About

In this episode, we'll be exploring what it takes to scale from a team of 10 people to a team of over 300,000. We'll hear from Esteban Garcia, a serial entrepreneur who has been through the process, and learn about the challenges and lessons he’s acquired along the way. We'll also find out how unexpected life experiences can help us to focus our energy and structure our lives in a way that feels meaningful and successful for us.

About Esteban Garcia Esteban Garcia is a technology entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the industry.   As of July 1st, Esteban is the CEO of Xpirit USA – a Microsoft Cloud consulting firm helping customers with their Cloud adoption by building Engineering Cultures.

Esteban has been in an entrepreneurial journey since 2007, having been part of several startups, with the most recent being Nebbia Technology, started in  2014, with an exit in 2019 and a second exit in 2020. Esteban has a passion for helping transform organizations through the use of technology, enabling teams to do amazing things while solving their business problems. He does this through mentoring, training, and working closely with teams to help them realize their potential.

Esteban is a frequent speaker at technical conferences throughout the world, he is a Microsoft Regional Director and Microsoft Most Valuable Professional.

You can   follow him on Twitter at @estebanfgarcia.

---

This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

---

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hihellosura/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hihellosura/support

Transcript

*This Transcript is Autogenerated

[00:00:27] Hey there and welcome to the hi. Hello sewer show. I knew Laney. On this episode, we're joined by Esteban Garcia. 

[00:00:36] We'll be exploring what it takes to scale from a team of 10. To a team of over 3000. Esteban with shy with us, the processes. The challenges, the lessons that he's acquired along the way. 

[00:00:52] We'll also unpack how an unexpected. Experiences happen in our lives. How we can use these and harness this to focus on energy. And to structure our lives in a way that feels meaningful. And what is personally successful for us? 

[00:01:10] Esteban as a technology entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the industry. In his entrepreneurial journey since 2007, he's been a part of several startups. With the most recent being Nebia technology, which started in 2014 with an exit in 2019 and a second exit in 2020. As of July. Fast, 2022 hot off the press. 

[00:01:37] Uh, asked Yvonne is now the CEO of X spirit. At USA, which is a Microsoft cloud consulting firm, which helps customers with their cloud adoption by building engineering cultures. So we are joining Esteban at a pivotal moment. At the beginning of this new adventure. So without further ado, I'm going to Malcolm. Esteban to the show Well, Esteban welcome to the show. Thank you. Hey Sarah, how are you? I'm doing so well. This has been such a long time coming and I'm super excited that we are here together and we have so many different areas that we can jump right into. But before we do that, maybe, um, you can just introduce, obviously I've just shared your whole bio with everybody and everyone's really excited, but in your own words, uh, you.

[00:02:26] What have, um, what's led you to this moment? Cause you've just, you've just announced, uh, a new venture, uh, but you've had so many historically. Yeah, for sure. So I'm, uh, I would say I'm a technologist first and foremost, I've been in technology for OV, uh, more than 20 years. Uh, and over time I found, uh, entrepreneurship as a, as a calling for me.

[00:02:51] I love being part of startups. I love being part of building amazing teams. Uh, and for the past 15 years, that's, that's what I've been doing. Just really finding, uh, you know, putting together teams, building companies. Uh, and, and helping others, uh, solve, uh, business problems. Um, so you know, what led me to this is really my, my, um, excitement about knowing that if you're able to bring people together, uh, providing the tools, providing the, the, the platform to be able to grow, uh, they, they, they can do just amazing things.

[00:03:26] Um, and. Uh, and that led me to just a couple weeks ago, announcing a new venture of me running the expansion of a company called spirit here into the us. I'm really excited about that. That is so exciting. That's such exciting news, and I'm really interested in the way that you've built up these teams. Um, and you've always had an entrepreneurial mindset and your, your company has been.

[00:03:50] Uh, acquired twice. Is that, is that correct? Is that accurate? Yeah, that each, yeah, that's correct so much. Um, but every time we have a conversation, I feel like you've really kept that human element, uh, in the growth of your teams and managing the teams and, you know, cultivating their potentials. So tell me, um, share a little bit about that.

[00:04:11] Um, you know, and how you go about or what your mindset is as you do. Yeah, for sure. So, uh, you know, I, I think, um, one of the things that sets me apart from others is that, although, like I said, I'm a technologist first. I don't do technology just for technology's sake. Right. I think it's, there's, there's, there's a, there's a purpose and a reason to be able to use specific technologies.

[00:04:33] And then, uh, as, as I build these companies, I also realize. People are driven by specific things. And, and when you find people that, that have a common, uh, driver or a common culture that they're, that they're attracted to or brings them together, uh, they're just, um, they're just able to do so much more than, than, than other groups that are not super aligned.

