We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert Morcos and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Robert, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first started the business, I used to think I needed to work around the clock, which led to me neglecting some integral aspects of my life. Now I’ve started to focus on my health and fitness, and have realized the importance of having a slightly more well-rounded approach to things. I run about 40 miles a week, and even though that can be time consuming, I am no less focused on my business and am happier and healthier than I’ve ever been.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our unique value is our ability to design custom smart devices for virtually any enterprise use case. You’d be surprised, but there aren’t many other companies that operate this line of business. Figuring out this niche wasn’t easy, and it’s involved a few pivots and hard lessons along the way, but we’ve finally found our groove in the enterprise space. Our challenges have been further compounded by the fact that we’ve gotten to where we are with zero outside capital. One thing I’ve learned as part of this process is that in business, the answer is always “No” unless you ask!
More specifically (and with probably a bit more detail than the average reader might be willing to wade through), Social Mobile® is a vertically integrated consultancy and OEM that specializes in designing Android-powered smart solutions for the enterprise market. We design, develop, and deploy turnkey solutions that enable our clients to bring mobile devices to market quickly and efficiently. Enterprises, mobile operators, national retailers, hospitality institutions, distributors, governments, and educational institutions partner with us when they want to bring their product from concept to market. Founded in 2011, we have quickly become a leader in delivering the latest technology and are agile enough to meet the dynamic and ever-changing demands of the wireless industry. With extensive experience and industry knowledge, we have successfully deployed over 11 Million smart devices across Europe, USA, Canada, Africa, and Latin America. Our strength lies in our ability to offer our clients a true end-to-end supply chain solution. We are privately owned and have presence and/or operations in Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. Finally, we are a Google Mobile Services (GMS) Partner, Authorized Android zero-touch OEM, Android Enterprise Partner, & Approved Android EMM Partner.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d definitely recommend that they wrangle a boat for the day and make it out to Beercan Island, and pull up to dinner somewhere on the Miami River after a day on the water. If they’re bringing kids, Jungle Island (formerly Parrot Jungle) is a fun way to spend a few hours. Yakko-San is my favorite weekday haunt (but I prefer the old West Dixie location). Of course, a trip to Miami isn’t complete without at least one meal at our world-renowned Cuban restaurants, like Versailles or Padrinos. Most people coming to Miami for a week will probably want to spend at least one night enjoying our famous nightlife, and one of the best ways to cap off a night like that has got to be the Napoli sub from La Sandwicherie. Finally, if you’re bringing along someone that likes to shop, I‘d point them in the direction of Bal Harbour, though I personally avoid setting foot in there if I can!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It’s very difficult to start, let alone grow, a profitable business. Joining the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) has provided me access to valuable mentorship from executive level peers, people who have been in my position and experienced similar setbacks and challenges and can help me see the big picture. Surrounding myself with other like-minded entrepreneurs and thought leaders such as Randy Carr, Cam Murphy, Andrew Koenig, Stephen Rudner, & Bob Denison has helped propel me to become a pioneer in this niche industry. Without this valuable network of professionals, which has also provided me with access to global educational resources and opportunities, I would have struggled to reach my current level of professional success.
Website: socialmobile.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmorcos/
Twitter: @RobertMorcos