understanding how to reach our customers, understanding what a go-to-market plan is.
449
00:33:39.405 --> 00:33:46.929
You can build the strongest technology out there, but if you don't know how to deliver that product to anyone, how the hell are you going to grow?
450
00:33:48.290 --> 00:33:55.095
For me, I think as a marketer, I feel lucky where I'm able to understand what is a proper full funnel strategy, right?
451
00:33:55.195 --> 00:34:01.880
From inception of an ad or an email all the way through walking them, making sure a product delights them in some capacity.
452
00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:12.669
I think as a marketer, I understand that I can dream big because if I dream big, I have to then think about the data and the experiences I have to do to get to that big point later on.
453
00:34:13.409 --> 00:34:17.892
I think as a marketer, I think we have this special power that we can connect with other brands.
454
00:34:18.432 --> 00:34:25.776
I think a lot of folks forget that if you're a marketer, if you're a brand person, that means you understand what another brand might be needing.
455
00:34:26.257 --> 00:34:35.442
So if you're positioning a partnership, you can be like, okay, I can understand that their consumer lifecycle marketing plan is going to have a moment in June or July.
456
00:34:35.562 --> 00:34:37.843
They're probably going to need a partner for that moment.
457
00:34:37.964 --> 00:34:40.025
Can I put myself as that player?
458
00:34:40.825 --> 00:34:52.027
I think being a marketer is one of the most clever ways to be a strong entrepreneur because you're able to understand the consumer, the business mindset, think about full calendar and think about where you can fit in.
459
00:34:52.567 --> 00:34:52.887
Yeah.
460
00:34:53.387 --> 00:34:54.867
And you can also speak human.
461
00:34:55.628 --> 00:34:55.928
Yes.
462
00:34:56.068 --> 00:34:56.448
Yes.
463
00:34:57.628 --> 00:34:58.128
Totally.
464
00:34:58.168 --> 00:34:59.608
We can totally speak human.
465
00:35:00.648 --> 00:35:05.329
I love that because you understand because you're walking a mile in your customer's shoes.
466
00:35:05.369 --> 00:35:09.250
And I think a pure entrepreneur with no marketing background forgets.
467
00:35:09.810 --> 00:35:14.276
about their customer and only is remembering why they've created.
468
00:35:14.376 --> 00:35:16.799
Well, not why they've created that.
469
00:35:16.819 --> 00:35:19.682
They're remembering like the excitement of the product.
470
00:35:20.383 --> 00:35:25.529
And because it's something that maybe that they wanted and they've in a way forgotten a little bit about their customers.
471
00:35:25.569 --> 00:35:27.872
They're like, go to market, go to market, go to market.
472
00:35:28.656 --> 00:35:28.996
Yeah.
473
00:35:29.296 --> 00:35:31.538
I think as a marketer, that means you have a network, right?
474
00:35:31.558 --> 00:35:34.860
Like now I can reach out to you and be like, Hey, good question.
475
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:38.402
Does this read a little bit too technical or does this be too different?
476
00:35:38.802 --> 00:35:43.385
I just know that marketers like us love when we like share that stuff in our community.
477
00:35:43.465 --> 00:35:48.387
Cause we all know that if you're like in the weeds, your messaging might sound like it's in the weeds.
478
00:35:48.588 --> 00:35:52.590
And that like someone else on the street is understanding what you're trying to proposition to them.
479
00:35:53.070 --> 00:36:01.603
So I think as a marketer, we get this awesome community where again, like now we just met Sacha and I bet you that I can ask you for support in something in like a month.
480
00:36:01.664 --> 00:36:03.026
Yeah, right.
481
00:36:03.186 --> 00:36:04.187
Yeah, absolutely.
482
00:36:04.248 --> 00:36:05.329
We have to support each other.
483
00:36:07.610 --> 00:36:12.075
On that note from marketing, what were the first channels that you dipped into?
484
00:36:12.175 --> 00:36:14.977
You know, it's like the technology is there.
485
00:36:15.057 --> 00:36:15.998
The product is ready.
486
00:36:16.139 --> 00:36:17.480
You're about to hit go live.
487
00:36:18.060 --> 00:36:25.187
What have you put into your go-to marketing plan to be your first kind of we're out into the world presence?
488
00:36:25.227 --> 00:36:27.590
What did you utilize to kind of generate that awareness?
489
00:36:28.002 --> 00:36:29.744
Yeah, a few different channels.
490
00:36:29.904 --> 00:36:31.886
I'm going to start with the cheapest ones.
491
00:36:32.046 --> 00:36:33.508
I think they're the strongest ones.
492
00:36:33.868 --> 00:36:43.078
I think as an executive, as a founder, I think sometimes people get in their own way of maybe getting into the stuff they don't think is valuable, i.e.
493
00:36:43.138 --> 00:36:44.219
community building.
494
00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:45.521
Yes, yes.
495
00:36:47.132 --> 00:37:07.256
Yes, so going on Reddit, going on Instagram, going on TikTok, Reddit is awesome because you really have this space where people are just sharing free content, free ideas, what's on their mind, their reviews on our product, and no better way to actually talk to people than on Reddit, honestly, as a different name and just engaging with them.
496
00:37:07.276 --> 00:37:08.476
Like, wait, you tried that?
497
00:37:08.576 --> 00:37:09.336
That didn't work for you?
498
00:37:09.376 --> 00:37:09.816
Why not?
499
00:37:09.836 --> 00:37:12.337
Okay, get into it.
500
00:37:12.577 --> 00:37:14.477
I think building community
501
00:37:14.737 --> 00:37:18.240
and then finding a way to then bring them to your company is huge.
502
00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:21.983
And what better way to actually engage with them as a founder talking to someone?
503
00:37:22.003 --> 00:37:30.070
So I think for me, I've had a lot of fun actually going and spending 20 to 30 minutes a day on Reddit with my particular tags.
504
00:37:30.090 --> 00:37:31.271
So I'm focused, right?
505
00:37:31.311 --> 00:37:35.155
Like where am I going to be focused on engaging with these subreddits?
506
00:37:35.795 --> 00:37:37.756
to like TikTok and Instagram, same thing.
507
00:37:37.936 --> 00:37:40.398
Follow the same hashtags, engage those creators.
508
00:37:40.438 --> 00:37:43.960
Understand what they're saying, what their problems are, what they're complaining about.
509
00:37:43.980 --> 00:37:45.041
So that's one.
510
00:37:46.062 --> 00:37:51.085
The second is like being smart to understand that people love to read the news.
511
00:37:51.225 --> 00:37:54.407
People love to see like an announcement, a press announcement.
512
00:37:54.827 --> 00:37:59.170
So I was lucky to like have a friend that works in press and comms and partnered with her.
513
00:37:59.190 --> 00:38:02.872
And she like helped me get like a story out into TechCrunch.
514
00:38:02.892 --> 00:38:04.734
And that allowed me to like, again, have this like,
515
00:38:05.434 --> 00:38:15.241
Very different brought up consumers that are not in my network come into the door and immediately start sharing their feedback on a beta product or like, yeah, this is jinky.
516
00:38:15.261 --> 00:38:16.222
I would do this instead.
517
00:38:16.262 --> 00:38:17.422
I'm like, I agree.
518
00:38:17.482 --> 00:38:18.243
Let me do that next.
519
00:38:19.304 --> 00:38:19.684
Yeah.
520
00:38:19.864 --> 00:38:25.688
Just a community section, thinking about like how people are going to find you on the news or on what was big.
521
00:38:25.868 --> 00:38:27.269
And then the third is partnerships.
522
00:38:27.389 --> 00:38:28.030
I feel so...
523
00:38:28.710 --> 00:38:39.458
so lucky to be building in the space of belonging and memory and legacy and being able to tap into other folks who are in the dev tech space or who aren't into aging space.
524
00:38:39.498 --> 00:38:49.545
And we're not competitors, but we're adjacently trying to do the same thing of helping us all plan for what's expected, end of life, and how do we support each other before that and advance.
525
00:38:49.825 --> 00:38:51.566
So I feel like partnerships are just huge.
526
00:38:52.607 --> 00:38:53.347
I love that.
527
00:38:53.768 --> 00:38:55.329
As a marketer, I do agree that
528
00:38:56.023 --> 00:39:01.764
partnerships is huge because it can be just, you know, the back of the door referrals.
529
00:39:01.984 --> 00:39:07.765
And I think those type of referrals are like the warmest because they already know you, who they're connecting with.