[00:04:55] Mm-hmm so, you know, in my last venture, uh Nebi which I started in 2014. I, I didn't started with the thought that, Hey, we're gonna sell this in X number of years, or we're gonna grow to this number of people. It really was a, a place that would just, like I said, just bring people together and then show showcase how you can push someone beyond their, their, their, what they, they might perceive as their limits or the boundaries and, and, and put him in a position to be able to, to do some, some great things and very.

[00:05:26] At first, slowly, but then, uh, but then over time it became a quick thing. We just grew the team and people seemed to be very attracted towards this model. It was like, oh wow. There's a company that allows me to grow. There's a company that allows me to. Interact with people that think, uh, you know, in, in similar ways, but at the same time value our differences.

[00:05:48] Um, and, and that also translated into some, some, some great business. Uh, so yeah, then we, we were acquired by a company that was, you know, 500 people. And then we continued that journey and then a year and a half later or a year, and a couple months later, we got acquired by a much bigger. Company of 300,000 people.

[00:06:05] So it was a very interesting, uh, entrepreneurial journey that I, I, you know, I, I wasn't, it wasn't something I wasn't necessarily, uh, aiming for, but going through that entire acquisition process was, um, super interesting. And, uh, and I, I learned a ton. So tell me about what you learned and what's interesting.

[00:06:24] Cause you went from 500 individuals to 300,000. Is that, is that correct? Yeah. Correct. Is that yes. I can't imagine. Yeah. So yeah. So the, the initial, you know, mentally. yeah, for sure. So the initial jump from 18 people to 500 people was manageable, right there. Obviously there were some things that needed to be, uh, you know, we wanted to be very, very guarded about our culture, the way that we did things.

[00:06:52] And, and, and it was, it was. Probably a little easier to, to do that in a smaller scale that once we got to the, the massive numbers, uh, just the culture changed quite a bit. Uh, the expectations of an organization that size compared to a smaller organization were, were, were, were very different. And it, it was a lot more difficult for us to keep that, that culture or keep that, that who we wear.

[00:07:15] A lot of it stayed there, like the DNA of who we. Stay there within the division that we wear, but also, you know, people that joined us because they liked the size of the company. They liked the, the personal touch they had, uh, kind of felt like that, that we lost some of it. Um, there's definitely some great things about the growth and the ability to scale and the resources that you have in such a bigger, bigger company.

[00:07:39] Uh, but at the same time you do give up quite a, quite a few things. So, so it, it is a, it's a bit of a trade off. Um, I would say. Eight 18 to five. Hundred's a lot easier than 500 to 300,000. Definitely. So what are some lessons learned? Uh, you know, now you have this experience. What, you know, what recommendations would you give to leaders, uh, in that, in that position?

[00:08:02] Yeah, sure. So there's, there's a couple things. So first there's a stage of growing a company, uh, you know, very quickly establishing who you are as a, as an entity. What are, who are you? Who are you here to, to help both from a businesses that that may be doing business with you, but also who are you trying to attract once they get here?

[00:08:22] What are you gonna do be doing for them? And. How to say no to things like if you have a mind, okay. This is the things that I do. And then it's, it's very easy when you're first starting out to say yes to everything. Oh yes. We Jack of all trades, we do everything. But that can also lead into an identity crisis if you will.

[00:08:42] Right? Like, am I really the company that I said that, that I was, so now I find myself doing everything. Uh, so getting to the point where I could say no, uh, or I could be very intentional about this things that I said. Yes. Uh, what, what was important? That was an important part of, of growth, uh, fo focusing on culture from day one.

[00:09:02] Was was important. There was, there was a time where we said, okay, well, if we don't focus on our culture, we're not gonna be able to do the things that we were able to do. You can do some things at, you know, four or five people, but once you start growing past 10 people, it's a completely different company.

[00:09:19] Um, and then as part of the acquisition is understanding the company who's gonna be acquiring you. What, what, what does their culture look like? What does, what does the, the management structure look like? And where is, where are you and your team gonna fit in? And, um, a lot of times I've, I've had a lot of friends in the past three, four years that have gone through similar situations.

[00:09:44] And one thing that we share in common is that. No matter what someone tells you, things are going to change, right? So if you go into an acquisition thinking, oh no, no, everything's gonna look exactly the same. We're just like a division of that company. We're not gonna change our culture. We're not, it's, it's taking that approach.

[00:10:03] You're just setting yourself for failure because the reality is that. Things are gonna change. You are gonna be part of a bigger organization. There are gonna be people who will be making decisions that you used to make before. Uh, and you're gonna have to integrate with all that, all, all the other people.

