Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Natalia Rubiano, Founder of Grozina, located in Pompano Beach, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Grozina is a marketing and public relations firm that works with a select number of U.S. and international clients. We provide advice to businesses and government organizations on marketing, communications, management, environmental, scientific, and technical issues related to their organization.
We've partnered with aviation, education, finance, art, and hospitality industries, as well as hold several government contracts across the U.S.
Services we offer:
- Marketing (+ Sales Enablement)
- Public Relations
- Advertising
- Branding and Design
- Social Media Management
- Content Writing, Research, and Development
- Website Design, Security, and SEO
- Event Design
- Crisis Management
Tell us about yourself
Five years ago (or three weeks before I registered Grozina LLC), I had no phone, no bank account, no car, no relatives in Florida, no food, no power, no money, and stuck on the border of the evacuation zone during Hurricane Irma with a 9-month-old child. It's a different topic about how I got there, but after three nights of being stuck in a bathroom praying for my life and my son's, we got power. I walked to a Western Union and got some money wired from my mom, a part of which ($100) I used to register Grozina LLC. My only option was to make it work - so I did the only thing I knew how and I created a website - my website. Internet was the only thing I had, apart from a laptop, so I turned $800 into $1500, into $5000, into $65k. I had no essentials, but I had an education. I went to the London School of Economics. I used the only confidence I had gained from attending school there to build momentum -- in other words, I knew a little about economics - a little about supply and demand -- and a lot about how to make things work with little resources. I built my company on one principle - like the palm tree that has learned to bend and not break when it faces hurricane winds, I, too would navigate storms of all kinds for my clients. With that kind of mindset, I have gained many clients - international companies, universities, and government entities. What motivates me is good work and inspiring others not to get killed by the storm, just simply become one.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being prepared - pandemics or hurricanes - crisis management is something Grozina has mastered, and it's something we've applied to clients to get them through pandemics and hurricanes themselves too.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Managing time - not prioritizing what is on the schedule but scheduling priorities.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Things are not clear in the beginning, but if you don't give up, eventually, things begin to make sense.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://grozina.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grozinampr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grozina/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grozina/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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