"I encourage viewing challenges not as insurmountable obstacles, but rather as unique opportunities for growth and learning."
John Vagueiro Tweet
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with John Vagueiro, the CEO and Founder of Adapting Social, a global digital marketing agency. In this interview, John opens up about his entrepreneurial journey and the remarkable growth of Adapting Social.
At the age of 17, driven by a desire to support his family, John started Adapting Social as a website freelancing venture. Today, the agency boasts an impressive client roster that includes renowned names such as Bentley, Ferrari, and Columbia University. Despite working with Fortune 500-level companies, John remains dedicated to helping small businesses thrive.
In this conversation, John discusses the secrets to employee happiness, adapting to the challenges of the current business landscape, and leveraging automation and AI for success. His insights provide valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and business leaders seeking to navigate the digital age and achieve sustainable growth.
Join us as we delve into the story of John Vagueiro and gain insights into the visionary strategies behind Adapting Social’s success.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
John Vagueiro: I am the CEO & Founder of global digital marketing agency Adapting Social, a full-service digital marketing agency built for entrepreneurs, by an entrepreneur.
I started Adapting Social at the age of 17, with the intention of helping my family financially. As the oldest of 5 siblings, I was determined to support my family and stumbled upon the concept of “website freelancing” while searching for ways to earn additional income.
Today nearly 15 years later, Adapting Social serves clients in over 20 countries including Bentley, Ferrari, Columbia University, Compass and RE/MAX.
We’ve worked with one-person startups to Fortune 500-level companies, but the heart of Adapting Social remains focused on helping small businesses reach their full potential and thrive.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
John Vagueiro: In the past year, Adapting Social celebrated its 10th anniversary, an achievement that signifies a significant milestone for both myself and our dedicated team.
What advice do you wish you had received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
John Vagueiro: The advice I wished I received would have been to never, ever, EVER give up. I was put in remedial classes in school, where I was told by teachers and aides that I wasn’t “college material.”
Looking back on those moments, I felt like I wouldn’t amount to anything, and no one should ever feel that way. I encourage viewing challenges not as insurmountable obstacles, but rather as unique opportunities for growth and learning. Persistence is the reason I’m here, and why Adapting Social is here, today.
Looking forward into this next quarter, Adapting Social will be expanding our board of directors, bringing on seasoned professionals who have held executive positions in some of the world’s leading Fortune 500 companies. We’re looking forward to amplifying our strategic direction and corporate vision.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
John Vagueiro: My expectations for the upcoming year are rooted in a single word: convenience. More than ever, people are seeking solutions that can perform tasks efficiently without requiring them to wait.
Automation and AI expedites processes and builds a foundation for humans that blends speed and convenience. However, I firmly believe that human intervention in quality assurance will remain crucial. Even as we strive for efficiency, it’s the human touch that ultimately guarantees the highest standard of quality.
To capitalize on this digital tidal wave, we at Adapting Social are committed to integrating cutting-edge AI technologies that benefit both us and our clients.
We conduct client testing on a monthly basis through our Adapting Social Lab, which allows us to stay ahead of industry trends and deliver superior service. The focus remains on merging speed, convenience, and quality.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
John Vagueiro: Competition. There is an increasing number of Gen Z and millennials leveraging online platforms to launch businesses and sell online. It’s led to a surge in entrepreneurs and businesses, more so than ever before.
The real test lies in how a business remains competitive in such a crowded field. The ‘X factor,’ or that unique value proposition, becomes absolutely crucial…If a business isn’t able to assert its competitive edge, it runs the risk of being overtaken.
The real challenge isn’t just about having a product or service to offer, but also about continuously innovating and differentiating in order to stay relevant and competitive.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
John Vagueiro: The most underestimated aspect of running a company tends to be the true cost and complexity of building and maintaining infrastructure (an office space, team members, etc.), particularly when starting up.
Business owners are excited in the beginning, and the dream of having their own office and team becomes more real, but often fail to fully understand the financial and managerial responsibilities associated with it. The reality hits once you’ve established the company.
There are the recurring bills, the additional expenses incurred for fostering collaboration and teamwork, and the growing complexity as the business scales up.
For instance, at Adapting Social, one of our key priorities was to create a vibrant company culture. It’s something that I deeply value, but creating that culture and facilitating growth turned out to be a more challenging than expected.
Not only does it require significant investment, but it also demands the right strategies for sustainable growth. If you aren’t scaling your business thoughtfully and strategically, even the most promising business could risk financial failure.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
John Vagueiro: If I could choose any business superpower, it would be the ability to eliminate blind spots – i.e the normal business setbacks or challenges that you can’t see coming.
Essentially, I would want the foresight to anticipate every challenge so that we’re always in a mode of proactive growth and development.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to than John Vagueiro for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with John Vagueiro or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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