[00:10:17] So just coming in with a mindset of change is coming. Most of the time, hopefully change will be good. So let's approach it with a positive attitude, but let's, let's also be honest with ourselves that change will happen. I think that sets sets you up for, for less failure or, or, or a better chance of, of success.

[00:10:38] Wow. There's so much to unpack there. So you mentioned being able to know who you are and what to say no to. So how do you, um, differentiate, you know, like. What to say no to versus, uh, what's a growth opportunity. Yeah. So I think that, uh, um, I think that having a, a clear, uh, clear why and a clear, uh, these are the type of things that we do.

[00:11:11] Uh, and I think if you say I'm going down this direction and knowing that your whole team understands that direction and that they're also willing to go down that path. So I, I sort of imagine as if we're all on a boat rowing one direction, and if we're all. Saying, Hey, I wanna go, you know, to north and we're all going north.

[00:11:29] And then someone says, Hey, we should go 5% or, you know, five degrees one way, but it's pretty easy to shift five degrees. But if someone comes and says, Hey, we should make a 45 degree turn or in a 90 degree turn that's, that's quite a bit. And if, if all of a sudden. Most of the, most of the people are rowing straight and someone starts trying to row to the right.

[00:11:54] We're not gonna go go. We're not gonna go anywhere. Right. So like making those decisions with that in mind. Okay. Having, first of all, having a clear understanding of where you wanna go and what, what is it that you do and what are you really strong at? And then as. People say, Hey, can you do this, uh, checking yourself against, okay.

[00:12:11] Well, the thing that I say that we do is this thing mm-hmm and then is this gonna take me too far away from that? I mean, we, we, you don't wanna close yourself so much that you don't grow, but at the same time, uh, having something that's drastically different than your core business can disrupt things, uh, quite a bit.

[00:12:30] Is this, it, it changes your, your, your general, um, Uh, the narrative about your company, what are you known for, if this is the thing I wanna be known for? Why would I start going a different direction? So I, I think number one, just being very clear about who you are and what do you do, and that that's gonna, that's gonna certainly gonna help, uh, quite a bit.

[00:12:50] I'm so glad that you mentioned the why, because the why gives flexibility in terms of direction. Uh, but it keeps you like true to your DNA, right? Um, so yeah, for sure. Yeah, because then if new technologies come along for example, uh, but they are building towards that. Why then you're like, oh, this is like a natural fit.

[00:13:12] You know, even, maybe you don't even have a division that does that currently, but it's still a natural fit because you know, it's helping you, uh, get closer to your why. . Yeah, exactly. And, and, and sometimes, you know, especially in the technology, but this can apply to many different, uh, industries, uh, things evolve over time.

[00:13:31] And, uh, you, you, you don't, you wanna be careful that you don't get so stuck on, like, we only do these four or five things that you kinda Le let all the things go by. Um, But at the same time, you wanna say, well, I'm intentionally gonna take on this new type of work. And the reason why we're doing that is that type of work relates to our work in this, this 1, 2, 3 ways.

[00:13:52] And now everyone understands and everyone says, okay, great. Yeah, we're going that direction. Or we're all going there cuz I, I think, I think that the most important thing is to have just enough people kind of rowing in the same direction and, and buying in on the, on the idea of what you're doing. Yes, absolutely.

[00:14:11] So, you know, when your company grew, you were managing a lot of teams. Um, so is there, are there any, you know, are there any tips that you would recommend or what did you encounter that you found to be helpful or, um, uh, anything that you're like, oh, I wish I hadn't done that, but I learned a lot from it.

[00:14:31] yeah. I think, I think that, uh, You know, going into a larger organization, uh, first understanding the landscape of, of how does, how do, how do things work in this company? How do things work across, uh, across the globe or across different, different divisions? How do all these divisions work together? So taking some time.

[00:14:53] To to understand the, the organizational structure, uh, you know, who are the people who make the decisions, who are the people who, who get impacted by the decisions that I make is very important. So some of the errors that I made at at some point, where saying, well, before I used to do it this way, so I'm just gonna continue doing it this way.

[00:15:13] And then running into all sorts of obstacles because the organization, the larger organization is not set up in a way that could support. The way I, I used to do business before. So I just understanding, okay, if I wanna get this thing accomplished, who are the people that are gonna enable this behavior along the way, what are the systems that are gonna allow me to do that?

[00:15:35] Uh, and then once that's understood, then go, right. Uh, uh, I, I think the smaller company mentality of just, just go just, it doesn't translate really well to larger organizations and it just leads to more frustration than, uh, than, than I would've had otherwise. That's a great learning. as somebody who, uh, worked in consultancy and startups, and then worked in house in a big organization, I think we had 62,000 people adjust in one location.

