Proppel

We source top remote talent from LATAM to support your team. Follow our founder @leacabrini for updates.

[Proppel @weareproppel]

Follow our founder @leacabrini for updates about us on X.

If you're a candidate, follow us on Instagram @weareproppel and LinkedIn or visit our website for more information.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Quarterly in-person meetings only work if you get the formula right.

@Tris_atWebtopia, CEO of @WeAreWebtopia, runs a fully remote team across Europe, LATAM, India, and North America. They meet once a quarter, no matter what.

But showing up and just chilling together doesn't cut it.

Start with structure, align on what you're building, then have the conversation about what you all expect of each other.

That conversation is a great one to have face-to-face, it makes all the difference.

Then go for drinks.

The combination of these is what makes the connection kick in. You built that in person.

Watch the full episode of The Talent Standard below.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

"Culture is what people do when you're not looking."

You can't enforce it, you can only build it.

@Tris_atWebtopia, CEO of @WeAreWebtopia, joined me on The Talent Standard.

Webtopia is a performance marketing agency running paid social and search for DTC brands, with a fully remote team spanning Europe, LATAM, India, and North America.

If you want to know how to actually build culture without a physical office, you need to watch this.

Tris covers how he merged two different agency cultures over six months, the six values behind their global remote team, the no dicks policy and why it works in practice, how to structure quarterly in-person meetings so they actually build real connection, what A players look like in the age of AI, and lots more for agency founders and remote team leaders.

Six years of figuring it out across three continents, without ever needing an office.

Timestamps:

0:34 Tris's background and founding Webtopia
4:14 Why two agency cultures don't just merge
5:58 Six values for a fully global team
6:40 The no dicks policy explained
7:31 Culture is what people do when you're not looking
9:59 Meeting once a quarter, no exceptions
11:33 Off-sites reveal who's really bought in
12:20 Why no fixed location means better talent
15:24 What a good day's work looks like remotely
18:05 Coming with you, not just for you
20:02 Curiosity is the most important thing in talent
21:04 Hire for curiosity and action, not freeze

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Most agencies don't have project managers.

Zac made that point when we talked about what sets his team apart operationally.

Here's how he described it:

"A lot of agencies don't have project managers.

They have account managers who are also responsible for the project management work.

We've carved out a big piece of our workflow that runs through a project manager who can own that in a really strong, sophisticated way.

They're dedicated to delivery, deadlines, Asana organization.

That keeps the rest of the team free to just focus on strategy and delivery."

When the PM owns the process, everyone else gets to do their best work.

A really cool approach by Zac and the Lilo Social team.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Lots of opinions out there about hiring internally vs hiring with an agency.

Zac runs an 80-person agency in NYC, and he told me exactly how he thinks about this.

He laid it out clearly:

"Our main focus is to hire internally. It gives us a lot of control.

But we don't want to be stubborn about it.

Yes, it's a cost-saving to not work with an agency, but it's also a risk when you aren't able to staff a project.

That leads to churn because your employees are going to be overworking, overstressed.

So when we see that pressure is mounting, when we're growing rapidly in a certain department or need two or three people fast, that's when we bring in trusted partners.

When you need help, rather than waiting around, it's best to jump on things."

This is a great approach IMO. Check out this clip for the full playbook.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Proppel turns 2 today, and to say it's been a crazy ride would be an understatement.

We went from side project to multi-million dollar revenue company in only 2 years.

We've worked with 100s of the best brands and agencies in the world and have built the most professional, resilient, highest-standard team I've ever been a part of.

Literally a team full of A-players who keep breaking records month after month.

We got to this point with a very simple offering: one service and one pricing.

That changes today as we're officially announcing our transformation from recruitment agency to talent partner.

So, what does that mean?

- First, from today, we can officially source US-based talent for your team.

We've been doing this for a few months already for select clients, so it's a natural progression from what we've done with LATAM. Our usual high standards, applied to US talent.

- Second, we're launching Recruitment on Demand.

Flexible recruitment support built around your needs. You can get a Proppel recruiter or a dedicated recruiting team embedded with yours during hiring surges, with none of the costs of a full-time hire.

- Third, over the past few months, clients have asked us to help them beyond just sourcing talent.

We've helped with compensation and talent strategy, developed custom interview guides for roles they've never hired for before, and more.

This is now officially part of our offer, becoming more than just an agency but a real long-term partner to our clients.

In the age of AI, lots of talent solutions and mediocre service offerings will get commoditized, but the real-world expertise that makes a true strategic talent partner will become even more valuable as it's enhanced by AI.

Meet the new Proppel.