530
00:39:07.865 --> 00:39:11.906
Like it's already, you know, developing that relate it's relationships, right.
531
00:39:12.686 --> 00:39:14.586
Through that partnership, which I think is beautiful.
532
00:39:14.966 --> 00:39:20.687
You know, communities are interesting because I think that communities really exploded post COVID.
533
00:39:21.808 --> 00:39:23.688
And I think that, you know, because we
534
00:39:24.461 --> 00:39:38.081
kind of alone together in our own homes and really kind of connecting with this, you know, global thing that took place, but it was, you know, what are different products and things that people are tapping into?
535
00:39:38.141 --> 00:39:38.602
So I think
536
00:39:39.655 --> 00:39:43.117
those products really exploded on the community aspect.
537
00:39:43.297 --> 00:39:56.122
The ones that really kind of, you know, came out of the, not necessarily came out of nowhere, but just really boomed during COVID really kind of hit the nail on, you know, what community means, you know, in connection to their products.
538
00:39:56.162 --> 00:39:58.103
And I think that, or services, and I think that,
539
00:39:58.183 --> 00:40:01.925
And I think that that has become so much more relevant today.
540
00:40:02.065 --> 00:40:10.228
And I think also that consumers are looking to connect with a community within a different type of product or service that they're buying.
541
00:40:10.548 --> 00:40:11.168
What do you think?
542
00:40:11.548 --> 00:40:12.209
Oh, I mean...
543
00:40:13.190 --> 00:40:16.532
if we look at the, what's happening at Target right now, right?
544
00:40:17.433 --> 00:40:25.198
If you don't, if you build a community and then don't pay attention to your community, that can be, that's going to create a backlash, right?
545
00:40:25.218 --> 00:40:31.922
I think, I think it's important that when you're building a community, you respect their time, you respect your input.
546
00:40:32.042 --> 00:40:35.605
You're asking them to help you, guide you, inform your decisions.
547
00:40:35.625 --> 00:40:42.309
Like I think a community just means you're building this like amazing group of humans that also believe in you and believe in your product.
548
00:40:42.789 --> 00:40:46.213
So I think community is like the only way for organic growth.
549
00:40:46.273 --> 00:40:50.437
We're all scared of putting in dollars into advertisement, right?
550
00:40:50.457 --> 00:40:54.281
We're all thinking about like, how do we not spend money in meta or Google search?
551
00:40:54.361 --> 00:40:55.583
Like we don't want to go there.
552
00:40:55.603 --> 00:41:00.348
And community is going to be the answer and building it and kind of getting that real time feedback as well.
553
00:41:01.340 --> 00:41:02.361
No, I completely agree.
554
00:41:02.381 --> 00:41:03.502
And I think it's just growing.
555
00:41:03.782 --> 00:41:19.054
And I think that if you think that you're a company that doesn't, that won't succeed on community, think again, because think about the pain points and the problem that you're solving before you're selling your product, your product becomes secondary to how you're supporting them.
556
00:41:19.794 --> 00:41:26.316
And understanding that certain product or service that you are in the business of selling and then push it out, right?
557
00:41:26.356 --> 00:41:33.319
And build that community, create a safe space for people to talk about things and get educated or have the tools to support them.
558
00:41:33.519 --> 00:41:36.900
And then they'll have build that trust and buy into your products and service.
559
00:41:37.588 --> 00:41:37.988
Yeah.
560
00:41:38.108 --> 00:41:39.929
We also all want word of mouth, right?
561
00:41:39.949 --> 00:41:41.850
If you build something, they love you.
562
00:41:41.930 --> 00:41:44.532
That's like the best thing is like hearing it from someone.
563
00:41:44.552 --> 00:41:46.153
It's like, Hey, I recommend this company.
564
00:41:46.193 --> 00:41:46.953
They're awesome.
565
00:41:46.973 --> 00:41:48.014
I believe in the founder.
566
00:41:48.034 --> 00:41:48.534
I like that.
567
00:41:48.554 --> 00:41:50.855
They're being honest, like they're building publicly.
568
00:41:50.875 --> 00:41:55.117
I think community is such a, it just shows value in such different ways.
569
00:41:55.798 --> 00:41:56.738
Yeah, no, I love that.
570
00:41:57.319 --> 00:41:57.739
So Omar,
571
00:41:58.748 --> 00:42:21.818
One thing I always like to ask my guests and to leave my guests with, and this has been such an amazing and heartfelt and sincere conversation is what would you leave us with in terms of three insights or things you've learned or rules to the game, if you will, to somebody just starting out or somebody who's in business and kind of struggling to push forward?
572
00:42:23.178 --> 00:42:23.518
Yeah.
573
00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:24.819
Let's see.
574
00:42:24.959 --> 00:42:26.660
Number one is...
575
00:42:29.788 --> 00:42:44.882
If you do not believe in yourself, find someone that will remind you to believe in yourself because it's a really hard journey and it's very late night, it's weekends, and you're taking a sacrifice, right?
576
00:42:44.922 --> 00:42:49.747
So just make sure you're surrounded by someone or some group of people that are able to check in on you.
577
00:42:50.947 --> 00:43:03.437
Two, I think going back to assumptions, I really do believe that assumptions on a relationship level, to a business level, to a customer level, like just the word assumption is really just a barrier to success.
578
00:43:04.177 --> 00:43:05.819
Just don't make assumptions.
579
00:43:05.879 --> 00:43:11.543
Like go ahead and find the true value, the true data, and then go ahead and make our hypotheses and then learn from.
580
00:43:11.563 --> 00:43:13.465
And then three...
581
00:43:15.475 --> 00:43:17.436
Lean into digital communities.
582
00:43:17.936 --> 00:43:28.862
I would have never gotten my first investor or my second investor or found my angel investors if I didn't lean into these Slack channels that were made for entrepreneurs.
583
00:43:29.302 --> 00:43:35.326
There's Tecaria for Latinos, there's Startout for Fears, there's La Familia for Latinos.
584
00:43:35.346 --> 00:43:43.470
There's so many online communities of entrepreneurs helping each other, of venture capitals quietly helping these entrepreneurs.
585
00:43:43.950 --> 00:43:46.631
And I feel like that is such an untapped resource.
586
00:43:46.671 --> 00:43:55.634
Like it's free and there's so many dynamic people in these Slack communities offering money, resources, favorite pay box.
587
00:43:55.714 --> 00:44:01.215
Like lean into these spaces and don't like I always tell people like close mouths, don't get fed.
588
00:44:01.435 --> 00:44:07.337
I know that's silly, but if you don't ask for this, no one's going to hear about what you need or what you want to do.
589
00:44:07.397 --> 00:44:07.697
Right.
590
00:44:07.777 --> 00:44:10.078
So like just go out there and like start saying hello.
591
00:44:10.965 --> 00:44:11.845
I completely agree.
592
00:44:11.905 --> 00:44:19.008
I love that concept, closed mouths don't get fed as it relates to really kind of building your business because you're so right.
593
00:44:19.148 --> 00:44:25.430
It's vulnerability as you start, but once you push and start asking, then the world is your oyster.
594
00:44:25.790 --> 00:44:26.450
So I love that.
595
00:44:27.011 --> 00:44:27.551
Exactly.
596
00:44:27.991 --> 00:44:29.071
Thank you for that, Omar.
597
00:44:29.091 --> 00:44:31.672
This has been exceptional and wonderful.
598
00:44:31.692 --> 00:44:39.675
And thanks for opening up your heart and really being raw and transparent with everything that you've gone through and that you're building here, which I think is beautiful.
599
00:44:40.240 --> 00:44:40.640
Thank you.
600
00:44:40.660 --> 00:44:41.460
Thank you for having me.
601
00:44:41.560 --> 00:44:42.901
And to anyone listening, reach out.
602
00:44:43.181 --> 00:44:45.061
Omer at connect.club with anything.
603
00:44:45.141 --> 00:44:47.282
Happy to be a resource, a friend if you need it.
604
00:44:47.522 --> 00:44:47.842
I'm here.
605
00:44:47.862 --> 00:44:48.862
Love it.
606
00:44:49.003 --> 00:44:49.603
Appreciate it.
1
00:00:00.778 --> 00:00:03.161
This is Marketing Uncomplicated.
2
00:00:03.181 --> 00:00:06.944
Hi, everybody, or should I say hola?