[00:16:07] Um, yeah, this, this concept of, um, Like influencing, uh, but not necessarily in a higher Upal way saying, Hey, well, I'm, I'm in this position it's it was usually, uh, persuasion through influence, you know, so bringing on. Yeah. So bringing on the stakeholders, um, Uh, even if they at first could be potential resistors to, uh, be a part of the process and, you know, um, to share their objections and, and also potential solutions to make, to make, um, the initiative better or stronger, that was, um, you know, really critical, uh, and, and very new for me because, you know, I wasn't, I wasn't really used to that, you know, especially in startup culture.

[00:16:55] Yeah, I can imagine that. That's a, that's a great point because fi sometimes, uh, I would've run into people that in my mind were being blockers of what I was trying to do, but in reality, they were more realistic of what's what's doable and possible. And by turning that negative situation into something where now we can partner together.

[00:17:15] And then these people now become, uh, you know, I, I can influence their decision and it can help me and enable me to be able to do things that, uh, opened up a lot more possibilities than just saying, oh wow, I'm trying to do this. And that person keep keeps saying no, sometimes there there's a reason why a no might be an okay answer and okay, well, let's, let's, let's together.

[00:17:36] Find a solution or a path for this to be doable. It it's a better approach. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Because it'll be, um, I think they call it like discount revenge. Well, like, you know, it might be limit or month or three years later.

[00:17:55] Hmm. So tell me a little bit about, um, this new venture that you have. Um, I think you said July 1st, it was just announced. Yeah. Yeah. July 1st we announced it. So, um, so as I was leaving my, uh, the previous company I was with, uh, I had my, the thought was that I would start something on my own. I, I took some time away to just kind of figure things out and, um, There's a company called, uh, spirit out of, uh, Netherlands.

[00:18:24] And I've known the, the founder for, for, for the company for about 10 years. And I reached out to him and said, Hey, I'm planning on start something. Maybe there's, there's a way for us to partner together. And that very quickly turned into, Hey. We might want to expand into the us. Maybe you can be, uh, uh, you can run our, our us expansion.

[00:18:47] Um, and, and it was a very great conversation, not just with him, but with the entire leadership team that really showed me, uh, the culture, their, their, why their mission was so aligned with what I was trying to build, what I was trying to do here in the us, that it was not, um, There's no doubt in my mind that it would work.

[00:19:10] Right. So, so spirit Netherlands started in 2014 and they've grown in Europe and they've, they they've created themselves, uh, of they set themselves apart as one of the premier Microsoft partners. In in Europe, I'm very, very well known here in the us, but with no real presence here. Um, and, uh, an spirit is owned by a larger organization called Zia group.

[00:19:35] And Xia is a global organization, about 3000 people, three, 4,000 people, uh, with footprint throughout Europe here in the us, uh, and, and India, and, uh, um, So, so by leveraging the team that already have Europe to be able to start spirit here in the us and relying on the support of spirit, we're able to go to our clients, which is an amazing offering of saying, Hey, we have this, uh, Great Microsoft partnership.

[00:20:05] I have proven people, uh, in, in, in our European market that will be able to help you with the back end of Ze B. So not only can we deliver the, the Microsoft things that we're talking about, but we're also able to, to help you with a few other technologies. It's, it's a pretty compell technology is, is a, is a pretty compelling offering.

[00:20:25] Uh, and like I said, um, the, the, the message. People first, uh, about, uh, our mission being authority, wanting to, uh, truly change the industry, not just come and deliver a bunch of hours and make money. It's really about making a, a difference, making an impact in the overall industry, providing people with the tools and the ability to just do amazing things that will translate into us.

[00:20:55] Delivering technology to our customers. It's just a super compelling, um, Opportunity. So I'm now on week. Number two. Uh, we, now we currently have, uh, three people about to be four people and in our us team, but very quickly growing this, this is gonna be something where we're gonna be, uh, you know, our goal is to become the best Microsoft cloud partner here in the us in a very short time.

[00:21:21] So, so it's, it's a it's it's. It's like a startup within a large organization, but it's, it's very much a very entrepreneurial thing. So, so it's exciting. I feel like you have the best of both worlds because you have the, uh, the resource, um, as you mentioned over the larger organization, but you are in this stock spot load here in the states, which it, it seems like as a serial entrepreneur, that's, that's kind of, um, your sweet spot of enjoyment.

[00:21:49] Oh a hundred percent. It, it, it's great because I'm, I'm truly able to focus all my efforts into growing the business. Well, a lot of the, the, the, the backend stuff that, that has to be in place, like it's very, very important for us to have, you know, benefits it's been important for us to have all the systems in place, uh, you know, finance, accounting, all that's super important, but at the same time, I don't wanna worry about that.

