Built a Successful Business on His Terms

Frustrated by corporate limitations, Julio, a serial entrepreneur with a tech background, found his niche in the digital world. Combining his passion for productivity with Notion templates, Julio built a successful business. He bootstrapped it, meticulously studying the market and developing his skills. Despite challenges like self-doubt and limited time, Julio's perseverance and organic marketing strategies, including Youtube, paid off. A key turning point was being featured in the Notion Gallery and becoming a Notion Recommended Creator.

Julio's story is an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs. He emphasizes market research, focus, and ruthless time management. He stresses taking responsibility for your journey and embracing continuous learning. For Julio, success is fueled by hard work, humility, and a thirst for knowledge. So, if you're ready to ditch the corporate world, Julio's journey with Notion proves that anything is possible.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how it led you to where you are now?

I have been living as an business for many years, I have already created several businesses, some worked, others did not, and with all of them I learned a little more about the business world. I have been working in the area of technology for a long time, and always in parallel I have followed my business, whether publishing books, developing apps, creating and publishing modern boardgames, or providing consulting, everything contributed to me getting here, either for good or for bad.

What inspired you to start your business?

I have always been unhappy with the fact of seeing many things wrong in the companies I worked for and could never change, even though I was right, business policy does not accept the new, whether working in a century-old company with thousands of employees, or working in technology companies, which theoretically should be open to the new, but what I have always seen were blind companies and stuck to rules, so because I want to make my rules, I have always been looking for an alternative path, from a business where I have the freedom to innovate and define my rules.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea came up with YouTube, the idea was to create a channel to talk about productivity, my passion, talk about apps and equipment that could help us be more productive, this was in the middle of 2022, but one thing pulled the other, in this period you know Notion, I started using it in my daily life, and soon I noticed that in Notion there was the opportunity not only to increase my productivity but also to start a profitable business, which combined with other digital products, would be the basis of my business.

Were there any particular market trends or gaps you noticed that influenced your decision to start this business?

As I said in the previous question, I saw in Notion a good business opportunity, but life taught me that there is no market gap anywhere, there are millions and millions of entrepreneurs around the world occupying practically all markets, in the Notion Gallery there are more than 5000 creators, therefore, there is no market gap, what exists is that some develop better products than others, this applies to any market.

What were the initial steps you took to launch your business?

Studying... I studied how to develop templates for Notion, I studied how to produce and edit videos for Youtube, I studied how to make other products that I develop and sell... study is the key to everything, my past, my knowledge in the commercial area of large companies from various places in the world, my experience in marketing, finance, everything... everything is the result of study and preparation, before effectively launching my business, I prepared myself, studied the market, studied my competitors, studied my target audience, studied the mistakes and successes of others... you can’t launch a product or found a company blindly.

How did you fund your Digital Business initially?

I have made many mistakes in the past, I spent money that I did not have, I took loans, and this cost me a lot of money, I learned from my mistakes, so this business was founded in parallel with my corporate work, based on the fact that the investment would be my work, and the most valuable thing I have, my time... in fact, I invested very little money, because the business was thought of this way.

Did you face any challenges or obstacles during the early stages, and how did you overcome them?

Every business has challenges, whether it’s opening a shoe store or creating an AI company, there are no recipes to overcome these problems, but a problem is common to all of us, and we all face it, no matter how strong and prepared we are... the biggest challenge is our mind, it sabotages us, we lose confidence by the delay in the results, we lose confidence because our friends say we are wrong, we lose confidence because we think we are not good enough... and how to face this? One day at a time... there is a Chinese proverb that is a mantra for me, I read this sentence every day... “The persistence accomplishes the impossible”... I believe in this, so I never give up, and even when my mind sabotages me, I remember that I need to move on.

What strategies did you use to grow your business?

My strategy basically consists of organic digital marketing, as I said, my business has no money for investment, so I need to grow in an organic way, either on social medias, or fostering through my Youtube channel, but obviously, those who have money to invest in paid marketing, will grow faster.

What tools do you use for your business?

Many... but I basically use Notion for management, and for product creation, Photoshop for the creation of marketing material and products, Luma Fusion and Kdenlive for Video Editing for my Youtube Channel, in addition to Apple and Google apps for various tasks. The most recent built-in tool was Notion Calendar, which I really liked.

How did you acquire your first customers?

I launched my first templates for Notion at the end of 2022, and I started monetizing my first customers in February 2023, I won these first customers with organic digital marketing on Twitter and my Youtube channel.

Can you share any significant milestones or turning points in your business's growth journey?

It is difficult to score milestones, because a lot happened at the same time, but I think that being able to insert my templates in the Notion Gallery and then become a Creator Recommended by Notion, helped me a lot in the promotion of my products.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an entrepreneur?

The lack of money, the lack of time... I live in Brazil, here we work many hours, the normal working hours in companies is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but it is common for us to work more, and after that, when I get home at night, I still have to have time to focus on my business, and have time for the family too, so this is the big challenge... time...

What lessons have you learned from these challenges?

You need to prioritize your time, have focus, I only use social media for work, I only use Youtube to work and study, I only read books that teach me some skill, you need to always focus.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could go back and start over?

No, I don’t regret anything, even my biggest mistakes were made because my decisions were made based on the information I had, I never made a mistake because I wanted to make a mistake, I always made mistakes trying to do the best, and this is important, you can lose, but you need to have done your best, because only then does life make sense. I am solely responsible for my success and my failure, so there can be no regret.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as an entrepreneur?

Study, learn everything you can about the market you want to act in, focus, and be responsible for your success or failure, do not expect anything from other people, you are the main actor of your life.

What are some common misconceptions about starting a business that you'd like to address?

Use your time in the best possible way, focus, if you create digital products, I created the best digital products, focus on the marketing strategy to attract customers, use your time wisely, do not waste time with distractions that do not generate revenue for your business, remember this, a business is only successful if it generates revenue.

Is there any particular mindset or approach that you believe is crucial for entrepreneurial success?

Work, humility to know that we are nothing, that we do not know enough, that we need to learn every day... I watch hours of videos on Youtube per month about people who really teach me something, be it a skill, or a strategy, I read every day books that somehow add something to me, because I know that I know almost nothing, I need to keep working very hard to get my business forward.