Today we’d like to introduce you to Raul Varela.
Raul, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my business back in 1994. I had been working for a large advertising agency for 3 years and felt the need to explore the possibilities out in the world. I always wanted to run my own business, Unfortunately at 23 years of age I did not have much experience. One day I decided to quit my ad agency job and start my graphic design business from my 1 bedroom apartment. My services included design for print and interface design for multimedia presentations which was mostly delivered via CD-ROM at the time. We had no internet, most people did not have cell phones and a lot of my business was done in person or by fax. As the web started to evolve during the mid-90s I started to evolve with it and began offering web design services to existing clients. Business was incredible especially during the dotcom era, then the market crashed and a lot of companies went under, my business slowed down a lot. I figured it was a good time to upgrade my skills. So I went back to school and got my master’s degree (MFA) in visual communications from Texas A&M Commerce. One of the best decisions I ever made because it allowed me to become who I am today. I became a better leader, a better writer a better manager and so forth. Most importantly it allowed me to become a better teacher in my design firm today which is so important when managing so many young people
Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing has been easy. The fact that I started my business at such a young age meant that I made a lot of mistakes along the way. I struggled getting the high-profile projects I was looking for. Rejection was all around me but I never gave up. My inexperience was a factor but over time I gained a few clients that believed in me and brought me on bigger projects that really solidified my portfolio. I felt lucky that a few companies gave me a shot but my growth was slow in the first 10 years. Growing my business did not happen quick. I hired my first two designers 8 years after starting my company.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with High Bandwidth – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Today I lead a 12-person design firm that specializes in brand and corporate identity. We work with several dozen publicly traded companies and multinational corporations. When our clients are looking to launch a product or service they come to us to help them build their visual identity for public consumption. We execute tactics for go-to-market strategies. Our services include naming, brand identity, logo design and website design to name a few. What sets us apart is our deep empathy and understanding of our client’s needs and our ability to deliver consistently and on budget. Our clients tell us they like working with us because we look at their brand standards and think out of the box for them. We put a lot of emphasis on the creative process to deliver outstanding work for our clients time and time again. The proof is in the pudding and most of our clients have been with us 5, 10 and 15 years. We win a lot of business from companies that are not happy with their ad agencies or marketing design firms. We also don’t promote ourselves. We don’t have salespeople on our team and all of our business comes through word of mouth. Our reputation is everything to us. What I am most proud of is our people. The two original designers I hired 15 years ago are still working for me to this day. I believe that success comes from holding on to great people with great talent and we do everything possible to ensure the folks that work for us have autonomy and the ability to create wonderful things. My job is to stand out of their way. I am also proud of the decision I made a few years ago to get involved with startups. I saw a lot of exciting things happening in the world of startups in Dallas and decided to invest our resources into helping standup a few companies via investments and marketing resources. I had a couple of fails but hit success with a company called pickupnow.com. You can call it the Uber for Stuff and I am a founding partner. PICKUP has expanded to all major markets in Texas and getting ready to expand to major markets out of state. One of our biggest investors includes Ross Perot Jr. PICKUP™ is an on demand service featuring good guy drivers and their pickup trucks. No more renting trucks for moving or hauling large items, or asking to borrow a friend’s pickup truck. PICKUP™ brings this experience directly to your mobile device. PICKUP™ drivers are trust verified and insured. The drivers are off duty firemen, military and veterans who are considered “good guys” that people would recommend.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
Couple of things I am looking forward. The first is growing our agency, we have grown really fast over the past 2 years and hope to continue that trend into 2018. Secondly I hope to continue to help PICKUP grow and expand nationally. Our CEO has done an incredible job guiding this company to where it is now and I want to see to it that we continue our path of success there.
Contact Info:
- Address: 14785 Preston Road Suite 565 Dallas, Texas 75254
- Website: http://www.highbandwidth.com
- Phone: 972-479-9707
- Email: raul@highbandwidth.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highbandwidth/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/highbandwidth
- Other: https://pickupnow.com/
Image Credit:
Team Photography – Nathan Schiefelbein
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