[00:22:12] So, uh, so our, our. Our ZBA team handles all the, a while we're out here just growing the, our, our spirit business here in the us. And it's it's, uh, it, it, it's, it's very, um, yeah, it makes it easier for me to be able to, to, to do those things, like I said, best both worlds. Mm, absolutely. Yeah. So as, um, as somebody who has this mindset of, uh, risk taking and, you know, starting things from scratch, I think you'd shared with me that, you know, certain people, um, who are good friends of yours, or you have close relationships with, they have a different mindset of, you know, steadiness and consistency.

[00:22:51] So, um, how do you embrace the ambiguity of, you know, a lot of your ventures, you know, uh, cuz there isn't exactly a path or an answer. Um, so what's your approach to. Yeah. So I think, I think for me, uh, I think over time I realized that, um, it going to find a job to be able to put food at the table. That's, uh, you know, I'm, I'm very fortunate that I'm, I'm in a space that.

[00:23:21] Uh, values the things that I do in technology, right? So I'm able to kind of set that risk aside and say, well, what is it that I truly wanna do? What is the thing that's going to fulfill me? Uh, what is the thing that's gonna, uh, help me continue being excited about? What is the thing about, about, you know, doing this for the next year or 10 years?

[00:23:41] Right. And to me I've always been so excited. The newer and great things that you can do with technology. So, so what I've always said, okay, well, if I look at the technology landscape, what am I excited about? Can I get, can I be really good at that thing? And is there, uh, is there a need for that? And the answer is yes, I'll scroll right in and, and then it's, it's, it has, it has worked out so far pretty well.

[00:24:05] Um, I think that there, there is certainly a, um, A a value of being conservative about things and being like more careful. Uh, I, I guess I'm not just, I'm not wired in the way that I will just take. Um, I don't know, just, just, just kind of sit back and wait for things to happen. I like to go out and just say, well, I'm gonna, I wanna do that.

[00:24:30] Let me just go out and make, make that happen. Like, obviously it took me a little bit in my career to be able to get to that position where I could, I had to get experience. I had to understand, you know, technology. So there's so much in technology. I had to find a passion, passion. Sometimes people say, well, find your passion to go.

[00:24:47] It was like, well, passion took me a little bit to find that thing that I was passionate about. And, uh, uh, once I, I, I got that and I got that. Um, Feeling the entrepreneurial feeling. It was difficult to let go. And I think, I think that that, that's probably where it really goes back to just not knowing that once I, I felt like an entrepreneur, it was really, really difficult for me to not, to not be one.

[00:25:10] Uh, so it's, it's, it's, it's a thing that I need to do. I get accelerated when I, when, when I'm doing this type of things. So I wanna recap, you said, um, find the thing that's emerging, that's growing find the thing that within that, that you are really excited about, and then also the thing that people need and want.

[00:25:30] So those are like the three kind of criteria for decision making. I was, I was like, oh, that's goals. Let's just. Like let's bring that. It's, it's quite a few things, of course, and it's an easy thing, but, uh, but it has to be exciting for me. I, I can't do something. That's not that I'm not super passionate about.

[00:25:49] I'd rather just wait until that thing is there, but, but I'm, uh, I think if the passion's there and, and the, and the, uh, you know, I, the will is gonna be there for me. So tell me, what does it feel like? Um, two things, but I I'll just say one thing first. What does it feel like to be an entrepreneur? Cuz you're like, I can't not do this.

[00:26:13] What does that mean to you? Yeah. So to me, um, it's that, that, I don't know. I know how to put it, so, so it's that thrill of being able to build something new. uh, not just, um, not just something quick, but something that will, that will go on for, for like something that, that, that, that will be, uh, sustainable.

[00:26:39] Um, the, you know, taking something from nothing to all of a sudden. Something meaningful, being able to make an impact, not just on my life, but other people's life. It's it's so such a it's it's it's exciting for me. Uh, the, the most fun I've had in my whole career is when I built my company, uh, you know, over four and a half years.

[00:27:03] It was also super stressful and it was also super busy, but I got so much fun doing it. And, and, and to me, entrepreneurship is about just building something new and having just a blast doing it. It's like, it's so accelerating for me. Whenever I tell people about the new ventures, they're like, you already look so excited just telling me about it.

[00:27:22] So that's, that's that to me is it's, it's just, uh, it's it just the excitement that I get from it. It's just, I, I can't compare it to many other things. So, how do you, you mentioned a moment ago, um, like if you're not passionate about something, then wait, uh, and then also I can imagine that as you're running your company, you mentioned it's stressful and there's a lot going on and there are gonna be things that aren't necessarily gonna feel exciting in the moment, right?