Super proud to be building this alongside an incredible team.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

"It's sometimes scary to tell your boss something's wrong."

That's why structured check-ins are one of the most important things you can build for retention.

Zac Fromson, co-founder of Lilo Social, runs capacity surveys monthly and team NPS quarterly across 80 people.

Both give people a silent way to flag workload, stress, or process issues, without the pressure of doing it face to face.

No one wants to walk in and tell their boss they're struggling, as it feels like failure.

People hit breaking points after holding things in for 90 days, and then they're out the door before you knew there was a problem.

When I just started my entrepreneur journey, I thought everyone would just say it if there was an issue, as that's what I'd do.

It turns out that's not the case, and this is something you learn after a few years in the game.

People will tell you things in writing that they'd never say to your face.

If you do this, you'll catch issues early, and you'll keep your best people around.

Watch the full episode of The Talent Standard below.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Watch on YouTube: https://t.co/wnbBdCDXVx

The Talent Standard is my weekly newsletter and podcast, where I share conversations with brand and agency operators about how they hire and retain top talent to scale faster and better. Subscribe here: https://t.co/JKFIp4bTts

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

In an agency, your team is everything.

Your people define the quality of the service you're able to provide, which defines how far you can get.

We discussed this and more with Zac Fromson, co-founder of Lilo Social, who joined me on the latest episode of The Talent Standard.

Lilo Social is a New York based full funnel e-commerce agency with 80 people across North and South America, helping DTC brands with customer acquisition and retention end to end.

If you want to know how to run an 80 person remote agency without burning people out, you need to watch this.

Zac breaks down the growth and retention pod model, why strategy usually stays in the US and the rest flexes to LATAM, how Asana runs the entire agency, why dedicated PMs are what makes delivery work, why anonymous surveys catch what one-on-ones miss, and lots more for agency operators.

An operating system you only build after 10 years of trying everything else.

Timestamps:

1:19 How Lilo's 80 person team is structured
2:52 What roles stay US and what goes LATAM
6:20 Managing 80 people fully remote
7:22 Why watchdog mentality creates fear
8:54 Running EOS with quarterly scorecards
10:20 What they don't do remotely
12:32 Asana is the lifeblood of the agency
13:20 Dedicated PMs as a competitive edge
14:38 First 90 days get the most attention
16:47 Why anonymous surveys beat one-on-ones
20:58 The hidden cost of being understaffed
24:00 Hire for positive energy, not just skills
25:55 You can teach talent, you can't teach EQ
26:24 Why agency-backed hires win at Lilo

[Chris Hall @chrislukehall]

RUN OF SHOW // 5.27.26

@leacabrini - 12:40pm CT
@willnitze - 1:10pm CT
@btal - 1:45pm CT

News & Views:

+ Figure Humanoids x Catalyst Brands
+ Everlane founder starts over
+ Eli Lilly solves cholesterol?
+ @GhostLifestyle x Yoo-hoo Collab
+ $APP ripping
+ Tom Brady in ATX

[Ecomm Cowboy @ecommcowboy]

FIGURE Humanoids x Catalyst Brands | Everlane Founder Starts Over | Hooters Family Rebrand https://t.co/kD26xOh0AL

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Excited to chat with @chrislukehall and @colindougherty on the @ecommcowboy show later today.

Tune in at 12pm CST, I’ll be on from 12.40pm talking about all things recruiting in ecom and more.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

"Maybe great creative strategists just think your company sucks."

Love this one from @harrydelmege_

Lots of founders complain when they can’t hire, but his point is true:

The talent is out there. They'll take a job with you if you give them something worth joining.

So the question stops being "how do I find them?” and it becomes "how do I get people stoked when they look at my company?"

A super useful flip for anyone struggling to hire creative talent right now.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

I asked @harrydelmege_ how he develops the creative people on his team and how he teaches taste.

I was expecting a framework, but he flipped the question:

Trying to teach taste is a losing game. The smarter move is to attract people who already have great taste, and a variety of it.

What does get built over time is reps and pattern recognition.

The more work goes through your hands, the sharper your eye gets, and the engine underneath it all is curiosity.

So instead of trying to teach taste, hire for it, then let curiosity do the rest.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Hiring great creatives isn't just about the portfolio, it's about the character traits most companies don't screen for.

That's how Harry thinks about it after years of building creative teams.

When he's hiring a video editor, a static designer, or a creative strategist, he's not just looking at the work.

He looks at these specific character traits:

1. Obsession. The best creatives are the ones who constantly want to get better, and they don't wait for you to feed them the next thing to learn.

