Episode 97
Growing a Video Business with Google Ads (ft. Republic24)
Rodrigo did not grow Republic24 with venture money, loans, or a big agency playbook. He grew it, over 11 years and across two of Mexico’s biggest cities, on one channel he still refuses to hand off: Google Ads. From a solo operation run out of his apartment to offices in Monterrey and Mexico City, his story is a clinic in bootstrapped, deliberate growth.
In this episode, the first CGC guest from Mexico, Rodrigo tells Dario and Kyrill how he went all-in on Google Ads as an early adopter, why he niched into unglamorous but lucrative industrial video, how he built a cross-border business serving US clients who need to shoot in Mexico, and why he believes that if you keep your employees happy, the clients take care of themselves.
Key Takeaways
- Bootstrap if you can. Rodrigo built Republic24 with no loans, growing organically and opening each new office only once the finances were ready.
- Go all-in on one channel that works. From day one, Google Ads was his lead engine, and being an early adopter in Mexico made it cheap and highly effective.
- Own your ad account. Rodrigo still runs his own Google Ads after 11 years, because no one knows your business better than you do.
- Niche where others will not. Industrial and manufacturing video is unglamorous and overlooked, which is exactly why it is steady, recurring, and well-paid.
- Sell across the border. An English-speaking crew and a dedicated site turned US and European clients shooting in Mexico into a core part of the business.
- Match the channel to the buyer. Google Ads wins for B2B while social is better for B2C, and in Mexico he finds LinkedIn still oddly underused.
- Hire on calculated risk. Three or six-month contracts that usually turn permanent let him grow without betting the business on any single hire.
- Put employees first. If the employee is happy, the client will be happy, so he invests in culture, from book clubs to half-day Fridays.
- Do not marry one channel forever. Rodrigo is clear-eyed that Google Ads could change, and he is ready to diversify the moment it stops working.
Timestamps
From Film School to Founding Republic24
Rodrigo knew he wanted his own company straight out of film school, but he also knew a crucial thing: making videos and selling videos are two different skills. So he spent a year at a corporate video company learning the sales and administrative side, then went out on his own 11 years ago, young, single, and with little to lose. He started solo from his apartment, borrowing gear, and grew client by client.
After six years in Monterrey, he made a conscious bet on Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, to reach a bigger market. That instinct to learn the business before chasing the craft is the foundation of a video business built to last, and it is the same ground we cover in our guide to corporate video production.
Google Ads: The Engine That Built the Business
The core of Rodrigo’s growth is one channel: Google Ads. He took an online course, put the little money he had all-in, and became one of the first in Mexico running Google Ads specifically for video, back when it was cheap and uncontested. It snowballed fast and has stayed his main lead source ever since. Notably, it is almost entirely inbound: no cold calls, just clients finding him and coming back for project after project.
He still manages the account himself after 11 years. He tried an agency once and hated the cookie-cutter result, the sense that they were selling him services he did not need. His reasoning is simple, and it is the whole argument for owning your marketing. It pairs with treating search visibility and lead generation as skills worth learning yourself.
“No one knows your business better than you do.”
Rodrigo, Republic24Two Niches: Cross-Border US Work and Industrial Video
Republic24’s growth accelerated when it leaned into two niches. The first is cross-border work: Rodrigo noticed US companies needing video shot in Mexico, so he built a business unit and a dedicated English-language brand, VideoInMexico.com, positioning Republic24 as a high-standard, English-speaking crew that meets American, Canadian, and European expectations. He markets it with a separate English Google Ads campaign, and it is now a primary focus.
The second is industrial and manufacturing video, training films, process explainers, the unglamorous work most competitors skip because it is not as flashy as a brand ad. Rodrigo loves it precisely because it is overlooked, well-paid, and recurring: manufacturers always need more. It is a perfect fit for a manufacturing video specialist and a great example of breaking into a new market others ignore.
