The Making of an Entrepreneur: Pablo Casilimas of Rootex

From college drop-out to entrepreneur, Pablo Casilimas of Rootex uses his drive and determination to create content and make an impact in Gainesville.

Casilimas was raised in Pembroke Pines by his Hispanic parents who always taught their children to find jobs with high security. His options were to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. For a short time, he chose engineering.

In 2014, he studied industrial engineering at the University of Florida for two years. During his second semester, he was offered an internship in Maine with Pratt & Whitney, an aviation and aerospace company that makes jet engines for military and commercial planes. Within the first month of his internship, he quickly decided that working in a corporate industry was not for him.

“After one month, I was miserable. I was like, ‘I could never do this, I could never work corporate. I don’t wanna be an engineer, and I never wanna work 9 to 5 again.’”

His entrepreneurial spirit uncovered when he envisioned starting his own company. Shortly after completing his internship, Casilimas opened Rootex, a content marketing agency that specializes in video production.

In 2017, Casilimas dropped out of college. He knew it was time to pursue his path to entrepreneurial success full-time. He believes there is a clear path for entrepreneurship, but it’s not as easy to see as going to college or getting a job.

Casilimas’ long term goal is to make an impact by creating a high-quality entrepreneurship program for those who want to become entrepreneurs. He wants to use what he’s learned to help others that were once in his place achieve success.

“I’m definitely a visionary in terms of being able to look out into the future and say this is what we’re gonna build and then working backwards and saying this is the first step we have to take to get there.”

He believes that there is something unique about Gainesville. From the local innovators to the startup founders, Gainesville is an undervalued place in terms of talent. He envisions great growth in the next 10 years for his city.

“The innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem is going to be thriving here.”

Listen to the 131th episode of the WHOA GNV podcast to hear more about Pablo Casilimas’ journey to dropping out of college and becoming his own boss.

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