The Launch Box Life with Esteban Gutiérrez
At The Launch Box, we are entrepreneurs serving entrepreneurs, but we took very different journeys to get here. In this series, readers will learn more about how we each live #thelaunchboxlife every day.
Esteban is a growth marketing manager with more than nine years of experience working in tech startups. He also has entrepreneurship experience from co-founding three tech startups. Esteban has deep experience scaling dozens of SaaS B2B and mobile app startups, helping them launch, scale, and optimize their positioning and funnels to grow users and customers.
Explain your career path—how did you become a Growth Marketing Manager?
In school, I started studying for a bachelor’s degree in data analysis and then moved to study Innovation Sciences in the Netherlands. That’s where I first learned that the future of marketing would be to develop a profile as a “growth hacker,” which leverages my combination of skills including technical skills, creativity, data analysis, and experimentation with digital tools and channels.
Early in my career, before finishing university, I started as an entrepreneur building apps and IoT products in a tech startup founded by friends and financed by Innovation Ministry. This was a great learning experience because we had to get involved in everything: hiring app developers, finding suppliers in China for IoT hardware, selling our innovative solution to companies in Mexico, and pitching our startup to venture capitalists and investors.
From there, I’ve worked in performance marketing for over eight years helping software startups (SaaS & apps) launch innovative products to the market, especially in LatAm and the US. With a solid background in user and customer acquisition with paid media channels. I’ve worked with dozens of early-stage startups as a consultant. I’ve also worked as a growth marketing manager for global companies such as CloudKitchens and Jaumo/Joyride managing large-scale performance marketing efforts.
Can you describe your personal self?
I’m highly energetic, lighthearted, funny, and passionate about using data and automation tools to make magic in digital marketing. I’m always learning, always trying to optimize everything, obsessive about details, highly analytical, and very powerful in my execution skills for all the platforms we use in marketing.
I’m happy to be productive and to help companies evolve their positioning and grow to their next stage with the competitive edge of a growth strategy.
What are your top personal values and how do you apply those to your work?
Analytical: observation, attention to detail, and working with numbers are the everyday goal in marketing
Collaborative: great things only happen when people ideate, align and work together
Resourceful: sharing ideas and resources from other experiences can foster innovation faster
Why did you choose to come to The Launch Box?
Most excited to work for several tech startups - not from a traditional agency but from an accelerator like The Launch Box. My expertise is really at early-stage startups helping with the launch of new products, so it fits perfectly. I’m excited to make a big difference for The Launch Box and our clients.
Also having the possibility to work remotely and have an office in Guadalajara is amazing, given the fact that after more than five years of working remotely, I’m happy to meet people in person and co-work with them at the office.
What is a common misconception you hear about Growth Marketing?
Many people believe that growth marketing is just about social media posts or executing campaigns. But it’s not. There’s so much strategy behind growth marketing as a function because we get involved not only in the acquisition of leads/clients but also in overseeing the conversion to clients, improving monetization, and trying to maximize the lifetime value and retention of clients in the long run.
To achieve this, cross-team collaboration is fundamental, because learning and creativity from many perspectives come together to solve churn and increase the conversions of leads.
What is the most fulfilling part of your role at TLB?
I love meeting entrepreneurs and founders in professional services and learning how they bring innovation to the market. It’s rewarding to help them achieve their dreams and goals faster with my experience in growth marketing.
What about the future of TLB are you most excited about?
I’m excited to work with early-stage startups and see how they evolve, scale to the next stage, and become a leader in their niche. The first step to becoming a leader is to have a “leader” positioning and marketing, so I’m excited to play a part in this. Also, working with great people both at the Guadalajara office and from the US will be an amazing learning experience.