3
00:00:07.965 --> 00:00:21.359
I have Omar, a first-generation Puerto Rican and a Guatemalan gay entrepreneur with marketing and growth experience from working at a world headquarters of top companies like Nike, Levi's, him and hers, and the list goes on, guys.
4
00:00:21.853 --> 00:00:26.837
He's an inspiration to a lot of folks and I love, and I'm going to love this conversation and I'm sure you will too.
5
00:00:27.237 --> 00:00:32.902
Today, he's the founder of Connect and we're going to dive into what that is and how he got to where he is today.
6
00:00:33.342 --> 00:00:38.967
A platform dedicated to improving relationships and reducing loneliness by harnessing the power of memories.
7
00:00:39.147 --> 00:00:40.688
Oof, this is a deep one.
8
00:00:41.129 --> 00:00:50.036
Whatever through our Connect app or Connect book, we're helping families connect more deeply and meaningfully in an authentic personal and private way.
9
00:00:51.012 --> 00:00:59.684
At Connect, they believe that celebrating and capturing life's moments can create stronger, more connective relationships that last today and into the future.
10
00:01:00.045 --> 00:01:01.367
Welcome to the podcast, Omar.
11
00:01:01.427 --> 00:01:02.989
It's so good to have you here.
12
00:01:03.930 --> 00:01:05.633
Hey, y'all, and thank you for having me.
13
00:01:05.673 --> 00:01:07.015
Excited to be chatting with you.
14
00:01:08.485 --> 00:01:09.385
So let's dive in.
15
00:01:09.825 --> 00:01:26.890
You know, I'd love to just take a step back, obviously, because I think, you know, with the experience that you've had at these big enterprise companies, I'm sure has played a role into, you know, how you're developing Connect in terms of like the back end and how you're working through, you know, pushing the message forward.
16
00:01:26.910 --> 00:01:28.211
So let's talk a little bit about.
17
00:01:28.631 --> 00:01:37.563
you know, some of the experiences that you generated from working in enterprise into the startup world, because I love bringing in that kind of process and that setup.
18
00:01:37.683 --> 00:01:43.050
And a lot of people don't necessarily think that enterprise is really a gateway into entrepreneurship.
19
00:01:44.207 --> 00:01:46.109
Yeah, that's a phenomenal question.
20
00:01:46.129 --> 00:01:47.149
I actually get that a lot.
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It's like, how is it going from all these resources, these teammates, these like big projects and stakeholders to them being the one person navigating it?
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I actually believe that that experience that I've had in those spaces has created this opportunity for me to understand what I call the matrix system that we've all heard in corporate America.
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Understanding that I can't be the only one to do the customer support, email marketing, push notifications, who's going to handle the pricing, who's going to think about forecasting.
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Of course, I'm taking a lot of the reins into them, but working at these companies exposed me to really, really smart people.
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I do these individually and I feel like now as I'm building Connect, I'm thinking forward.
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I'm thinking in advance of what are the types of folks that I need to kind of join me in making a billion dollar business, but also having fun doing so.
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There's a lot of personalities that come into these roles and I learned that quite quickly at these enterprise companies.
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Yeah, totally.
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I love that you are manifesting already that the company is going to be a billion dollars.
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That's what we do always as entrepreneurs.
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We have that growth trajectory when we're here and we're shooting for the stars.
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Absolutely.
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I mean, if you're not going to say it, it's not going to happen, right?
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No, you got to put it out there and it will happen.
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So let's dive in a little bit to what was your last position?
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And was it a decision making factor where Connect was born or you had the aha moment?
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Or just give me the background in terms of how you built into wanting to develop Connect and why.
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For me, I was working at Real.
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It was a mental health company back then.
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because I'm helping people understand mental wellness in a capacity that made it easy to people to understand what the word anxiety was.
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Yeah.
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And also how to create the tools to like, once you're feeling it, how to maintain it, how to control it and reduce it.
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I love that.
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Yeah.
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I loved it there.
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I thought I was actually going to be there for a while, but I was part of a big layoff.
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Our whole team got cut.
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So I started working as a consultant afterwards.
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My experience at Hims and Hers and Real allowed me to start working with all these really fine, smaller startups that were trying to become the next Real or the next Hims and Hers.
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I went to Patagonia on a hike.
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And on that hike, I realized that I could do really hard things.
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And what I mean by that is at that time, and it might get a little bit emotional, so I apologize.
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I love this.
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Bring it.
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Bring it.
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At that point, my buddy Brandon was in his year and a half.
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his cancer diagnosis.
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And every day he would use social media to go ahead and kind of share exactly what he was navigating, his medications, the way he was reacting to things, his ups, his downs, his consistencies.
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And at the same time, him and I were chatting about like how fake it kind of feels.
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Does it feel as vulnerable or emotional or honest?
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And it's not actually helping me, helping him preserve legacy for his mom, for his wife, for like his friends.
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Like when he, he knew he was going to pass and for him, he wanted to think about how to help us grieve.
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It was like, I just wish there was a way for me to know what to say or what to check in.
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And unfortunately there was nothing around that.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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That's the second time someone in my life actually asked me if there was a place someone can save their memories privately.
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In 2008, my grandfather died after a 10-year battle to Alzheimer's.
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And that was a really hard thing for me.
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I was watching him.
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I was a kid and he used to come visit my family and I from Puerto Rico to Chicago every summer.
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And he was like the one who held the traditions, our cultures.
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So he was diagnosed.
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I saw my family, my mom, my aunt, my grandma, my uncle.
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I saw all of their reactions.
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It was horrible.
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It's hard to see immediate regret, immediate challenge.
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You see a famine that's quite close, but separated across the country.
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Ask me for resources.
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What do I do?
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What do I say?
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Like, what's how I prepare?
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And at the same time, he's aware that his memories are going.
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So he's like, where do I save these things?
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We found one solution, but unfortunately it was a book format, but it was only in English.
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Yeah.
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That became the moment where I started to understand what the word inclusivity actually means.
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And I also started to think about when a business says that they're being inclusive to whom and to what.
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And also when they say that they're there for all families, all peoples, same question.
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Who is the families that they're talking to?
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Why does it seem like a broad statement when it's not a full statement?
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So I had a go, you know, when everything started happening, I just realized that like, I need to like, go ahead and just like, I'm going to be direct, just grow some, if you will, and just do it.
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And I just got married.
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My husband was like, you have to do it.
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Like, I will support you.
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Like, let's just do it.
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Like, you've been talking about this idea since he met me.
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Um.
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Yeah, it was an emotional one.
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I left stability.
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I left having a very nice paycheck.
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I left everything.
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I left it all.
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And we're now entering our second year, and we're finally getting some really great traction.
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But it's been painful.
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My buddy died in the process.
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He...
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He very much lives in the brain.
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Like if you look at the way we present our colors, our fuel, it's evocative because when we think about families, we don't really know what a family's feeling.
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Are they happy?
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Are they sad?
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Are they okay?
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Are they dealing with grief?
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Are they planning for welcoming a baby?
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So Connect is really boring off this idea that right now, if I really think about it, if all of us really think about it, is there something that lives as like a family medium to support us?
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No.
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No.
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Yeah.
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Oh my gosh.
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What, what, I feel like the word beautiful just doesn't even captivate like everything that you're trying to encapsulate into this, into this brand and into this product.
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I mean, and two things that I want to bring up that you mentioned was like, I understood what the word inclusivity means.
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And I, and I love that just based on like where we are today in our, in our, in our,
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Our political system?
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Yeah, like our political, our cultural system, like however you want to put it.
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But it's not just about what they want to think of inclusivity in terms of,
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you know, hiring and bringing in people in through, you know, the doors and so on.
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But it's like how as immigrants into this country, and you know, my father was an immigrant into this country, even though I didn't grow up here, but I'm here.
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And you know, I'm an American citizen, and I didn't grow up here.
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But it's, you know, how do we feel included?
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And it's like, to think about how many Hispanic Americans live in this country.
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And you know, there isn't that sort of
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set up in that inclusivity in that sense is just is wild to me and like and I love that you say that there was a book and it was you know predominantly in English and yes like English is the language that is used across the world but it's like there are almost we could say two languages in this country right and it's Spanish and it's and it's and it's English and I love that you also bring up
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how you left, you know, stability and how you left, you know, like a paycheck.
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And really, as entrepreneurs, it's leaving everything behind and on the table and saying goodbye to it, because you're starting from scratch, almost as if you just graduated, whether you have graduated or you haven't, but it's going into the world.