[00:27:55] Yeah. So, how do you, um, how do you keep steady in those, in those instances? Uh, because we're not, we're not always, well, I'll speak for myself. Uh, I'm not always giddy about some of the tasks that I have to do. So how do you kind of, uh, how do you manage that? Yeah, I, I, I feel you. I mean, I definitely don't get excited about some of the, the, the, the things that need to happen, but if I.

[00:28:22] Kind of step, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I understand it. Well, I have to, uh, for example, I have to go talk to these payroll people so I can get people paid. And why is that important? So we can continue building our team and then building a team and building attracting great talent.

[00:28:39] That that's exciting for me all. So let's go do the, the, the, the things that have to happen so we can continue in this, uh, exciting journey. Not, not everything about entrepreneurship is gonna be exciting. Not every morning is gonna be about like, Today I get to do X, Y I get to deal with contracts today.

[00:28:57] but if you, yeah, exactly contracts awesome. Uh but, uh, you know, looking at the bigger picture, like, why is this important? Um, and I think one of the biggest thing for, for me that I've learned over time is. You know, prioritizing the things are important for me. Uh, so I can, you know, keep going forward and also delegating as, as I can.

[00:29:21] Um, you know, that way I can continue focus on the things that, that, that are truly, uh, meaningful to be able to keep growing, growing the company. Uh, you know, and, and that also happens with. With time and with scale, right? So as you scale the business, you're able to say, well, okay, well from now on, I don't have to worry about doing invoices, someone else gonna do that.

[00:29:41] And that's great. And I can wor worry about other things. So it's, uh, it's, uh, again, back to bigger picture, what are we trying to accomplish? How's this thing that I'm doing, gonna let me, uh, get to the thing that I wanna do next. Yes. Like always having a sense of perspective. And I think it comes back to what you mentioned a moment ago about connecting with your why, you know?

[00:30:00] Uh, yeah. And so that's kind of like the momentum builder, if you will. Yeah. Um, I love that so much. Yeah. And there's so much that, uh, even if you're at a small scale that you can, um, relatively inexpensive services nowadays, that can, you can delegate certain things to like, I, I feel like we are very lucky in that instance with that kind of progress that can support business owners.

[00:30:25] You know, oh, a hundred percent, a hundred percent. And, and sometimes it's it's as an entrepreneur, as a business owner, sometimes it's difficult to give up some things, but then understanding that, Hey, I'm not an accountant, so maybe I should, you know, find someone that can do that for me. And, and yes, I'm gonna have to spend some money on that, but then I'm able to spend more time on this or that, or, Hey, I'm not, uh, I might like to do graphic design, but I'm not a graphic designer.

[00:30:50] Let me find a graphic designer that can help me with that. And, and, you know, slowly kind of. Uh, finding the things that are, that truly fulfill you and the things that you can actually do. Awesome. And then get, get some help along the way. Sometimes that's, that's a little difficult. Uh, I still have some, so a hard time with that sometimes because, you know, I, I feel like I can do everything, but in reality is that there are some things that I'm just much better at, than, than other things.

[00:31:15] Right. Right. And there's somebody else out there, like we made, we made a joke a moment ago about contracts, but there is actually somebody out there that really loves contracts oh yeah. A hundred percent. And they get up in the morning. Like they, they truly say Woohoo contract right. But that's not me.

[00:31:31] That's not me. But to be able to. And I think that comes with the teamwork, the teams that you've been establishing, being able to harness, you know, uh, the language I would use is to be able to harness, um, individuals, uh, super superpowers, right. To, to create that team. So if you are really, um, you know, if, for example, if you're really into the details and the mechanisms of how something works, then you'd be paired really well with somebody who's a.

[00:31:58] Big picture thinker, you know, and, and the two together would collaborate really well. So, um, being able to spot that in your team and being able to also give space for that to flourish, cuz they, they might be, you know, earlier in their journey. So how do you, how do you manage those, uh, team dynamics if you will?

[00:32:17] Yeah, so first I, I love what you said. Uh, this, the whole superpower thing, uh, I do ask that often to, to people. Whether they're in my team or in workshops, I'm working on like, what's your superpower? Why is the thing that drives you? What are the things that you, you like doing? Uh, so it's like finding that, you know, and, and with, with people, like some people just they're much better or they like to like, be very detailed on a document and things like that, or they like to be the person that's speaking to our customers and things like that.

