Introducing the newest HubHero, Jorge!

When I started this venture, I always pictured myself as a party of one. But sometimes the universe has bigger plans for you. And that’s exactly what happened here. 

As we’ve gotten deeper into 2023, it’s becoming more and more apparent that I need a sidekick. I have big dreams and goals for what HubHeroes (and the George B Thomas brand as a whole) can do in this world, and many of those dreams and goals simply cannot be achieved by one.

I’m thrilled to announce my right-hand-man and newest team member, Jorge!

Jorge is our HubSpot Implementation Specialist, and HubHero in the Making. 

Now, enough from me. I asked Jorge all kinds of fun questions so he can introduce himself to all of you wonderful humans.

Introducing Jorge Fuentes!

Hi! 👋 It’s so nice to meet you through this screen. 

I go by Jorge, but my friends and family call me “Yorch” - which is pronounced exactly as you’d say “George.” Whether I’m Jorge, Yorch, George (though that might get a little confusing), Georgios, or Jurgen, I’m here to make all your HubSpot dreams come true. ✨

Tell me about yourself

Everyone’s favorite interview question… 

I’m married to my wonderful wife Karla. Fun fact - we actually celebrate two anniversaries! One on the day we got married “by law,” and one on the day we got married by the Christian church. Why not take advantage of every excuse to celebrate, right? 

We’re currently building a new home and are excited to move in towards the end of the year. 

I have a dog named Toby. He’s adorable and might have skipped a few training sessions. Luckily I have lots of patience for him 😉

I’m currently pursuing an online MBA, but my goal is to love what I do regardless of the time frame. I once thought about goals, deadlines, and how much society pressures itself on this topic. 

I’ve heard everything from “by 20XX I have to be this”, “I have to get here,” etc., So while it is awesome to establish goals, I have found that the best things that have happened in my life have been fully unplanned. Things like me falling in love with HubSpot, meeting my spouse, getting to live in Mérida, and definitely getting to work for GBT… None of those things were “part of the plan,” and I’m so grateful that life threw these blessings my way.

So, more than firmly believing in having everything planned out, I’m more of a firm believer in grabbing opportunities. The best ones, as I’ve seen them, maybe there for a limited time or come just once in a lifetime.  

How did you get where you are today? 

My work life has pretty much been divided into two parts.  

I started out as an in-house marketer working for very traditional companies (like in manufacturing, nonprofits, and insurance). While I enjoyed that season, I knew I was destined for more. 

I jumped into the remote agency world in 2021, and it was an explosion of a million things to learn and keep learning. I had to quickly grow the pace that I was used to working, but I loved every minute of it. 

Now, I truly enjoy not only constantly learning but solving problems and just becoming an “expert”. I firmly believe that “room for improvement” is always a blessing. That’s what led me to George. I’ve followed him on LinkedIn for quite some time and have always enjoyed the nuggets of HubSpot knowledge that he shares. 

So it goes without saying I lept at the opportunity when I saw George was growing his team. I must say, I’m so excited to be here, helping all of you with your HubSpot needs.

What is it about HubSpot that lights you up?

I love how this tool can help integrate and make life easier for anything that any company wishes to do, all across its revenue operations. 

HubSpot’s adaptability to processes and hyper-customization of experiences, tasks, work, and data flows make it really ideal to have. It is ultra-user-friendly, and the knowledge base and use cases are never-ending. 

I’m thrilled to have gotten to know HubSpot and know there’s still so much for me to discover.

What’s your favorite part of working remotely?

I know this is sometimes overstated, but definitely the flexibility of it. Combined with the productivity gains and leveling the playing field of income-generating opportunities.

I sometimes reflect and compare my days now with back when I worked as an in-house marketer. I’m able to do more now in one day than what I used to accomplish during a whole week back then. It’s pretty wild to think about.

Some days really don’t feel too much like work when I’m working remotely, and that’s pretty cool. I’m also saving a ton on gas, so I’m never going back to working in an office that is any farther than 1.5 meters away from my dog’s patio. 🐕 

If cost/practicality were not factors, and you could work from anywhere, where would it be?

Honestly? Still from my home. But instead of from my home office, I’d love to be able to work from my pool. But that might be awkward for meetings, I think

At some point, I’d love to set up some form of table/bench and only be half-way in the water (with a shirt on certainly, unless there are no meetings). It’s kind of impossible, but if practicality wasn’t a factor, that’d be pretty cool.

What is one thing (outside of work) that makes you the special human that you are?