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And you're like, how am I going to do this with what means and so on and so forth.
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So talk to me a little bit about those those two points, because I think that that's a beautiful kind of, you know, statement.
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as it relates to entrepreneurship and then the discovery of you as an entrepreneur through your brand.
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I'm so excited that you asked me this question.
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So the reason why I'm asking, for those that are audibly listening to us.
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We have video too.
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And yeah, go on video, watch us.
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We're fun.
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I have a Puerto Rican flag as one of my necklaces on right now.
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And something I actually have always struggled with as a U.S. citizen.
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I was born in Chicago.
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My mom and my stepdad were born in Puerto Rico as U.S. citizens.
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That is an island of this country.
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That is part of this country.
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That island is also, again, a commonwealth of this country.
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And they speak a different language, but they are, again, part of this country.
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So when I think about inclusivity, I'm like, hey, you're forgetting that in this country, we have an island that is part of the space and they speak a different language.
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Why are we not thinking about them?
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And then separately for me, that's really affected me because I grew up in spaces where people didn't know that I was Puerto Rican at Juan Amalan.
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They just thought that I was a complete immigrant coming in.
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And because of that, they made assumptions off that.
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Mm-hmm.
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They look at me and they make assumptions where my parents were working.
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One time someone saw when I was volunteering, I said, hablo espanol as a sticker in case someone needed help.
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I literally got yelled at from someone telling me to take that off as a kid.
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So I think to me, when I think about inclusivity as a full, I'm not just thinking about like cultures, but I'm also thinking about identities and really what it means for anyone to look at a word and feel like they belong.
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And I get really, really passionate about this because I've been defending my identity in dualities throughout my entire life as a queer person, as a Latino.
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And it's something that when I think about building KINET, the word KIN, K-I-N, is the most inclusive word for a family.
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That means that anyone can define their family.
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That's what I think is really important in how I build this company is thinking about anyone can bring their people into their spaces.
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They can bond over their memories.
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They can feel like they belong.
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But I'm not there trying to ostracize and create these layers for them.
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That's the purpose of an inclusive family brand.
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You had a second question and I got so passionate about the first.
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No, I'll always remember them.
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And I love that you, I swear this conversation couldn't have come more in a timely manner.
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But when you talk about entrepreneurship and thank you for that, you know, response in terms of inclusivity, because I think,
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a lot of people forget about Puerto Rico, right?
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And a lot of people forget about that island.
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And it's just, again, like this conversation is just at the right time.
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But from an entrepreneurship standpoint, I don't think a lot of people realize in
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what it takes to kind of just step off the ledge.
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And I think there is, we don't talk enough about the mental space in terms of keep trucking and keep moving and keep pursuing and pushing forward and the community that you need around you.
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It's like I saw somebody posted on Instagram the other day that
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as a sole entrepreneur, you won't succeed.
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And I'm not saying just being like a sole business owner, like you being the main person of the business, but I'm talking about your surroundings and who you surround yourself with to keep moving and who are going to support you to keep moving.
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So please let's talk a little bit about that from a mental standpoint of really that grit and what it takes to just make that, not even just make the decision, but it's like actually put it into action.
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I feel incredibly lucky that at the companies that I worked for at those times, when they were talking about DEI initiatives, they just meant about helping people feel like they belong at these places.
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Like, I have a very clear example of being scared to enter a workplace.
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I got my first job at Nike headquarters, and I was so intimidated about entering what I believed would be a very hyper-masculine environment.
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So that made me, like...
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I was petrified for a while.
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I had to get a tattoo, an equal sign on my body at that point, just to remind myself that, like, I am equal to the person next to me.
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And just because my tone of voice is a little different does not mean I can't contribute to the same amount, if not more.
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Yes.
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So, yeah.
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When I think about like now being an entrepreneur, I feel lucky that the mentors and the network that those establishments provided me have now allowed me to have this community where I can think about sharing these ideas, like these brand ideas, these campaigns, or even ask like, hey guys, I'm having a really freaking hard time.
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I need help.
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Or if I didn't have a community, which I didn't in the beginning of building a startup.
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In terms of the startup community, I didn't have anything at first.
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And it's really hard.
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And I tell every single early entrepreneur that you don't need to be alone.
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There are so many amazing resources for free.
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There's so many Slack communities for free.
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There are communities.
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You just have to go on Google and literally just search for it.
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There is, for those listening, if you are LGBTQIA, there is StartOut, an amazing resource hub.
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Connects you with so many other founders, investors, capital support, mentorship.
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If you're in Chicago, there's 1871 Innovation Hub.
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Exact same thing, but for a Chicago ecosystem.
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I just feel like sometimes like when people are really, really scared to take the leap, it's because they feel like they are alone.
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And I want every single queer Latino to remind themselves that they're not alone.
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Like they already are inherently part of a big community.
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But you can also look for us online.
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And I guarantee you, there will be someone that responds to you.
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I reached out to so many people, and I'm not going to lie, the ones I got the responses back from were other queer or Latinos that knew that we are part of a small percentage of entrepreneurship.
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Yeah, yeah.
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That's beautiful.
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I mean, it's just, and it's true.
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I mean, there are pockets of communities that you can find and ones that you're going to connect with the most that are really going to support people.
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you taking this leap into this jungle, if we will, of entrepreneurship, you know?
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Can I also share something really quick?
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Please, please.
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So I think I'm going to share something that I had a really hard time with in the beginning.
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And it made me emotional.
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I think I cried probably like 20 times because of it.
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Yeah.
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And it's what we all know is the devil, the assumption.
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I think when every entrepreneur starts something, they're going to assume that their closest friends and family, maybe former colleagues, are going to immediately rally behind them.
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I think that's a very bad assumption.
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Oh, yep.
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Yes.
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I think it puts not only those people in uncomfortable positions, because they're like, why are you thinking I have to love what you're doing?
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They support us.
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That doesn't mean they need to support our crazy ambitions of working 90 hours a week to do what we want, right?
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I think in the beginning, I had a really, really hard time, because I was making these assumptions that certain people in my life would be like,
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in.
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And I learned throughout the experience that like the more that I let that go, I let go of those assumptions, the less hurt I am and the better our relationships are.
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And I can actually focus on finding the right people to fulfill those needs.
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And I think that's really, really hard in any entrepreneurship journey because in the beginning, you really want your people to be your closest allies.
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And some aren't, but there's some aren't.
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It's okay.
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You can't be mad at them.
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Yeah.
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No, I love that you say that because I think
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We don't talk about it enough.
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And I think as entrepreneurs, unless you're a serial entrepreneur that has done this multiple times, then you understand.
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But if this is your first time dipping into the waters, you don't necessarily know how everyone around you is going to react, right?
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And it's true, right?
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I mean, it's the assumptions and the expectations.
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And I think as people, we have that anyways when it comes to relationships and relationships.
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And they don't know what to expect from you as you're stepping into this new persona of yourself and who you're becoming.
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And it's a it's a it's a learning relationship.
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I mean, relationships in general are are are hard to navigate, but it's it's that uncovering and discovering as you go through the process.
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And you're right.
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I think.
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Letting go of expectations and assumptions of what people are going to do and not do is going to make things so much better.
253
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Or it's like how, if you're familiar with like Mel Robbins book, where she talks about, you know, let them just let them be, and then let you be right.
254
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And figure out like how to unfold in this new persona of yourself, and then allow your friends to uncover who you're becoming.
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I love that.
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I was just thinking like also something that's been really fun now that I'm at the stage where I have a product, I am fundraising, we're seeing traction.
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I think now in my head, too, is like anyone that I wanted to rally behind me originally, I'm going to get them to rally behind me because I'm going to impress them.
258
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And I think that's a really fun thing for entrepreneurs too is like, once you let go, yes.
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If you really want these people to be like supporting you, you just got to impress them.
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And that's just part of the journey.
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You got to impress your consumers, you got to impress your investors, improve yourself.
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So like, yes, again, letting go and then focusing on just impressing is just going to be this really beautiful formula showing that you can do it.
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Yes.
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Yes, I love that.
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And that's a really great segue into fundraising because again, I think it's not talked about a lot and it's not talked about how difficult it's becoming and how competitive it's becoming.
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And then I wanna hear about the different,
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because there are like, if you're a female startup, or a female owned startup, you could look for female investors.
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I mean, there are pockets of, you know, culturally connected, like VC funds that can support you.
269
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But, you know, I want to hear what your experience was in raising capital, you know, because we've had a little bit of a conversation about that prior to getting onto the podcast.
