Meet Marcos Villegas

We were lucky to catch up with Marcos Villegas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Marcos with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I’m probably going to trigger some folks with this answer, but I get my work ethic from my parents.
Growing up in Mexico, we weren’t poor but weren’t rich either, were stable. But despite having all I needed, I learned, from a young age that I needed to work if I wanted anything in life because nothing is ever just handed down for free. My dad was about 75% of the time because he drove for a living, cross country and the few times he was home he was running around working on home projects. As a kid, I never really understood why my dad was always busy and gave us so little time, but now that I’m older I understand how much having a great work ethic matters as well as how far it may take you. Here’s the possible trigger, nowadays, there are people younger than myself and a few my age who feel entitled to receive the same gratification and rewards as someone with a much better and greater work ethic. Not saying everyone is like that in the world, but people need to start self-evaluating their work ethic and realizing that they are being rewarded accordingly and if you’re not, well, it may be time to reevaluate your life choices and know your worth.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve been a photographer for about 10 years and on/off for the last 3, so a total of about 12. Being a photographer has opened many doors and has allowed me to meet many people from all over the world. Both personally and professionally I’ve been able to use my skills in this field to push further in my career. Just recently I’ve also created my dry-hire bartending brand, being around the entertainment scene allowed me to meet bartenders who respectfully and willingly taught me skills enough for me to confidently create the brand and provide my service

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I’ve encountered many walls, and still do, on my journey. One of the most important skills I continue to use is communication. To learn and push your brand you must communicate what needs to be done. People aren’t mind readers and neither are you. Ask questions, make sure all parties involved are on the same page and everything is crystal clear from the start. Secondly, Adaptability, is being able to adapt to today’s ever-changing world, when you create your brand it may be great and fitting for the time and place it was created for, but be ready and open to change especially if you want to keep your brand alive and thriving. Lastly, active listening, as much as you talk and advertise, listen twice as much to your clients and staff (if any), They are your number one source of why your brand thrives, don’t assume you’re doing everything right because you haven’t heard any complaints. Communicate and adapt based on what is being told you about your brand, be open to recommendations, and move forward.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

NOT SPOIL ME!
Again, this is a huge one for me. Not being spoiled was amazing; as a kid, I probably wouldn’t say this, but the fact that my parents made me earn everything means so much to me. Earning awards, recognition, and anything else, to me, feels way better than something just being handed down due to pity or because I throw a fit. I will always remember the life lessons my parents taught me and the steps they took to help me learn, from the late-night heart-to-heart discussions about life choices to the butt whoopings.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ville_az / agave2go