Friendships over business

By: Efrain Orozco Gonzales, YLAI 2016 Alum

Not only does 303 Software have the professional expertise to help me guide my project, but it is also composed of individuals with whom I share similar ideas, leading to the creation of relationships and friendships.

While I was in Denver, I asked Matt (CEO at 303 Software) if he could be my business mentor; he accepted with no hesitation and proposed that we should have a weekly video conference. Our mentorship conversations started to lean towards creating a business relationship that would benefit both of our organizations.

By February 2017 Matt and Chase ( Web Director at 303 Software) were touching Mexican soil. We spent about 3 hours officializing our business relationship and 3 days having fun. The thing is, business is not just about how professional you are or how good of an idea you have, but mainly about trust and building relations. By changing the scenario from a fancy business room, to one of the oldest cantinas in Guadalajara, where mariachi and tequila are abundant, we were getting to know each other as people, with dreams, goals and feelings.

There is always a person on the other side of an e-mail, and we should never stop caring about how the other feels. In the end, the success of a business is directly related to the strength of the relationships that form it.

The first project we made together took place in October 2017, and the business is still going to date. I visited Denver again this year (2018) in February and I will surely be going again soon. 303 Software has really become a model to follow, from whom I am learning on subjects such as processes, management, leadership, market needs and so on. Being able to understand what makes companies in the US so competitive and assimilating those “tips” on our own ground is surely giving us tools to become more competitive in the international market. I sure am grateful for this experience, and would hope everyone with such opportunity takes advantage of it.