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Hey Joel, where are you from?
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I moved to Miami, FL in 2000 when I was 9 years old. I have since had the pleasure of living in New York and now residing in Los Angeles.
What are some of your hobbies?
I like Networking, Learning, Creating. I love to build relationships, get to know people and see if my experiences can add value to their lives. I don’t think there is a better use of my time than to offer value to others. Outside of this, I like to spend my time learning new things and creating meaningful experiences that I will remember forever.
Favorite quote:
“ Stay committed to the what, and the how will show up”
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
My decision to become an entrepreneur came at an early age. As an undocumented immigrant, my options were extremely limited. Becoming an entrepreneur seemed to be the only way I could get ahead. You can say it was circumstantial and that Entrepreneurship chose me, I didn’t choose it. Now that I am one, I would not have it any other way.
Who were your biggest influences? Was there a defining moment in your life?
There’s a lot of people I need to thank for my success. Of course it starts with my family, particularly my dad who always shared his wisdom and molded me to think the way I do now. The CEO of Shredz, Arvin Lal, also had a big impact on who I am today. Working at Shredz I learned the ultimate meaning of an intense work ethic. Although it wasn’t my business, Arvin taught me to treat it as if it were, allowing me to constantly put in 12-14 hour days that is something that today gives me the edge over most people I come across.
Now
What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?
As an Entrepreneur, you’re always working on more than one thing. Right now, I can only discuss Media Monsters which is a Marketing Company I am a Managing Partner in. The idea came from having had many bad experiences with ‘Marketing Agencies.’ I learned too quickly that they focus on locking you into long committed contracts, over promising, and under delivering. There truly isn’t a single agency out there that treats your business as their own, you’re just another account and whether your business thrives or not they’re still collecting their share. We created Media Monsters to be the complete opposite of everything we disliked about working with agencies.
How is your digital marketing service different and unique? What has been your favorite moment with it? What’s the vision?
Right now there is a very bitter taste in the air about “agencies.” Having worked on the brand side of things and having hired multiple agencies for various things, I can tell you that most agencies will bleed you dry without really providing the expected results. Furthermore, they focus on long term contracts and provide very little education into their strategies. This makes you dependent on them and their ability to be responsive to your needs.
What we do is the complete opposite, we provide value from day one. I like to teach my clients so that eventually they don’t need our assistance. Our goal is not to lock someone in for years, but rather to educate, build meaningful relationships, and provide results. We only take on a select few clients to make sure we can dedicate the appropriate time to each and really make a difference. Our goal is to show you the in’s and out’s of our strategies so that you not only learn what is best for your business, but can eventually move the operation in-house if wanted.
If you do Facebook ads, what types of creatives/campaigns do you use (we like specifics)?
I do run quite a good amount of Facebook AD’s, and the strategies vary according to the company goals. We have some clients who are DR (Direct Response) driven and need immediate returns, and we have others who understand the importance of creating long nurturing funnels. In terms of creative, I’m a big believer in providing value, warming up a lead before you try to sell them on ANYTHING. I like to push out educational information via video, then take the viewing audiences and continue to warm them up accordingly before escalating the sales funnel.
Did you experience failure along the way? What did you learn from it?
Absolutely, I think failure is an essential part of success and therefore I welcome it. Through my failures I have learned not only how to adapt and overcome obstacles, but how to see the positive in the worst of situations.
Value-add questions
Value-add questionsGive the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.
My best tip for an entrepreneur is to stay committed to the what even if they don’t yet know the how. Often times as entrepreneurs our paths change. Falling in love with a very specific path can be dangerous. Learn to adapt and be flexible with your approach. As long as what you do is driving you towards your goal, then that is what matters.
Teach us something about sales funnels.
In my experience with Social Media, particularly Facebook, I’ve come to understand the importance of a nurturing funnel, which provides value before it provides an offer. On outreach campaigns people need to be warmed up to your brand before they make a purchase. It’s key that you give your audiences valuable material and educate them on things that are of interest to them to create that trust factor. Once a consumer understands that you are a brand which provides valuable information with no “real intent” to sell them on something, they will be much more open to the idea of purchasing from you.
While working on your project, have you come across any interesting bit of knowledge that you’d like to share? (i.e. any new research finding, any new platforms, some novel management technique, etc)
Absolutely. I learn things every single day. One of the biggest advantages of working with multiple brands across different industries is the learning curve. We are able to take something we learned from a food brand and with a twist apply it to a skin care brand. Sometimes this works and other times it doesn’t, but trying and creating new ideas is what it’s all about. The second you stop innovating, your brand is no longer a market leader.
What are some of your favorite books?
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
Truthfully, I see myself taking all these lessons and applying them to my own brands. Whenever I do decide to create one, which could be sooner rather than later 😉
Follow Joel Contartese Here:
Instagram: @JoelContartese
Twitter: @JoelContartese
Facebook: @JoelContartese
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