The Launch Box Life with Karla Oros

At The Launch Box, we are entrepreneurs serving entrepreneurs, but we took very different journeys to get here. In this series, learn more about how we each live #thelaunchboxlife every day.

Karla has spent the last eight years in the IT industry developing sales strategies, establishing business partnerships, and leading commercial teams through change. She has found her true passion by driving people to reach their full potential both for The Launch Box’s Mexico Tech Hub and our entrepreneur clients.

Explain your career path—how did you become Operations Manager of the Mexico Tech Hub for The Launch Box?

I was born in a small city in the north of Mexico and I always knew that if I wanted better opportunities, I would also have to make important changes, so after college I moved to Guadalajara where I got my first job in the IT industry. I first worked for a company known for developing young talent, where I learned about the importance of opportunity and the benefits of investing in young people.

After a few years I started to feel too comfortable in my position, so I decided it was time to take a “break.” I spent a year in Barcelona studying for my MBA, which exposed me to diverse cultures and different ways of thinking—an eye-opening experience for me.

When I returned, I spent a couple of years working for a large tech company, where I first had the opportunity to lead a commercial team. Leading teams made me realize how fulfilling it was to watch people become their best version and the key role a leader plays in their team’s development and career growth. Then I made the decision to shift from corporate to startup and join The Launch Box.

As Operations Manager, I look forward to bringing some of the things I’ve learned on my journey and contribute to The Launch Box’s success!

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Family and friends! Investing time in relationships is a priority in my life. Also learning new things or traveling to new places—I just try to expose myself to different experiences. You can always find me trying a new sport, recipe or planning my next trip.

How do you keep it all balanced?

Honestly, I think there is no perfect balance. You can only pursue an idea of it, but I don’t think true balance is possible. At the beginning of my career, I would get really frustrated trying to find a perfect balance for every aspect of my life, but I’ve learned that it is also important to understand that sacrifice is just part of life. That being said, knowing what’s really important for me and prioritizing has been key.

What are your top personal values?

Integrity, courage, passion, and service.

Integrity is a given, a nonnegotiable. I like to surround myself with people that are firm in their moral principles, and I try to do the same.

I believe courage is needed in order to make the hard decisions that will hopefully lead you and others to growth.

I admire passion, to me it connects to purpose which I believe is crucial for every human being. Loving what you do and knowing why you are doing it will keep you going when motivation is not showing up. Passion is also contagious, so I try to surround myself with passionate people too (hence me joining The Launch Box!)

And finally, service. I believe we’re here not only to seek our personal growth but to help others achieve the same, so I have a lot of respect for people who take actions to benefit others.

Why did you come to The Launch Box?

To be honest, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I really felt like I found my true career passion, which is to help others find and reach their full potential. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than watching people grow—especially if I can help.

The Launch Box presented me the opportunity of doing just that—building and growing a team in Guadalajara that will help our clients reach their goals. It was a no brainer!

The people were also a deciding factor for me. As I learned more about the vision for The Launch Box as well as the experience and mentality of leadership, I realized this was something unique and very different from what I was used to, so I knew I wanted to be a part of it. The startup culture is a big change for me, but I am loving it!

What is your typical day at The Launch Box?

One of the interesting parts of this job is that there is no “typical day,” although right now recruiting is a big part of my day so there’s a lot of collaboration with Lauren Darby in HR.

I have meetings with our clients to understand what their needs look like, put together profiles that adjust to those needs, and look for the best talent. I also speak with universities to set up alliances that allow us to identify more up-and-coming exceptional talent. At the end of the day, we are starting to build the Tech Hub in Guadalajara so there are a lot of details to work out, which is fun and keeps me busy!

What is a common misconception you hear about outsourcing technical talent?

Some clients worry about remote tech teams in general, or are only familiar with outsourcing overseas. Our job is to bring all the advantages of talent diversity to the table, so when you have a city like Guadalajara—which is considered Mexico’s Tech Capital and is in the central US time zone—professional services firms can take great advantage of the growing number of top tech talent available in the city. They also benefit from the diverse culture, expertise, skills and know-how by instilling a culture of collaboration; my job is to help them achieve just that.

The founders of The Launch Box also have experience running a very successful technical center in Mexico, so it’s a proven model.

What is the most fulfilling part of your role at The Launch Box?

Helping to assemble the Tech Hub from scratch and learning from the challenges is exciting to me! Also, being able to present opportunities to qualified talent and getting to be a part of their growth within the company is very fulfilling.

Most exciting thing about future of The Launch Box?

I’m personally very excited to see what we will be able to build in Guadalajara. I’m looking forward to watching this team grow and contribute to our clients’ projects and goals.