When she was growing up in San Sebastián, Spain, Adriana Castro remembers that she was always a “restless girl.” She loved traveling around the world, meeting new people, and learning different languages.
Exploring new places was always a priority for her, and when she pursued her MBA she chose a trilingual program that allowed her to spend time not only in her country, but in France and the United Kingdom as well. With her business acumen, people skills, and ease with languages, it’s no wonder that the advertising company where she landed a job decided that it needed her to move to Miami to work with high-profile clients.
Despite her clear talent for advertising and marketing, Castro found that what she enjoyed more was her hobby of helping friends and family members market their own brands. A two-day marathon of feverish plotting and drafting led to the birth of The Creative’s Loft, an agency that covers everything from website design to branding to event planning.
Today, the WeWork member revels in the switch she made from corporate to startup, inspiring others to realize their own entrepreneurial spirit.
WeWork: Tell us a little bit about your transition to living in Miami.
Castro: I worked at various advertising groups, including the Arista company, where I managed many high-profile international accounts. Due to the high demands of these clients, the agency proposed that I move to Miami and start managing those accounts in the U.S. to provide our clients with better service. I left my family and friends and moved to Miami in January 2012.
WeWork: Where did the inspiration for The Creative’s Loft come from?
Castro: Since I was a little girl, I loved to work in my room and come up with creative ideas. My room was my sanctuary, the place where ideas became magic. When I started college, I was involved in creative projects with friends and local people just for fun.
In 2012, the idea to create my own creative studio was sparked after providing an integrated branding and marketing service for my mom’s nutrition company in San Sebastián. I was inspired and started thinking about the possibility of running my own creative studio. However, I decided to focus my career in the corporate world and only worked on this as a hobby.
It wasn’t until last May that I realized this was the perfect moment to start running my own company. Having worked for a startup, Rokk3r Labs, I was surrounded by people with big visions who were courageous enough to run their own businesses. I saw the possibilities and opportunities, and in that moment of uncertainty, I sat down, took out my notebook, and started drawing my path. After 48 hours, I had designed and developed my brand and website.
WeWork: What was your initial vision for The Creative’s Loft, and has it changed?
Castro: It’s funny, but I always thought I would never do this for a living! The initial vision was more focused on providing branding and digital marketing services to my clients, especially entrepreneurs and small local businesses. I’ve always thought that it’s important to leverage the potential and local talent wherever you are. We are people with few resources who need to survive in a world full of big corporations with endless budgets. However, due to all the events that I managed and ran throughout my corporate career, I acquired great event planning skills and I thought that it would be interesting to provide this service as a third pillar in my company. Nowadays, it’s one of the most important elements in my business strategy!
WeWork: When did event planning begin for you? Were you always the go-to person for planning get-togethers with friends?
Castro: I have always been a social animal. I love organizing parties, dinners, events in “petit comité,” coming up with original ideas and surprising my friends and family. I was the go-to person whenever someone wanted to organize something in the city and come up with creative stuff. It’s a gift that I’ve always had, and little by little, I started managing more and more events and parties, which allowed me to acquire excellent event planning skills.
WeWork: Tell us about one of the most memorable events you planned.
Castro: The most memorable event has been a DIY Floral Workshop where Miami bloggers, influencers, and professionals from the luxury beauty and cosmetics worlds were invited to spend a lovely evening designing their own floral crowns. It was a beautiful project because I managed to set up multiple collaborations with local businesses and talent. The girls came up with amazing floral crown designs, and they ended up networking together.
WeWork: How long have you been with WeWork, and what has your experience been like here?
Castro: I found out about WeWork Miami this past May when I started running my company. I met Joshua, one of the community managers, and he had such an incredible vibe, so I joined this July. All I can say is that we are a huge family! The business and networking opportunities that WeWork offers, I haven’t found them anywhere else.
WeWork: What is the most challenging part of your job, and how do you keep yourself from burning out?
Castro: Being a young entrepreneur requires a lot of discipline and organization. Miami is a very diverse and social city, with an endless events agenda every single day. So, the biggest challenge for me has been finding the balance between improving and increasing my presence at the most important events happening around the city, while also managing my company and my clients. I also have a very intense and social life. Because I am a blogger, I’m always looking for new trends and stories. My job is an extension of my way of living and my passion, so there is no way to get burned out—it’s the only thing that makes me feel 100 percent happy.
WeWork: What is your drink of choice to end the night?
Castro: A Martin Miller’s gin and tonic with rose petals or sliced cucumber.
Photo credit: The Creative’s Loft