My continuous drive to get things to a place of harmony. If something goes wrong, whether work or task-related, a tough discussion with a loved one, a conflict, health, or any huge life or work roadblock, my time and energy will most likely be spent in fixing it until it is again going well.

You know when you’re asked, “how are you?” and, by default, you’ll reply, “I’m good,” “I’m fine,” or “doin’ well,”

I want to always mean it, and if I can’t say it, it is of utmost urgency for me to be in the process of getting it fixed and going well again. 

So, in sum, perhaps my willingness to getting things to work wellaround, turning them, getting them from bad to good, that’s what drives me.

A quick list of favorite things

Super Hero: Dr. Strange, because my wife is in love with Benedict Cumberbatch 😅 She even bought me a Dr. Strange-shaped piggy bank last year. You can only save the multi-verse so many times, right?

Meal: Quesadillas made with Oaxaca Cheese (so these are just tortillas with cheese inside). Madly delicious. Here’s a photo: 

Book: I have a ton of books I love, but one of my favorites is Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio.

Movie: I have tons of favorite movies, but there are two movies in particular that occupy the throne, and I’ll explain why.

First, the movie I can watch again and again at any point in time: is Shrek.

Why? It is also one of my wife’s favorite movies of all time. Shrek marks a time of our lives when we were kids, a time when we had a happy childhood and obviously did not know, nor cared if the other existed, lol, and then.

It was also the first movie we watched a million times together when we got married and in the year leading up to our marriage when we were dating and when we got engaged. And it’s a just great movie, too, plain and simple.

The second movie, the one I cannot forget about, even though I have only seen it once, it’s a beautiful movie called: The Green Mile.

I actually watched it this past January and on Netflix (or maybe it was Amazon Prime.

I have a subscription to a million streaming platforms. Someone, please merge them all lol). It’s pretty cool, and some parts are highly emotional.

Candy:  I also have tons of candies I really like. But I definitely have a strong love for the Ferrero Rocher chocolates. I can probably eat one of these per minute lol. My wife doesn’t let me buy them often because she says they’re bad for my health (she’s crazy, I know lol), so that only makes me desire them more. 

What’s your “real life” superpower?

Empathy. The ability to think about/consider others whenever I do anything.

Follow-up, if you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Of all the possibilities, it is perhaps being able to freeze time. That would be pretty cool.

Which subject  could you give a TED Talk on without any prep?

So, since I have worked with a million project management tools, video-conference tools, time-trackers, comms tools, all over the place, even with some custom-made ones, I think I could give a talk about “How to Succeed in a Remote-Work Setting” (though the title could be better lol). 

I have so many pointers on how any person can succeed working when remotely, how to their manage time, and some interpersonal skills too.

One of the reasons I have been successful has also been my willingness to invest in my own job. When working from home, you cannot really view yourself as an employee.

I think you have to think of yourself as an engine of economic value.

My first investment when I began working remotely for agencies was a new computer (workstation). Having the proper equipment is key.

If you had to hide a giraffe from the government, where would you put it and why?

Great question. 🤔 

I’d just probably put a sombrero on it and watch them take it away because 1) I also can’t keep it, and ...

2) How often do you see a government entity come to your house and take away a giraffe who is wearing a sombrero, right?

That’s something worth recording and uploading somewhere later on.

Who is a celebrity that you are obsessed with?

George B. Thomas (obviously).

Then Joel Osteen. He’s a really good pastor with cool messages. 

For business people, I also admire Ray Dalio, and Tony Robbins, and I have some books from a couple of retired public officials like Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, and Hank Paulson.

I feel that they’ve been misjudged a little bit on their initiatives from back in the Global Financial Crisis, so like they say, whatever side you’re on, see another side. As I’ve read their perspectives, I have come to admire their decision-making.

If you could ask “2050 you” a question, what would you want to know?

“How big is HubSpot right now?” 👀

Is there anything else our HubHeroes family should know about you?

Hmmm, well… I’m also a registered lawyer in my state but don’t practice at all,.

Never have, (probably) never will.  It’s just not fun for me, at all. But the license is there in case it’s ever needed 🤷

George’s Closing Arguments

Come on I had to here. 

I’ve loved getting to know Jorge over the last few weeks and am so excited for all the great things to come with GBT and HubHeroes. Jorge is an amazing addition to our team, and I’m thrilled to have him on board. 

If you have questions you’d love to ask Jorge, you can connect with him on LinkedIn, or drop a comment on Instagram.