2. Self-belief. Call it self-belief, arrogance, or delusion, but you need someone who believes the next ad they make is going to bang.

3. Coachable. When you show them a different way to do something, they take it on board instead of getting defensive.

Watch the full episode below for more sauce.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

"I don't think you can be a star without being obsessed."

You can teach the craft, but you can't teach obsession.

That's what @harrydelmege_, co-founder of Roly Poly Digital, told me on the latest episode of The Talent Standard.

We discussed everything from the three things he looks for in every creative hire, why character matters more than the portfolio, and how to actually attract A players instead of waiting for them, to what AI changes about hiring great creatives, and lots more.

If you want to know how to hire and retain creative talent from one of the best in the game, you need to watch this.

Timestamps:

2:26 Harry's background and starting Roly Poly
4:48 Three hiring traits: obsession, self-belief, coachability
6:56 Why US agency experience is the unlock
10:11 Michelin star kitchen rule for creative teams
11:26 You attract taste, you don't teach it
13:33 "Maybe great creative strategists just think your company sucks"
14:50 Bringing in a financial advisor for the team
16:03 "I'm a facilitator for their dreams, ambitions and goals"
18:20 Use AI to give A players more leverage
20:26 What Harry looks for in a creative strategist
25:00 No one should dread Sunday nights

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Going remote didn't just change how Cobble Hill worked.

It meant they were able to hire talent from anywhere in the world.

But Austin's view on remote culture is clear:

Things get lost in Slack.

Things get lost on Zoom.

So no matter how distributed the team is, he makes it a priority to get people together in person.

Not necessarily to talk about work. Sometimes it's just to have some quality time with each other as people, which ultimately makes their work better.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

Put your employees first and recruiting gets easy.

That's what Austin found over 14 years of running a digital agency.

His average employee tenure was around three years.

It didn't happen by accident.

Agency life isn't a typical nine to five, client work is demanding, there are always variables, and it can take a real toll on people.

His answer was to stay true to the types of clients they'd work with, treat the team the way they wanted to be treated, and genuinely invest in the culture.

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

"The actual need for real talent doesn't change."

AI changes the tools, but it doesn't change the need for people who can actually think.

Austin Dandridge, General Manager and Creative Director of Cobble Hill, joined me on The Talent Standard.

Cobble Hill is a digital marketing agency based in Charleston, SC. Last year, they were acquired by Pyxl, expanding their capabilities across web, digital strategy, and more.

Most agencies burn through people, but Cobble Hill didn't. Check out the full episode to learn why.

Austin covers how Cobble Hill averaged 3 years of employee tenure over 14 years, why almost every hire came through referrals, how culture becomes your recruiting strategy, what it means to protect your people through an acquisition, and many more insights for agency owners and operators.

14 years of building it right, straight from someone who did it themselves.

Timestamps:

1:10 Austin's background and the Pyxl acquisition
6:03 The first key hire who shaped the aesthetic
7:04 Shifting project managers into account managers
9:06 Never scaling past 20 people, 3-year tenure
11:40 Why Cobble Hill took July off remote
13:53 Why remote teams still need IRL time
16:08 Integrating two agencies, using time tracking
19:43 "Make the decision, set a time, execute it"
20:50 Preserving core talent in an acquisition
21:20 Choosing an acquirer who respects the people
23:23 How being AI-enabled changes who they hire
25:55 Why clients won't pay for ChatGPT output
28:37 The data analyst disruption and who wins
30:42 Advice for new entrants: be super curious

[Leandro Cabrini @leacabrini]

One of the hottest roles to hire in LATAM right now: Operations Manager.

A.K.A. Logistics and Fulfilment Manager, Supply Chain Manager, and more, depending on the job description.

We've seen a lot of e-commerce, DTC, and CPG brands hiring for this role recently.

The responsibilities vary by company, but in general terms, this is the person who owns and coordinates all your operational workflows across supply chain, logistics, fulfillment, and operational systems.

Some of the most common tasks include:

- Managing 3PL partners to ensure accurate and timely order fulfillment
- Owning wholesale logistics, including coordinating shipments to your wholesale customers
- Providing clear demand forecasts and aligning with 3PL capacity planning
- Troubleshooting fulfillment, shipping, and inventory issues across partners
- Managing purchase orders and manufacturing orders from placement through delivery
- Tracking production timelines and proactively flagging delays
- Coordinating with contract manufacturers on specs, timelines, and quality

And a lot more depending on the role.

Salaries usually range from $3,500 to $5,500/mo for a full-time, permanent hire at 40 hours a week, working only for you.

If it sounds like a hire you need, DM me and let's find you the right person.