Today we have the pleasure of chatting with Álvaro Criado , our CFO and CMO of Línea Gráfica . We talk about the beginnings of the Agency, with anecdotes included, about the challenges of managing accounts on a daily basis, about the Agency's future goals, and much more!
We continue with this new section of interviews with our team that will allow you to learn more about the Agency and get to know them better on a personal and professional level.
Let's get started!
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How did Línea Gráfica begin?
Well, it's curious, because it was almost 20 years ago , in a room in an apartment shared by Fernando, when, let's say, the "plans" of what is now Línea Gráfica began to be designed .
Anecdotally, Fernando's interest in web design and development began when I showed him what I was studying in the computer science class in my first year of high school regarding how to create web pages at that time.
He always had it clear that the Internet would be the future (I'm talking about more than 20 years ago, when the Internet was just beginning to be a part of our lives) and that all kinds of commerce would be done through this medium in a very important way. I told him it wasn't that big of a deal, but time has proven him right, and how!
How has the Agency evolved since then?
Since our beginnings we have had three lines of business : Design and development of online stores , digital marketing services and hosting . Over time we have been optimizing and expanding the services offered in each line.
And for about 10 years we have also been offering software packages developed by us , such as the Prestashop and Factulinker modules .
We have evolved from 3 to currently more than 30 people who are part of Línea Gráfica, being able to count on highly trained multidisciplinary departments for each of our business lines.
We are a leading and highly specialized company in our sector and we have great partners in all business areas that guarantee our clients our knowledge, know-how and extensive experience. Without further ado, we highlight our great expertise in Prestashop for more than 10 years and in the last year we have managed to become partners of Shopify Plus and Bigcommerce .
And in the area of marketing, we are proud to have been able to renew our Google Partner Premier membership year after year , among other notable ones in the sector.
And all thanks to the enormous effort that the entire Línea Gráfica team makes every day.
Today... What challenges do you face on a daily basis at the Agency?
In my particular case, I am currently very focused on all administrative and financial management, and workflow optimization.
Therefore, in my day-to-day work I work on automating all repetitive tasks and improving the internal organization of work so that we can carry out our activity more efficiently.
This may sound simple, but it involves doing a lot of analysis and talking to our employees and management team to develop the right solutions, which takes a lot of time.
Since the Agency was created 15 years ago, the digital marketing and e-commerce landscape has evolved by leaps and bounds… Currently, there is a great confluence of trends and new tools… What trend or development do you think we must adapt to, no matter what, and how has this been addressed by the agency?
The trend that I consider most relevant and on which we have been working for a few months now consists of implementing artificial intelligence solutions in our production processes , so that we can provide the client with the best service, always at the forefront of technology .
It is inevitable to think of ChatGPT when we talk about artificial intelligence, but there are other very interesting solutions such as Midjourney for images or Adobe's recently incorporated generative AI for Photoshop, among others.
Luckily, in our company we are very used to adapting to the constant changes in our sector and we always see these developments as an opportunity that we should take advantage of.
In the field of e-commerce, strategic alliances are increasingly important. How have collaborations and partnerships influenced the growth and success of Línea Gráfica?
We have high-level partnerships in our sector , where collaboration is at its highest level, because as a Digital Marketing and Ecommerce Agency it is extremely important to offer our clients the best services and solutions . And there is no better way to guarantee that you offer the best solution than by being partners and experts in it.
In addition to those mentioned in a previous answer, we can also highlight our collaboration with Connectif , an artificial intelligence-based marketing automation solution that we manage for many of our clients and in which we are experts and we maintain a close collaboration between both companies.
It is clear that staying at the forefront is a value that defines Línea Gráfica, as well as collaborating with the best platforms and tools… How does this influence our clients? Could you name a success story?
Very positively, since our client may have contracted one or more services, all are provided by people who are experts in them and through solutions of which we are leading partners, and with our own company's staff.
We have recently published the success story of our client herbolariosaludnatural.com . This is one of the leading online stores selling natural and healthy products. This client has contracted all development and digital marketing services with us for several years. Working together with the client we have managed to significantly improve their visits and conversion rates .
Now, let's talk about the team... How would you describe the company culture and how innovation and effectiveness are fostered?
In our company we have always said the following, that we have to work to offer excellence in all the services we offer to our clients , for this it is very important to work as a team and correct communication both between employees and with management and, of course, the client . And I feel very proud because this aspect is fulfilled perfectly.
We strongly encourage training and every year we arrange training courses for our employees in order to keep ourselves up to date.
To improve effectiveness, we continually develop improvements to our workflows, always obtaining feedback from our employees.
What would you say is our team's greatest quality?
We have an experienced and highly qualified team , with a very good attitude, communicative and who know how to work very well together. In addition, I would like to highlight the great involvement of all the people who make up Línea Gráfica , which is exceptional.
Come on, a somewhat compromising question. Could you tell us what the Agency's next challenges or objectives will be?
Fortunately, our company grows year after year and maintaining this pace and, why not, accelerating it is one of our objectives.
To achieve this, we are working to diversify our portfolio of products and services, establishing new relationships with new strategic partners and expanding our geographic scope of action.
And last but not least… What is your greatest learning from Línea Gráfica?
There are many lessons to be learned, but I will highlight three things.
The first is that it is impossible to satisfy everyone , it is something that you have to accept and avoid being affected by.
The second is that when you set a goal that motivates you , with dedication , effort and perseverance you will end up achieving it and if not, the experience will have been worth it.
Third, surrounding yourself with good people is the best thing that can happen to you .