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But I think it's interesting.
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And I think,
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your story from that standpoint will shed a light on, you know, who you tap into versus who you don't.
273
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Yeah, great question.
274
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And I think the first thing that I learned wrong
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is when people are looking for fundraising, I think they assume they have to go their venture capital route.
276
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Yes.
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And that's not the only option.
278
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So rule one, I had an interview yesterday with someone that wants to be an entrepreneur.
279
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And I asked them, which funding do you want to go?
280
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And they didn't know.
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That's the first thing I wish I knew early on was like, what are all my resources, potential capital and what's the route that I want to go into?
282
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Because venture is not an easy one.
283
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And if you want to go venture, you have to get ready to understand you're playing a card game.
284
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And what I mean by that is they're looking for something and you need to make sure that you're giving them the exact same details and the way they read data, introductions to your brand, how you present yourself, et cetera.
285
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I had a really hard time in the beginning because I assumed too much of what I believe are the problems that consumers are having.
286
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So they're really focusing on like my personal experiences and then having a lot of interviews.
287
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But then I realized I wasn't asking the right questions.
288
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So I was lucky enough to find that Techstars, they have a ton of free resources.
289
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Like y'all, they have literally like 20 sections.
290
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Each section has like 10 videos in it of like understanding who your customer is, your business proposition, your lean canvas model, all free.
291
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And I didn't get that information until like four months after I started.
292
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That's the first thing I sent to someone nowadays.
293
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It's like, here's this like free resource.
294
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That's everything you should watch and think about.
295
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I started to work on those elements and I networked a lot.
296
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I networked like crazy.
297
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I was every day pinging an investor, pinging someone I don't know that was in the space of memory care or relationship building, loss of life, aging, death attack.
298
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I wasn't putting myself out there like no other.
299
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And that allowed me to start developing really great relationships with people who ended up believing in me and still do today.
300
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They check in on me.
301
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They ask me if I'm okay, if the business is going well, how can they help?
302
00:22:25.540 --> 00:22:39.026
But I was able to create my story, understand the right problem, think about the system that VentureWorks, and was able to get two venture investments pre-product, which is very, very hard to do.
303
00:22:39.106 --> 00:22:41.567
And I feel so proud of my experience.
304
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Myself, my husband and my community that rallied and supported me get really emotional now thinking about that.
305
00:22:49.130 --> 00:22:51.652
But I'm going to be honest with you.
306
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And I think I believe that one of the reasons that I was able to get the first investment was I was talking to this investor for like six months.
307
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Like every week, every week we had 30 minute sessions.
308
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Within that period, I had my first power struggle.
309
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I had someone who was really, really excited about helping with connect, maybe even investing in connect, but they made it clear that they would only help if they, if there was a sexual favor exchange.
310
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That set me back for, I don't know, two or three months from a personal feeling.
311
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I felt like, great, is this what people are going to be assuming?
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Is this a dream that I'm going to be on?
313
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Yeah.
314
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And I had a hard time figuring out how to communicate that to the investor at that time because that is so vulnerable.
315
00:23:41.829 --> 00:23:43.530
And everything you read online says like, hey.
316
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Absolutely.
317
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Yeah.
318
00:23:44.570 --> 00:23:49.777
You need to go to these investor calls, like wowing them, telling them that like everything is great.
319
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The business is doing great.
320
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Your mental health is good.
321
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Like they're looking for these signs to make sure that they invest in you, that you're checking those boxes.
322
00:23:56.747 --> 00:23:57.048
Yeah.
323
00:23:57.843 --> 00:23:59.124
I said, screw that.
324
00:23:59.804 --> 00:24:04.386
I am going to tell this investor two weeks later after it happened, because I have these sessions with her.
325
00:24:04.967 --> 00:24:07.068
And I told her, I was like, this happened to me.
326
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And I even told you.
327
00:24:08.969 --> 00:24:18.393
And I started crying on that call because it felt so weird that I think in society, unfortunately, there's a high percentage of women that deal with this.
328
00:24:18.613 --> 00:24:21.855
It was the first time, me as a gay male, like had it happen.
329
00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:35.925
Um, and that's, I think what allowed her to see that I have grit and showed her this investor that for two weeks I was like struggling and fighting through it.
330
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And I was still showing up to our meetings.
331
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I was still pushing a company along.
332
00:24:40.347 --> 00:24:42.228
I was still pushing along insights.
333
00:24:42.508 --> 00:24:45.209
And then when I told her, she was like, you just proved it.
334
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Like you have it.
335
00:24:46.190 --> 00:24:48.331
Like that is a horrible experience.
336
00:24:48.571 --> 00:24:50.712
I wish it didn't happen to you, et cetera.
337
00:24:50.732 --> 00:24:52.193
Other things that, you know, we should hear.
338
00:24:53.013 --> 00:24:57.755
She realized that that was a moment that I could, I can push and she's right.
339
00:24:58.015 --> 00:24:58.955
I can push.
340
00:24:59.015 --> 00:25:02.957
And that was a moment where I realized that like nothing ever again will like set me back.
341
00:25:03.637 --> 00:25:04.337
That was painful.
342
00:25:05.898 --> 00:25:06.498
Oh my gosh.
343
00:25:07.842 --> 00:25:14.564
That is, that is, I thank you for, for sharing that because I think we don't know how many women go through this.
344
00:25:14.604 --> 00:25:19.646
I don't, I mean, did you, did you dip into any forums?
345
00:25:19.686 --> 00:25:29.129
Did you ask if anybody has ever experienced, because a lot of people are afraid to share this because maybe somebody ended up doing whatever they needed to do because they were desperate to get the funding.
346
00:25:29.149 --> 00:25:29.829
And I, I,
347
00:25:30.417 --> 00:25:31.438
Desperate is the wrong word.
348
00:25:31.478 --> 00:25:35.181
I apologize, you know, but it was like, you know, they wanted to move forward.
349
00:25:35.221 --> 00:25:38.804
And it's just, it's so shocking that this has to happen now.
350
00:25:38.864 --> 00:25:53.597
And I think how beautiful of her to realize, you know, and, and potentially maybe because she was a woman that it was, she, she just was like, this is incredible that, you know, you had to go through this and, and no matter what, you still kept moving forward.
351
00:25:54.518 --> 00:25:55.258
Yeah, I, um, Yeah.
352
00:25:56.978 --> 00:26:03.384
I feel lucky that I was able to text former executives that are females and ask them to, like, give me advice.
353
00:26:03.504 --> 00:26:04.805
And I think it's funny.
354
00:26:04.825 --> 00:26:05.746
I didn't ask any male.
355
00:26:06.907 --> 00:26:10.430
And now that you ask that question, I'm like, wait, I didn't.
356
00:26:10.591 --> 00:26:11.652
I only asked females.
357
00:26:11.692 --> 00:26:12.552
And it was funny.
358
00:26:12.572 --> 00:26:13.033
Not funny.
359
00:26:13.493 --> 00:26:15.575
But, yeah, all of them had a response.
360
00:26:15.615 --> 00:26:18.198
They all, like, were like, yeah, I've seen that happen or I felt that.
361
00:26:20.094 --> 00:26:23.196
And as anyone listening, I'm sorry if you've gone through that.
362
00:26:23.357 --> 00:26:24.858
And I hope that you push through.
363
00:26:24.878 --> 00:26:29.621
I think sometimes when you look at even like not getting political, there's no need for that.
364
00:26:29.661 --> 00:26:37.127
But if we've been looking at the past year and thinking of people who were in the spotlight and you hear how people talk about how they potentially got to where they are.
365
00:26:37.147 --> 00:26:37.988
Yeah.
366
00:26:38.468 --> 00:26:44.753
You just, it really does kind of make you think of like people just don't understand the system that we're in sometimes.
367
00:26:45.133 --> 00:26:46.895
A hundred percent, a hundred percent.
368
00:26:46.955 --> 00:26:48.676
And I think if you're clued in,
369
00:26:50.779 --> 00:27:01.990
wonder a little bit, you know, and it's, and it's sad that we have to wonder if that's not how somebody got there, but it's because there is these situations that are out there, you know?
370
00:27:02.971 --> 00:27:11.299
So I'm sorry that you had to go through this, but I think, you know, sharing this story is really going to support and help, you know, beyond my podcast.
371
00:27:11.879 --> 00:27:14.980
to make sure that people don't get trapped into that decision.
