This interview with Ross Andrew Paquette, CEO of Maropost — widely-regarded as one of the fastest-growing marketing automation platforms in North America — will cover the concept of building a team for better growth.
Maropost was founded in 2011 and has seen exponential growth since then — with a seamless trajectory that rises higher and higher each year. Their goal is to develop the best scalable cross-channel engagement suite that can boost conversion rates and brand loyalty.
They’ve stayed true to their roots as one of the industry’s leaders in customer-centric innovation. And has since attracted a diverse clientele solely on the merits of their product — notable names include the automobile company Mercedes Benz, the sports team the Golden State Warriors, Haymarket Media, The New York Post, etc.
Tell us a little about your background.
Ross Andrew Paquette: I think most people would think this is unexpected since I founded my own tech company, but I actually grew up in a small mining and forestry town in Northern Ontario that was, at the time, quite effectively devoid of most technology. I was an adopted, only child, and our financial options were fairly limited at the time, so I didn’t even get my hands on my first computer until I was well into my teens.
Is there anything you would change about how you started your career?
Ross Andrew Paquette: After bootstrapping Maropost whilst working as a sales executive for an email marketing company, I ended up selling a part of the company to investors. It had seemed like a good idea at the time — most things do, but it didn’t work out as planned.
We ended up exiting them from the business after realizing that their overall goal didn’t match ours and have grown a lot since that point forward. But, if I had anything I would have liked to change back then, I would have wanted my younger self to be warier of making such a decision in the first place.
How has Maropost grown in the last couple of years?
Ross Andrew Paquette: At Maropost, one of our primary goals is to cultivate a good team environment. I wholeheartedly believe that it’s effortless collaboration and teamwork that are central to growing a successful business.
The only reason Maropost is what it is today is because of the efforts of the entire Maropost team. We worked endlessly over the last couple of years to make sure that we stay on top of development and focus on staying true to our core values. I have no doubt, that with this team, we’ll be able to keep on growing.
What advice would you give to someone who has just finished launching their own startup company?
Ross Andrew Paquette: Again, it’s crucial that you build a good team. That’s the first thing that you should do. But, if you’re further along your journey than that, then the next step is to foster personal relationships with your customers.
As someone neck-deep in the CX industry, I’ve seen countless of times how effectively engaging with one’s customers can help a startup grow rapidly.
Also, borrowing from my personal experience, another big reason why Maropost is how it is today is thanks to our loyal customer base. We didn’t have much of a marketing strategy to start, we just trusted that people would connect with our vision and the quality of our product. And, while that netted a lot of our clients in the beginning, without the referrals we got from the clients we worked hard to personally engage with, I can’t say for sure that we would have been able to get this far so soon. So, make sure to stay on top of establishing those early connections.
What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind?
Ross Andrew Paquette: We have a charity called Maropost CARES that focuses on the protection and conservation of the earth’s ecosystems. We work with environmental and wildlife organizations and help them make the world better than it was before. I think, if nothing else, that’s the kind of legacy I and my team over at Maropost, wants to leave — one of sustainability and responsibility.