[00:32:46] So finding where can this person, um, Help the most, or what's gonna be the most gratifying thing for them and connecting that. Right. So if so, if, if, if someone doesn't enjoy public speaking, Having them go and do a big public speaking thing. It's not gonna help them, but if now, if someone's not awesome at public speaking, but they tell me I wanna do that.

[00:33:13] Okay. I wanna help you become the best public speaker in the world. But if we expressed that, Hey, I'd much rather be in the background doing this, this and this. I wanna put you in a position to be super successful and happy at what about what you're doing at the same time. I wanna keep, I wanna push people beyond their limits a little bit and UN, but understand, understand where, where they wanna go.

[00:33:33] Alignment is, is important, I guess. Mm. So you mentioned a moment ago about, um, you know, being able to carve out the time to do the things that you really enjoy doing. Uh, well, the, the things that power you up and that actually, that you're really, really good at. Uh, but I know that you've also been shifting in terms of your focus, uh, it, you know, in terms within your personal life, too, right.

[00:33:56] And then that's integrated into your work life in terms of how you wanna structure your day and the things that are most nourishing to you. um, so I know that's a very broad question, but I know that's a journey that you've been on. Um, at least since the beginning of this year. . Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so earlier this year I did get, uh, I, I diagnosed with, with cancer.

[00:34:18] Uh, we thankfully was able to go through, uh, a treatment. Um, I had some surgery and some chemo, and right now I'm on remission. So I'm excited about that, but that also, um, gave me some time to reassess my life. Uh, think about like, even as. Starting to think about this new venture. I look back at the last time I did this.

[00:34:40] What did that mean? It meant that I was traveling a lot working, you know, crazy amount of hours trying to do it all right. And, uh, my, you know, one of the things that, that I'm looking forward to as part of spirit is to be able to have a larger team, to help me be able to build out a team, to, to help me do a bunch of the different things that I I have.

[00:35:02] And also. Uh, setting some boundaries around, you know, traveling, uh, spending time with my family, spending time with my friends, doing the things that fulfill me from a, from a, a personal, from a, from a mental perspective, uh, from a physical perspective, I love playing tennis. So I am on, I go play tennis three, four times a week.

[00:35:23] And that's a non-negotiable for me, for example, before I would've given up that, that up, I said, oh, okay. Uh, this week I. I won't play tennis or this week I won't, I'll travel five days this week and five more days next week. So now it's like, okay, just being a little bit more, um, um, just more picky about, okay.

[00:35:42] Yes. I want to take this trip and this are the things. This are the reasons why I'm doing it. This is what I'm trying to do. Or Hey, for this occasion, I'm gonna I'm I'm I'm I am gonna choose spending more time with my family or just having some personal time to be able to, to recharge, uh, mentally recharge with, you know, creating those, um, Those experiences that later on, you know, are, are, are so important.

[00:36:08] Uh, yeah, so, so yeah, so that's been, uh, it's gonna continue being a journey. It's it's a six month, uh, journey within the, the world of cancer for me. Uh, it will be with me for, for a long time and I. Uh, although I'm in remission, it's something that I'm gonna be having to be, be aware of. Um, and ensuring that my health is taken care of ensuring that my, my physical, mental health is taken care of, but also ensuring that I am doing the things that I, I like to do, not the things that I, that I kind of have to do.

[00:36:40] So, so that those are, that's been an unexpected. Also unexpected journey and also one that I've, I've chosen to embrace in a very positive way. Um, there's definitely been some more difficult days than others. And also I think I've, I've, I've chosen to stay very, very positive throughout it. Mm. So I, I, what I love about what you're saying is about like this, this just like you're curating and you're selecting your experiences and you're prioritizing.

[00:37:14] And so if you. If you had to the process in which you were able to prioritize and select and, and, you know, some individuals might not have your experience as a trigger to start exploring and experimenting, you know? So how were you able to connect with, uh, what was important to you and how were you able to make those kind of, um, decisions of, you know, maybe something was, uh, Oh, this is okay.

[00:37:45] But then how are you able to kind of lean into the other things? . Yeah. So first, uh, I, I would, I would say I first started by looking at, you know, just overall, what are the things that I'm doing on a daily basis? What are the things that I'm doing and then even stepping back and saying, well, um, what are the things I'm saying no to, or, or pushing out to, uh, A future, you know, uncertain future, whether it's, oh, I'll do that next year.

[00:38:10] I'll do it in five years. Right. I'm I still feel like I'm a relatively young guy. So five years later. Yeah. That that's doable. And then thinking, I was like, well, uh, why five years later? Why, why a year later? Why, why a month later? Could I do that now? Could I do, could I do that in a, in a month, instead of a year from now?