372
00:27:15.281 --> 00:27:19.642
And, you know, just because that's the only person that's going to invest in their company, there's others out there.
373
00:27:19.802 --> 00:27:24.584
It's setting clear boundaries to yourself and something bigger and better will come through.
374
00:27:25.285 --> 00:27:27.326
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
375
00:27:29.186 --> 00:27:32.288
So I wanted to dive in a little bit into...
376
00:27:34.013 --> 00:27:38.760
the business and a little bit of, you know, how you started.
377
00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:42.505
You're in a great position today, but that doesn't mean you started that way.
378
00:27:43.065 --> 00:27:48.393
So talk to us a little bit about, you know, really for a lack of a better term, grit, right?
379
00:27:48.473 --> 00:27:49.254
It's really how...
380
00:27:50.240 --> 00:28:04.848
the road bumps that you hit, and we don't have to go into like the full details of them, but what you've kind of pulled out of it and what you've learned to really, you know, because even knowing as much as I know, just hearing from you and your story, I know that you're in a comfortable spot right now with Connect.
381
00:28:05.508 --> 00:28:08.149
So how did you get there is my main question.
382
00:28:08.169 --> 00:28:12.712
And where, like, sort of like what you see on Instagram, you know, how it started and where it's going.
383
00:28:14.692 --> 00:28:15.992
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
384
00:28:16.253 --> 00:28:29.337
I think the first thing that I really love is that statement, that quote of be a sponge, where you really wanna enter the spaces or the categories or the funding cycles that you wanna go after.
385
00:28:29.537 --> 00:28:31.498
In the beginning, you should try to be a sponge.
386
00:28:32.058 --> 00:28:38.505
listen to how venture folks were talking to each other, join these webinars and understand how they're like looking for people.
387
00:28:38.525 --> 00:28:47.254
I was able to get accepted into an accelerator by Slauson & Co. And that's where I realized that there can be good investors.
388
00:28:48.356 --> 00:28:55.324
So to be honest, after I was able to kind of get in that position, I feel like for me, things started to change because I started to be a sponge.
389
00:28:55.544 --> 00:28:58.708
I started to understand the dynamics, the language that's being used.
390
00:28:59.108 --> 00:29:03.053
Also, the expectations that other people had on me before they even met me.
391
00:29:03.548 --> 00:29:07.731
I think there's an interesting battle that I'm still going through.
392
00:29:07.751 --> 00:29:10.232
I'm going to always go through it as an entrepreneur.
393
00:29:10.633 --> 00:29:16.497
There's this handshake that you give someone over an email, and that handshake can be either given back to you or not.
394
00:29:16.857 --> 00:29:19.659
And you have to let that go, even if it's bad.
395
00:29:19.679 --> 00:29:23.261
If they just ignore it or say no, it's okay to not have those handshakes.
396
00:29:24.882 --> 00:29:29.984
I think for me, like what I've been able to realize that over time, you're going to find the people who really believe in you.
397
00:29:30.004 --> 00:29:32.225
You're going to find the communities that love you.
398
00:29:32.825 --> 00:29:40.848
And for me, the hardest parts were always around self-doubts, self-sabotage, this idea that I don't fit in, that I'm too different to fit in.
399
00:29:41.468 --> 00:29:59.952
I think the headlines on LinkedIn, the headlines on the internet, what's happening in a political environment right now does affect people like me because it makes you feel like, like, shit, like 5% of all venture funding goes to a shared pot of like queer people, immigrants, women, et cetera.
400
00:30:00.012 --> 00:30:02.353
And the other 95% goes elsewhere.
401
00:30:03.412 --> 00:30:04.052
That's hard.
402
00:30:04.072 --> 00:30:06.693
That's really hard to know that.
403
00:30:06.773 --> 00:30:08.153
It's hard to swallow.
404
00:30:08.573 --> 00:30:09.733
Yeah, completely.
405
00:30:09.753 --> 00:30:12.834
Yeah, so I think for me, I'm in a good spot now.
406
00:30:12.914 --> 00:30:16.214
But I call my investors once I'm crying.
407
00:30:16.354 --> 00:30:17.734
I call friends crying.
408
00:30:18.174 --> 00:30:23.055
I think just being emotional is probably going to let a founder realize that they can push through.
409
00:30:23.075 --> 00:30:26.556
Because once they release that energy, they can focus.
410
00:30:26.596 --> 00:30:27.156
It's go time.
411
00:30:27.776 --> 00:30:28.076
Yeah.
412
00:30:28.516 --> 00:30:28.956
Go time.
413
00:30:29.116 --> 00:30:29.696
I got to get it done.
414
00:30:29.716 --> 00:30:30.457
I don't have to cry.
415
00:30:30.497 --> 00:30:30.897
Let's go.
416
00:30:31.517 --> 00:30:32.817
Yeah, totally.
417
00:30:33.542 --> 00:30:47.436
Um, so what experiences, what, what was the most, I guess, what was the biggest learning lesson out of, you know, when you started to where you are today, that kind of is something that is going to stick with you, you know, throughout this journey?
418
00:30:48.623 --> 00:30:50.464
positioning matters.
419
00:30:51.044 --> 00:31:00.289
I think I know that from being a marketer, I think all of us who look at like TV commercials or like when you're email, you look at your subject lines, like positioning really matters.
420
00:31:00.589 --> 00:31:10.655
And I think for me, the thing that I really stick out in the beginning to now, and it's always going to stick out as like, just don't make assumptions on what problem you're solving or what you're
421
00:31:11.355 --> 00:31:16.658
what you're providing someone else, like let them guide you to that proposition, that statement.
422
00:31:16.758 --> 00:31:24.122
And that's how you can kind of reframe your positioning to really stand out in the marketplace and stand out to yourself, your peers, et cetera.
423
00:31:24.963 --> 00:31:29.385
For me, it's always going to be from now on and I have been doing it, but now I'm a little bit more adamant.
424
00:31:29.565 --> 00:31:31.326
It's like, let me go back to asking people.
425
00:31:31.346 --> 00:31:32.387
Let me go find the data.
426
00:31:32.407 --> 00:31:35.669
Let me like validate these assumptions before like I get anywhere.
427
00:31:36.549 --> 00:31:44.431
So for me, I think, especially the last two weeks, I'm going to be honest, there was a moment of a positioning change and things started to get better for me a week later.
428
00:31:44.611 --> 00:31:45.772
Like, yeah.
429
00:31:46.012 --> 00:31:56.435
So I think the more that we focus on these customer insights or business insights, it's just going to lead us to having like deeper, stronger positionings that open the doors for us.
430
00:31:57.206 --> 00:31:58.287
Yeah, I love that.
431
00:31:58.367 --> 00:32:01.610
And I think that, you know, it's what I always like to say.
432
00:32:01.770 --> 00:32:10.257
It's, you know, you're doing business, you're in business for your customer or your client or your patient or whatever it is.
433
00:32:10.357 --> 00:32:17.423
But if you're not listening to their feedback, why are you even in business at the end of the day?
434
00:32:17.463 --> 00:32:20.125
You need to consistently have your ear to the ground.
435
00:32:20.871 --> 00:32:23.673
to hear what they like and what they don't like.
436
00:32:23.693 --> 00:32:30.397
And I'm not just saying maybe your best customer is going to be the only one you listen to, but what's the collective?
437
00:32:30.698 --> 00:32:31.858
And then what's the through like?
438
00:32:32.399 --> 00:32:34.300
Yeah, I like that a lot.
439
00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:34.860
Yeah.
440
00:32:36.021 --> 00:32:43.006
So I have a question because not a lot of entrepreneurs have this leverage that you do in terms of being a marketer.
441
00:32:43.737 --> 00:32:45.738
And understanding that landscape.
442
00:32:45.758 --> 00:33:01.546
So let's dive a little into that because you're the first entrepreneur that I've had on my podcast that is similar to me in the sense where we've taken a leap of faith, but we've had the understanding of like how to grow it because we have the marketing experience.
443
00:33:01.566 --> 00:33:09.290
So how do you think that that plays a role for you and puts you at an advantage compared to somebody who doesn't and is just an entrepreneur and crafting their ideas for you?
444
00:33:10.111 --> 00:33:18.694
I want to start by telling any listener or any watcher that if you're a marketer and you think that you cannot be an entrepreneur because you're non-technical, screw that.
445
00:33:18.994 --> 00:33:20.735
Do not listen to that voice in your head.
