“I walk into work and can genuinely say ‘I love everybody here,’” says Coronado local Jacques Spitzer about his 45-member team and marketing company: Raindrop Branding and Advertising.
The CHS class of ’04 grad founded Raindrop in 2009 when according to Jacques: “he had no business being in business.” But despite his humility and humor about the solo business venture that celebrates its double-digit birthday this year, Spitzer’s career trajectory was well-earned.
After studying Communications at UCSD, Jacques was hired as a broadcast writer for NBC. His first job not only forged the path towards an award-winning career but grew his professional network and introduced him to his future wife.
“I cherished getting to know so many people in San Diego. I had some great mentors and role models at NBC, and some of those people have roots in Coronado too, like (former NFL player and sportscaster) Jim Laslavic.”
With the support of his wife Tiffany, who Jacques describes as his confidante and ‘a super wise, smart person,’ Jacques left NBC to pursue his own business.
“I started out by helping clients to build websites and manage their social media. I didn’t have a grand plan; I just followed my passion. I was the right age to be doing what I was doing and thanks to word of mouth, the business grew.”
Spitzer describes one of the pivotal stages in the growth of the business as the partnership he forged with Adam Wagner.
“Adam is a business mastermind. He just makes things work. He knows what we should spend and how much we can afford. It’s like he instinctively knows how to grow a business. Under his leadership, we’ve gone from four people – to 45.”
Jacques is equally complimentary about the rest of his team.
“Finding and keeping the right people is the genesis for the business,” explains Jacques. “We give people the freedom and autonomy to be creative and grow as professionals. It creates a culture where everyone succeeds. We’ve never had an employee leave to work for a competitor and we have a 90% employee retention rate which is unheard of within the marketing profession.”
One of Jacques’ newest ventures is the podcast series Level Up! with Jacques Spitzer. Episodes range in duration from thirty to fifty minutes and have received rave reviews from his audience. One reviewer (TheMattAxe) describes the podcast as “Insightful and Inspiring,” and goes on to detail:
“Jacques has great back and forth banter with thought leaders around how to level up in business, leadership, and more.”
Spitzer says the decision to start the podcast series was made in response to his genuine interest in entrepreneurs and the qualities that make for successful leaders.
“I’m in the position to meet so many remarkable people and I wanted a way to hold on to those conversations. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that just evaporate as soon as the meeting is over. I used to think: ‘that was such a great conversation,’ but by the time I got home and tried to regurgitate it to my wife – so much of it was already lost.”
One of Spitzer’s most recent Level Up! podcasts featured David Spatafore of Blue Bridge Hospitality Group. Jacques explains that until the podcast, his and David’s professional paths had not crossed despite Raindrop’s extensive clientele of major restaurant groups in San Diego.
“You can’t help but wonder what’s behind the scenes as you watch businesses come and go. Just knowing how difficult and emotional running a business can be – let alone several, I wanted the opportunity to talk to David and get a firsthand perspective.”
In addition to the professional relationships Spitzer has fostered and strengthened in Coronado, his loyalties to the Crown City extend to his personal life too. He and Tiffany made Coronado their permanent home in 2012 and are now a family of three. Spitzer says he never considered anywhere else to settle and grow his own family.
“There are so few places that have the best qualities of both a small town and a big city. For what I value, there really is no better place than Coronado. It’s not just a lifestyle, it’s a community.”
Level Up! with Jacques Spitzer podcasts can be found on iTunes. For information on Raindrop Branding and Advertising, visit www.raindropmarketing.com.
