“I’m fascinated with people and how they respond to ideas. What drives them, what upsets them, why are they happy. That’s why I like marketing, because it puts people and their needs first.”
Seeking to understand people is nothing new for Belarus native Igor Gorlatov. After moving to Charlotte, NC in 2016 with his wife and young son, Igor connected by offering his expertise to a diverse cross-section of the community.
That includes helping the Russian-speaking community in Charlotte, founding a local chapter of Successful Negotiators Club, presenting his negotiation tactics as a component of organizational learning programs, co-leading TorchBearer Fractional CMOs, which lends in-depth marketing strategy expertise to mid-sized companies, and most recently, becoming a lead community organizer for 1 Million Cups Charlotte, a Kauffman Foundation initiative for early stage entrepreneurs.
Igor has the background to make it all work. He first came to the United States under the highly-selective Fulbright Scholar program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State. His exceptional curriculum vitae shows experience in languages, high-stakes negotiation, teaching, digital marketing and business.
He was a founding partner of a digital marketing and web development firm in Belarus, fractional director of an MBA program and also worked as a part-time interpreter for high-level talks with such organizations as the World Bank, United Nations, the Trilateral Group on Peaceful Resolution of the Conflict in Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the EU Commission.
All of which sounds complex. But the ever-entrepreneurial Igor assures it is not. Or at least not as complex as it is to integrate into the entrepreneurial community in a new place as an immigrant who does not know anyone!
However, there is a tried-and-true shortcut that Igor was able to take.
“I was very lucky to join Advent Co-working, which I have found to be the most community oriented co-working space in Charlotte. It was my way to plug into the bigger Charlotte community and start building my network and my business.”
At Advent Co-working, Igor met his now business-partner, Adrienne Craighead, who’s networking skills are a solid match to Igor’s big picture approach to marketing.
“A lot of businesses gravitate toward complexity, especially with regard to marketing strategy. They tend to focus on so many tactics and metrics that it becomes harder and harder to see the big picture. We listen and look for the misalignment between what they do and what they say they want to do. Figuring out inconsistencies and casting a bolder vision allows companies to grow to the next level.”
Igor has found some differences in the approach to business between entrepreneurs here and in his home country.
“The business environment here is more open to experimentation, more optimistic and opportunistic. I enjoy that. It is one of the reasons I fell in love with America.”
But it is the similarities that he finds truly inspiring.
“I have found people have many shared experiences, hobbies and interests. Everything is coming full circle now between my interest in understanding and helping people, our business approach and the ability to quickly get connected in our new home.”
Launching a business when you truly don’t know anyone locally is a challenge. But Igor is proof it is not insurmountable. Especially when you have a bold vision to put people and their needs first.
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