446
00:33:20.755 --> 00:33:25.397
Do not listen to an investor that you meet one time that says like, oh, you have no CTO.
447
00:33:25.437 --> 00:33:25.597
No.
448
00:33:26.417 --> 00:33:39.004
I completely will fight that and believe that being a marketer allows us to understand the core thing, what problem we're solving, understanding how to reach our customers, understanding what a go-to-market plan is.
449
00:33:39.405 --> 00:33:46.929
You can build the strongest technology out there, but if you don't know how to deliver that product to anyone, how the hell are you going to grow?
450
00:33:48.290 --> 00:33:55.095
For me, I think as a marketer, I feel lucky where I'm able to understand what is a proper full funnel strategy, right?
451
00:33:55.195 --> 00:34:01.880
From inception of an ad or an email all the way through walking them, making sure a product delights them in some capacity.
452
00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:12.669
I think as a marketer, I understand that I can dream big because if I dream big, I have to then think about the data and the experiences I have to do to get to that big point later on.
453
00:34:13.409 --> 00:34:17.892
I think as a marketer, I think we have this special power that we can connect with other brands.
454
00:34:18.432 --> 00:34:25.776
I think a lot of folks forget that if you're a marketer, if you're a brand person, that means you understand what another brand might be needing.
455
00:34:26.257 --> 00:34:35.442
So if you're positioning a partnership, you can be like, okay, I can understand that their consumer lifecycle marketing plan is going to have a moment in June or July.
456
00:34:35.562 --> 00:34:37.843
They're probably going to need a partner for that moment.
457
00:34:37.964 --> 00:34:40.025
Can I put myself as that player?
458
00:34:40.825 --> 00:34:52.027
I think being a marketer is one of the most clever ways to be a strong entrepreneur because you're able to understand the consumer, the business mindset, think about full calendar and think about where you can fit in.
459
00:34:52.567 --> 00:34:52.887
Yeah.
460
00:34:53.387 --> 00:34:54.867
And you can also speak human.
461
00:34:55.628 --> 00:34:55.928
Yes.
462
00:34:56.068 --> 00:34:56.448
Yes.
463
00:34:57.628 --> 00:34:58.128
Totally.
464
00:34:58.168 --> 00:34:59.608
We can totally speak human.
465
00:35:00.648 --> 00:35:05.329
I love that because you understand because you're walking a mile in your customer's shoes.
466
00:35:05.369 --> 00:35:09.250
And I think a pure entrepreneur with no marketing background forgets.
467
00:35:09.810 --> 00:35:14.276
about their customer and only is remembering why they've created.
468
00:35:14.376 --> 00:35:16.799
Well, not why they've created that.
469
00:35:16.819 --> 00:35:19.682
They're remembering like the excitement of the product.
470
00:35:20.383 --> 00:35:25.529
And because it's something that maybe that they wanted and they've in a way forgotten a little bit about their customers.
471
00:35:25.569 --> 00:35:27.872
They're like, go to market, go to market, go to market.
472
00:35:28.656 --> 00:35:28.996
Yeah.
473
00:35:29.296 --> 00:35:31.538
I think as a marketer, that means you have a network, right?
474
00:35:31.558 --> 00:35:34.860
Like now I can reach out to you and be like, Hey, good question.
475
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:38.402
Does this read a little bit too technical or does this be too different?
476
00:35:38.802 --> 00:35:43.385
I just know that marketers like us love when we like share that stuff in our community.
477
00:35:43.465 --> 00:35:48.387
Cause we all know that if you're like in the weeds, your messaging might sound like it's in the weeds.
478
00:35:48.588 --> 00:35:52.590
And that like someone else on the street is understanding what you're trying to proposition to them.
479
00:35:53.070 --> 00:36:01.603
So I think as a marketer, we get this awesome community where again, like now we just met Sacha and I bet you that I can ask you for support in something in like a month.
480
00:36:01.664 --> 00:36:03.026
Yeah, right.
481
00:36:03.186 --> 00:36:04.187
Yeah, absolutely.
482
00:36:04.248 --> 00:36:05.329
We have to support each other.
483
00:36:07.610 --> 00:36:12.075
On that note from marketing, what were the first channels that you dipped into?
484
00:36:12.175 --> 00:36:14.977
You know, it's like the technology is there.
485
00:36:15.057 --> 00:36:15.998
The product is ready.
486
00:36:16.139 --> 00:36:17.480
You're about to hit go live.
487
00:36:18.060 --> 00:36:25.187
What have you put into your go-to marketing plan to be your first kind of we're out into the world presence?
488
00:36:25.227 --> 00:36:27.590
What did you utilize to kind of generate that awareness?
489
00:36:28.002 --> 00:36:29.744
Yeah, a few different channels.
490
00:36:29.904 --> 00:36:31.886
I'm going to start with the cheapest ones.
491
00:36:32.046 --> 00:36:33.508
I think they're the strongest ones.
492
00:36:33.868 --> 00:36:43.078
I think as an executive, as a founder, I think sometimes people get in their own way of maybe getting into the stuff they don't think is valuable, i.e.
493
00:36:43.138 --> 00:36:44.219
community building.
494
00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:45.521
Yes, yes.
495
00:36:47.132 --> 00:37:07.256
Yes, so going on Reddit, going on Instagram, going on TikTok, Reddit is awesome because you really have this space where people are just sharing free content, free ideas, what's on their mind, their reviews on our product, and no better way to actually talk to people than on Reddit, honestly, as a different name and just engaging with them.
496
00:37:07.276 --> 00:37:08.476
Like, wait, you tried that?
497
00:37:08.576 --> 00:37:09.336
That didn't work for you?
498
00:37:09.376 --> 00:37:09.816
Why not?
499
00:37:09.836 --> 00:37:12.337
Okay, get into it.
500
00:37:12.577 --> 00:37:14.477
I think building community
501
00:37:14.737 --> 00:37:18.240
and then finding a way to then bring them to your company is huge.
502
00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:21.983
And what better way to actually engage with them as a founder talking to someone?
503
00:37:22.003 --> 00:37:30.070
So I think for me, I've had a lot of fun actually going and spending 20 to 30 minutes a day on Reddit with my particular tags.
504
00:37:30.090 --> 00:37:31.271
So I'm focused, right?
505
00:37:31.311 --> 00:37:35.155
Like where am I going to be focused on engaging with these subreddits?
506
00:37:35.795 --> 00:37:37.756
to like TikTok and Instagram, same thing.
507
00:37:37.936 --> 00:37:40.398
Follow the same hashtags, engage those creators.
508
00:37:40.438 --> 00:37:43.960
Understand what they're saying, what their problems are, what they're complaining about.
509
00:37:43.980 --> 00:37:45.041
So that's one.
510
00:37:46.062 --> 00:37:51.085
The second is like being smart to understand that people love to read the news.
511
00:37:51.225 --> 00:37:54.407
People love to see like an announcement, a press announcement.
512
00:37:54.827 --> 00:37:59.170
So I was lucky to like have a friend that works in press and comms and partnered with her.
513
00:37:59.190 --> 00:38:02.872
And she like helped me get like a story out into TechCrunch.
514
00:38:02.892 --> 00:38:04.734
And that allowed me to like, again, have this like,
515
00:38:05.434 --> 00:38:15.241
Very different brought up consumers that are not in my network come into the door and immediately start sharing their feedback on a beta product or like, yeah, this is jinky.
516
00:38:15.261 --> 00:38:16.222
I would do this instead.
517
00:38:16.262 --> 00:38:17.422
I'm like, I agree.
518
00:38:17.482 --> 00:38:18.243
Let me do that next.
519
00:38:19.304 --> 00:38:19.684
Yeah.
520
00:38:19.864 --> 00:38:25.688
Just a community section, thinking about like how people are going to find you on the news or on what was big.
521
00:38:25.868 --> 00:38:27.269
And then the third is partnerships.
522
00:38:27.389 --> 00:38:28.030
I feel so...
523
00:38:28.710 --> 00:38:39.458
so lucky to be building in the space of belonging and memory and legacy and being able to tap into other folks who are in the dev tech space or who aren't into aging space.
524
00:38:39.498 --> 00:38:49.545
And we're not competitors, but we're adjacently trying to do the same thing of helping us all plan for what's expected, end of life, and how do we support each other before that and advance.
525
00:38:49.825 --> 00:38:51.566
So I feel like partnerships are just huge.
526
00:38:52.607 --> 00:38:53.347
I love that.
