We were lucky to catch up with Rolando Rojas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rolando, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
When I started my career, I had to be an imposter to jumpstart my professional growth – or at least that’s what I felt at the time. Many of the things I said I knew how to do I’d never done before. Web design, advertising, ecommerce – I “faked” my way through projects in all those areas. I never let my lack of experience stop me from taking a new project.
With every new task, I’d learn something new. If I joined a meeting and heard a term I hadn’t heard before, I’d write it down and look it up later. Once I went through this enough times, I started to notice I didn’t have to pretend to know the answer as often. I knew the answer from a project I had worked on before. I became experienced. Eventually, I started to feel like I was one of the most knowledgeable people in the room.
Today, after well more than a decade of experience, and being CEO of a marketing agency, do I still feel like an imposter? Sometimes. It doesn’t happen as often anymore but every once in a while, we’ll bid on a new type of project and those feelings come back. The difference now is that I know our team can figure it out.
So, how did I overcome imposter syndrome? I’m still not sure. But feeling like an imposter from time to time keeps you humble. It’s not such a bad feeling to have.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am CEO of Elliptic Marketing, a small marketing agency in Miami. We focus on helping fashion and luxury brands with their digital marketing needs. We’re on the very edge of what’s technical in the world of digital and we often do the type of work that other agencies don’t have the technical capacity to do. That’s why some of our customers are other agencies too.
Arguably, Elliptic Marketing is one of the best marketing agencies for email marketing and web development in Miami. Our approach is simple: we find solutions. We’ll never call a customer with a problem without having a couple of potential answers in hand. We’re fast, efficient, and effective. Those three words drive all the work we do.
Throughout the years, Elliptic Marketing has developed a reputation for doing what other agencies can’t. We launch campaigns in record time. We build digital activations with very tight constraints. And we’re always at the edge of what’s technologically possible. A common phrase that we’ll hear clients say is “All agencies said that doing X with this budged and deadline was impossible. That’s why we’re calling you.” And we make it happen.
All of this has made Elliptic Marketing a popular marketing agency for luxury brands in Miami. This is why brands like Dior, Bulgari, and Hublot have chosen to work with us for years.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Wisdom, customer service skills, and some ambition. Combine these three and you’ll find success in any area. Before leading Elliptic Marketing, I had to climb the corporate ladder and learn about all of these skills. It was what made me who I am today.
Wisdom is an ever-evolving state. Always stay humble and know that there is always some smarter than you out there. Having a lot of answers never means you have all the answers.
Customer service skills are another key to success. There’s no realization in business without customers. Today, your customer may be the owner of a small business. Tomorrow, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The way you treat them is the same: with patience and a positive attitude.
Finally, we have ambition. It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone, but that’s also a recipe for stagnation. Ambition is the desire to move on to larger things. Sometimes you have to force yourself to feel that desire. And this is where a lot of smart people fail.
If you work on these skills (and it’s an endless pursuit, by the way) you’ll find success.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
Our ideal client is someone with clear objectives and a well-defined brand image, that needs a team that’ll provide solutions. This describes a lot of luxury brands. When a luxury brand asks us to work on, say an email marketing campaign, even if they had never designed an email before, we have a very good idea of what it should look like. We know which elements of their brand must be included and which elements are open to interpretation. The boundaries are clear which helps us develop things faster.
Elliptic Marketing is the ideal agency for companies that want solutions. A lot of teams are used to having to micromanage their agencies, not because they want to, but because they need to. We are different. We’ll do what it takes to win our clients’ trust. Once we have that, we can be proactive, independent, and produce outstanding results.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellipticmarketing.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandorojas1/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Rolando_Rojas1
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