NATALIA RUBIANO, FOUNDER AND CEO INTERVIEW WITH CANVAS REBEL
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Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalia Rubiano. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Natalia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
My first client was an aviation company. My strategy was to go on Indeed and find some marketing and public relations positions being advertised for which I could offer my services for. I had already been working in the marketing and PR field for a few years and knew what I can contribute to it based on annual reports I had to submit and annual reviews I received. I did not however have “normal” circumstances, which contributed to me getting a company in the first place. I had an education, and one hell of a resume, but I failed in the relationship department and found myself with nothing but a resume and a newborn child in the middle of nowhere. Once I did get an interview, I told them I can offer them everything they were looking for and more, but they would need to hire my LLC, and this particular interview did.
Natalia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Natalia and I started my business out of desperation. In 2017, I found myself with no food, no car, no money, no family, no electricity and stuck on a border of the evacuation zone during Hurricane Irma with a 9 month old son. After 3 days of sitting in the bathroom, I received power and called the only person I had, my mom. She wired $400 to a Western Union down the street, of which I used to pay for some food, rent a car from Enterprise and go to an interview. I went to three interviews, and none were giving me a job, so I used the remaining $100 and registered an LLC. With the LLC, I went back on Indeed and got my first client.
Today, I have been in business for 6 years. After Hurricane Irma, I registered my LLC and asked my friend, Carolina Espinales, who sat through Hurricane Andrew in Miami, to design a logo for my company that she thought would represent me. She picked the palm tree because she said I was strong. So, like the palm tree that has learned to bend and not break and whose roots grow stronger as it faces hurricane winds, I have built my company on this principle. For the last 6 years, I have been navigating storms of all kinds for my clients, and this all started out of a desperate need to get out of the situation I found myself in and one aviation company that decided to change the course of my life.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
My near death moment was just a few months ago! I had been talking with a company from Turkey for almost a year to sign a contract which would be my largest contract and also my first international company. I put all my resources and energy into this deal, and even had to let some clients go because I realized that I had undervalued and underpriced my services. It’s not easy being in business, especially when I hadn’t ever taken a business class in my life. Anyways, my company nearly died because I missed the memo that doing business in Turkey was going to take a really long time to receive money. I was running out of patience, and their response was “patience is a virtue.” Then Turkey had a massive 7.8 earthquake, which I thought the whole deal would be off, and sent my condolences and prepared to accept that I would no longer be in business. I received the money a couple days later. Had it been 3 days later, Grozina would have been toast, but no, the palm tree has once again, bent but didn’t break!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Honestly, it’s honesty. I never go into something that I do not think I can do. I will not work with everyone, and I will walk away if I see something is unethical, morally wrong or simply, does not make sense. I don’t cut corners, I don’t compromise when it comes to integrity and I get the job done. I got to where I am today with nothing but a $400 wire transfer to buy some food and diapers for my newborn son, I’ve slept in motels with sheets that had holes in them, went days without food and lost hearing for a month fighting for my life while being drowned in a bathtub with a gun in the room. I am not the type of person that thinks “no” and “not possible” is an answer – in business or in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: grozina.com
- Instagram: @grozina
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grozina
Image Credits
Lena Howard Photography