Why Google Beats Social for B2B
Rodrigo has tested Meta, Instagram, and Facebook, and for his business none of them beat Google Ads. His read: because Republic24 sells business to business, its buyers are searching Google with clear intent (video production in Mexico, video crews in Mexico), not scrolling social. Social is where you advertise if you sell hamburgers, not corporate video, so his social accounts sit mostly dormant.
LinkedIn is the interesting outlier. In Mexico, he says, it is still treated mainly as a recruiting and resume tool rather than a genuine networking platform, so it has not become the B2B engine it is elsewhere. The lesson is to match your channel to how your buyers actually behave, the heart of adapting your sales and SEO and knowing which kind of video you are really selling.
Bootstrapped and Calculated: Growth Without Debt
Rodrigo built Republic24 without ever taking a loan. Partly it was pride, wanting to prove he could do it from the ground up, and partly it is simply healthier: no bank pressure, no looming payments, and the freedom to go slow. He waited until the finances were right before opening Mexico City, and he applies the same patience to Guadalajara now, winning projects there first before hiring anyone locally.
His hiring is just as measured. When freelancer spend on a role grew large enough, he brought it in-house, always on a three or six-month contract first, a calculated risk that usually turns into a long-term hire. It is a disciplined way to invest in a team and grow income without gambling the business, and it keeps pricing grounded in reality, the same thinking behind what a video costs.
Employees First: Culture, Loyalty, and the Pandemic
Rodrigo’s most striking belief is that employees come before clients. Keep the team happy, he argues, and happy clients follow. He backs it with real culture: reading books together (a Pixar history stuck with him), shared lunches, and Viernes Chilango, taking half of Friday off to eat and drink with the team. Dario immediately said he would steal the idea.
That investment paid off when it mattered. Early in the pandemic, Rodrigo had to tell the team he might need to pause for a few months, a conversation he dreaded. Their response, that he had been there for them and now they were there for him, moved him to tears. He brought everyone back within months, just as clients rediscovered how much they needed video and pivoted to virtual events. If you want a Toronto team that thinks this way about work and clients, that is the spirit behind Lapse Productions, and a free competitive quote is a click away.
“A lot of people think the client goes first. I learned that if the employee is happy, the client will be happy too.”
Rodrigo, Republic24Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rodrigo, and what is Republic24?
Rodrigo is the founder of Republic24, a video production company in Monterrey and Mexico City that he started 11 years ago after film school. It focuses on corporate and industrial video, plus cross-border work for US and European clients.
How did Republic24 grow using Google Ads?
Rodrigo went all-in on Google Ads from day one as an early adopter in Mexico, when it was cheap and uncontested for video. It snowballed into his main lead source and remains so today, especially for B2B and international clients.
Why does industrial video work so well as a niche?
It is overlooked by competitors chasing glamorous ad work, but it is well-paid and generates steady, recurring revenue, because manufacturers constantly need training and process videos.
What is VideoInMexico.com?
It is Republic24’s English-language brand for US, Canadian, and European clients who need a high-standard, English-speaking crew to shoot in Mexico, marketed through a dedicated English Google Ads campaign.
How does Rodrigo approach hiring and culture?
He hires on three or six-month contracts that usually become permanent, and he puts employees first, believing a happy team produces happy clients. Traditions like Viernes Chilango, a half-day social Friday, build loyalty.
The Hosts
Dario Nouri and Kyrill Lazarov are the co-founders of Lapse Productions, a Toronto video production company, and the hosts of Creatives Grab Coffee, a weekly show about the business of video production.
About
Creatives Grab Coffee is a podcast about the business behind video production: sales, strategy, pricing, team building, and everything that happens off camera. New episodes every week on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Lapse Productions is a Toronto-based video production company serving tech, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing clients with corporate, promotional, testimonial, event, and industrial video. Curious what a project costs? Read our guide on how much a video costs.
Republic24 is a video production company in Monterrey and Mexico City, founded by Rodrigo over a decade ago. It specializes in corporate and industrial video and offers English-speaking crews to US and European clients shooting in Mexico. Learn more at republic24.net and videoinmexico.com.
