We had the good fortune of connecting with Jose Torbay and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jose, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was raised in a very entrepreneurial family. So for me it was always what I wanted to do. When I started TheGrint I did it because I wanted to create something that lots of people would enjoy and appreciate. And that continues to be what motivates me to this day.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It’s very difficult for me to talk about myself. But I guess that I got a great advantage from the get go. My dad always created an entrepreneurial and risk taking culture within our family and with my and my brothers. And always encouraged us to be ambitious, which included the type of education we would get. What I am most proud of are my interpersonal skills. Because, while I have been able to cultivate many professional skills and tools through my educational and professional experience, at the end of the day, what allowed me to close deals are my interpersonal skills. Most of what I have been able to achieve has been mainly because of perseverance of me and my team. Our business, TheGrint, pivoted so many times that I can’t even remember. But at the end what remains is the people behind our company. My team have had the perseverance to keep finding ways to make things work. Along the way, I have learned that the company is not the idea or product behind the company. But really the people behind the company that can drive the success. TheGrint is a leading mobile app for golfers that have grown tremendously in the recent years. Our golfers enjoy TheGrint inside of the golf course while they play to track their scores. But also, outside the golf course, to look at their stats or follow live the rounds of their friends. What we are the most proud of, is that we have changed the way amateur golfers experience the sport.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Yes! so many options. Would definitely spend the first night strolling Miami Beach restaurants and bars. So many to choose from. Upland definitely one of my favorite restaurant options or Toni’s Sushi. I would spend a morning kite surfing in the Key Biscayne waters if the wind permits. If not maybe just a nice run in the Miami Beach walkways. Then an afternoon in Midtown’s restaurants and bars. And end up in LaLatina for arepas and Venezuelan after hour food.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to the MIT center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation which was critical in my formation as an entrepreneur, Also to McKinsey & Co, which really gave me so many tools that I still use to this day from my time as a consultant. And while they are not recognized as an entrepreneurial organization, so many alumni continue to create and run exciting new startups.
Website: thegrint.com
Instagram: @thegrintgolf
Twitter: @thegrintgolf
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z9usB7ccmE
Image Credits
Rodolfo Benitez