527
00:38:53.768 --> 00:38:55.329
As a marketer, I do agree that
528
00:38:56.023 --> 00:39:01.764
partnerships is huge because it can be just, you know, the back of the door referrals.
529
00:39:01.984 --> 00:39:07.765
And I think those type of referrals are like the warmest because they already know you, who they're connecting with.
530
00:39:07.865 --> 00:39:11.906
Like it's already, you know, developing that relate it's relationships, right.
531
00:39:12.686 --> 00:39:14.586
Through that partnership, which I think is beautiful.
532
00:39:14.966 --> 00:39:20.687
You know, communities are interesting because I think that communities really exploded post COVID.
533
00:39:21.808 --> 00:39:23.688
And I think that, you know, because we
534
00:39:24.461 --> 00:39:38.081
kind of alone together in our own homes and really kind of connecting with this, you know, global thing that took place, but it was, you know, what are different products and things that people are tapping into?
535
00:39:38.141 --> 00:39:38.602
So I think
536
00:39:39.655 --> 00:39:43.117
those products really exploded on the community aspect.
537
00:39:43.297 --> 00:39:56.122
The ones that really kind of, you know, came out of the, not necessarily came out of nowhere, but just really boomed during COVID really kind of hit the nail on, you know, what community means, you know, in connection to their products.
538
00:39:56.162 --> 00:39:58.103
And I think that, or services, and I think that,
539
00:39:58.183 --> 00:40:01.925
And I think that that has become so much more relevant today.
540
00:40:02.065 --> 00:40:10.228
And I think also that consumers are looking to connect with a community within a different type of product or service that they're buying.
541
00:40:10.548 --> 00:40:11.168
What do you think?
542
00:40:11.548 --> 00:40:12.209
Oh, I mean...
543
00:40:13.190 --> 00:40:16.532
if we look at the, what's happening at Target right now, right?
544
00:40:17.433 --> 00:40:25.198
If you don't, if you build a community and then don't pay attention to your community, that can be, that's going to create a backlash, right?
545
00:40:25.218 --> 00:40:31.922
I think, I think it's important that when you're building a community, you respect their time, you respect your input.
546
00:40:32.042 --> 00:40:35.605
You're asking them to help you, guide you, inform your decisions.
547
00:40:35.625 --> 00:40:42.309
Like I think a community just means you're building this like amazing group of humans that also believe in you and believe in your product.
548
00:40:42.789 --> 00:40:46.213
So I think community is like the only way for organic growth.
549
00:40:46.273 --> 00:40:50.437
We're all scared of putting in dollars into advertisement, right?
550
00:40:50.457 --> 00:40:54.281
We're all thinking about like, how do we not spend money in meta or Google search?
551
00:40:54.361 --> 00:40:55.583
Like we don't want to go there.
552
00:40:55.603 --> 00:41:00.348
And community is going to be the answer and building it and kind of getting that real time feedback as well.
553
00:41:01.340 --> 00:41:02.361
No, I completely agree.
554
00:41:02.381 --> 00:41:03.502
And I think it's just growing.
555
00:41:03.782 --> 00:41:19.054
And I think that if you think that you're a company that doesn't, that won't succeed on community, think again, because think about the pain points and the problem that you're solving before you're selling your product, your product becomes secondary to how you're supporting them.
556
00:41:19.794 --> 00:41:26.316
And understanding that certain product or service that you are in the business of selling and then push it out, right?
557
00:41:26.356 --> 00:41:33.319
And build that community, create a safe space for people to talk about things and get educated or have the tools to support them.
558
00:41:33.519 --> 00:41:36.900
And then they'll have build that trust and buy into your products and service.
559
00:41:37.588 --> 00:41:37.988
Yeah.
560
00:41:38.108 --> 00:41:39.929
We also all want word of mouth, right?
561
00:41:39.949 --> 00:41:41.850
If you build something, they love you.
562
00:41:41.930 --> 00:41:44.532
That's like the best thing is like hearing it from someone.
563
00:41:44.552 --> 00:41:46.153
It's like, Hey, I recommend this company.
564
00:41:46.193 --> 00:41:46.953
They're awesome.
565
00:41:46.973 --> 00:41:48.014
I believe in the founder.
566
00:41:48.034 --> 00:41:48.534
I like that.
567
00:41:48.554 --> 00:41:50.855
They're being honest, like they're building publicly.
568
00:41:50.875 --> 00:41:55.117
I think community is such a, it just shows value in such different ways.
569
00:41:55.798 --> 00:41:56.738
Yeah, no, I love that.
570
00:41:57.319 --> 00:41:57.739
So Omar,
571
00:41:58.748 --> 00:42:21.818
One thing I always like to ask my guests and to leave my guests with, and this has been such an amazing and heartfelt and sincere conversation is what would you leave us with in terms of three insights or things you've learned or rules to the game, if you will, to somebody just starting out or somebody who's in business and kind of struggling to push forward?
572
00:42:23.178 --> 00:42:23.518
Yeah.
573
00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:24.819
Let's see.
574
00:42:24.959 --> 00:42:26.660
Number one is...
575
00:42:29.788 --> 00:42:44.882
If you do not believe in yourself, find someone that will remind you to believe in yourself because it's a really hard journey and it's very late night, it's weekends, and you're taking a sacrifice, right?
576
00:42:44.922 --> 00:42:49.747
So just make sure you're surrounded by someone or some group of people that are able to check in on you.
577
00:42:50.947 --> 00:43:03.437
Two, I think going back to assumptions, I really do believe that assumptions on a relationship level, to a business level, to a customer level, like just the word assumption is really just a barrier to success.
578
00:43:04.177 --> 00:43:05.819
Just don't make assumptions.
579
00:43:05.879 --> 00:43:11.543
Like go ahead and find the true value, the true data, and then go ahead and make our hypotheses and then learn from.
580
00:43:11.563 --> 00:43:13.465
And then three...
581
00:43:15.475 --> 00:43:17.436
Lean into digital communities.
582
00:43:17.936 --> 00:43:28.862
I would have never gotten my first investor or my second investor or found my angel investors if I didn't lean into these Slack channels that were made for entrepreneurs.
583
00:43:29.302 --> 00:43:35.326
There's Tecaria for Latinos, there's Startout for Fears, there's La Familia for Latinos.
584
00:43:35.346 --> 00:43:43.470
There's so many online communities of entrepreneurs helping each other, of venture capitals quietly helping these entrepreneurs.
585
00:43:43.950 --> 00:43:46.631
And I feel like that is such an untapped resource.
586
00:43:46.671 --> 00:43:55.634
Like it's free and there's so many dynamic people in these Slack communities offering money, resources, favorite pay box.
587
00:43:55.714 --> 00:44:01.215
Like lean into these spaces and don't like I always tell people like close mouths, don't get fed.
588
00:44:01.435 --> 00:44:07.337
I know that's silly, but if you don't ask for this, no one's going to hear about what you need or what you want to do.
589
00:44:07.397 --> 00:44:07.697
Right.
590
00:44:07.777 --> 00:44:10.078
So like just go out there and like start saying hello.
591
00:44:10.965 --> 00:44:11.845
I completely agree.
592
00:44:11.905 --> 00:44:19.008
I love that concept, closed mouths don't get fed as it relates to really kind of building your business because you're so right.
593
00:44:19.148 --> 00:44:25.430
It's vulnerability as you start, but once you push and start asking, then the world is your oyster.
594
00:44:25.790 --> 00:44:26.450
So I love that.
595
00:44:27.011 --> 00:44:27.551
Exactly.
596
00:44:27.991 --> 00:44:29.071
Thank you for that, Omar.
597
00:44:29.091 --> 00:44:31.672
This has been exceptional and wonderful.
598
00:44:31.692 --> 00:44:39.675
And thanks for opening up your heart and really being raw and transparent with everything that you've gone through and that you're building here, which I think is beautiful.
599
00:44:40.240 --> 00:44:40.640
Thank you.
600
00:44:40.660 --> 00:44:41.460
Thank you for having me.
601
00:44:41.560 --> 00:44:42.901
And to anyone listening, reach out.
602
00:44:43.181 --> 00:44:45.061
Omer at connect.club with anything.
603
00:44:45.141 --> 00:44:47.282
Happy to be a resource, a friend if you need it.
604
00:44:47.522 --> 00:44:47.842
I'm here.
605
00:44:47.862 --> 00:44:48.862
Love it.
606
00:44:49.003 --> 00:44:49.603
Appreciate it.