[00:38:28] Just thinking about, okay. Well, if that's priority enough for me to even think about wanting to do. Why would I push it so far out that I might not be able to do it or, or something else might get in the way? So thinking about, okay, what are things that I want to do? What are the things that fulfill me?

[00:38:44] What are the things that would be a great experience to have and just kind of moving them up a little closer rather then it's just like, oh one day, one day, I'll do this one day. I'll do this. I was like, well, Why not now. Um, mm-hmm so that's been that, that, that's sort of where, what started and then, uh, assessing what my day to day looked like.

[00:39:04] Uh, and then thinking about like, I, like I said earlier, um, if I were, if I'm doing this again, hopefully I learned something from my last go around in, in an entrepreneurship and last go around and it ended. Great. But along the way, there are definitely some difficult moments where, you know, I was away from home a little too much, or I was, I would, you know, uh, work more than I probably should or could have.

[00:39:33] Right. Um, and then just think about, well, if I wanna, if I'm doing this again, let's take some of my learnings and then apply it in a positive way to here. So just, just ensuring that I'm, um, Just prioritizing. What's important. Cause I, but I think every everyone is gonna have their own priorities. Right. So I can't tell you, Hey sir, this is, this is what you should prioritize because every single person's gonna have their own priorities.

[00:40:00] So if family is important, okay. Prioritize family. If travel is important, go travel. If you, if your dog is important, go spend time with your dog. Like whatever that may be. Right. So, uh, uh, I think, I think way too often, we allow others to. To kind of dictate what our day may look like or our week look like.

[00:40:21] Um, and I think just making yourself a priority is it's it's uh, is so important. Yes. I love the, what you were mentioning about, you know, what have I been saying? No, to. , you know, like cutting off. I thought that was just such a great reframe. Uh, and then the, the, and then the dailies. And I think that this idea of reflection, uh, you know, really is coming out really loud in terms of what you're sharing, because I think there's a lot of time where we just, um, maybe individuals go through their day to day without sort of pausing to say, What's working, uh, right.

[00:40:59] And where's a glitch and, and what's the root of that, you know, uh, just a bit of that introspection. Uh, and I know that you do probably do that with, with a lot of your projects, you know, um, after each cycle, like there's this rhythm of, of analysis, but I think that, um, perhaps, um, you know, in personal life, that's something that can, can get neglected for a.

[00:41:24] oh, yeah, for sure. And I think a lot of us, uh, get in this rut of like, okay, well this the way it's always worked, so I'm gonna continue doing it. And then all of a sudden you look up, you're like, oh wow. A year just went by. And I haven't liked the whole past year. So stopping and reflecting, it doesn't have to be daily.

[00:41:42] Doesn't have to be weekly, but you know, reflecting on a, on a regular basis am, am I of the path that I want to be? If, if yes. Okay. Let's keep doing it. If not, why can I do different? Um, and whether that's on an entrepreneurial path or if you, you know, if you're working for someone, like, are you, are you doing the things that you like to do?

[00:42:04] Or if you're, um, you know, however you're spending your time, is this a thing that I want to be doing? And if the answer is no, okay. What are the things that I can do to start changing? And it might not be a drastic change on day one, but like, how do I slowly. You know, start doing something different. Yes.

[00:42:22] Espan this has been so great. What's, what's the best way, um, for people to get in touch with you and, and keep track of what you are up to, especially this exciting venture and also your growth. Well, so, you know, how can people get in touch with. Yeah. So the easiest way to find me is on Twitter. Esteban F Garcia is where I, I, I tweet, I used to tweet a lot more often than I'm starting to get, get a little more active again on, on LinkedIn.

[00:42:48] If you, if you look for Esteban Garcia in Orlando, uh, you'll find me on LinkedIn. Yeah, we are. We are hiring, uh, you know, Cloud people of all sorts, uh, doing, uh, you know, and then growing my team. So, so if you, if, if you wanna be part of a, a growing team that, uh, values, um, authority, values, people, uh, values delivering, uh, what the client.

[00:43:16] You know, technology, the client that, that that's going to help the client, um, just be better. Uh, you know, this, this is, this is the place, uh, for us, I think, I think over the next, uh, 12 months, and, and even beyond that, we're gonna be creating such a great team. That's gonna be, um, Yeah. You know, hopefully we've making waves in the industry.

[00:43:37] So that, that that's the plan. We have big plans. Absolutely. Well, um, you heard it here. Um, go check out sterban LinkedIn or here's Twitter. I'll put it in the show notes and it's been so great to have you here. Sterban and, um, Listeners as always, if you, uh, you know, if there's certain things that resonated with you, be sure to reach out, uh, and let me know because you are actually directing us content and, um, until next time I'm your host, Sura Al-Naimi