Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Teles.
Hi Ben, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always had a restless, entrepreneurial spirit. Growing up in Baltimore, I was surrounded by family members running their own businesses, so I saw firsthand what it took to build from the ground up. Whether I was working in the family optical business, shoveling snow, or mowing lawns, I was always chasing the next “odd job.”
While I wasn’t a traditional “straight-A” student, I had a natural mind for business. That drive led me to New York City for a undergrad business school, where I majored in Marketing and Management.. Even then, I kept the hustle alive. While spending my weekends working with adults with special needs, I realized I had a unique asset for a college kid: a car in NYC. I started sourcing free AC units on Craigslist, refurbishing them, and flipping them for a profit. It was a masterclass in supply, demand, and boots-on-the-ground marketing.
After a brief stint at a sports media startup, I landed at a major digital marketing agency. That was my “bootcamp.” I managed Paid Search and Social for Fortune 100 companies, learning to handle massive budgets and complex data. That experience eventually led me to a leadership role at a fitness startup, and ultimately, to the opportunity of a lifetime: leading the global Paid Search and App Marketing team for the Google App and Google Pay. For the last six years, operating at the center of the modern tech landscape has pushed me to a level of precision I never imagined. Today, I’m channeling that “Baltimore hustle” and “Google strategy” into the world of business automation, helping startups eliminate bottlenecks and scale with efficiency.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but the bumps are exactly what prepared me for where I am today. To start, the traditional school system and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. I struggled in the classroom because my brain was wired for practical application rather than theory. It took me years to realize I wasn’t a “bad student”—I just had an entrepreneurial mind that needed a different kind of challenge.
Gaining financial independence was another hurdle I chose to clear early on. While I grew up in a stable, middle-class household and never had to worry about the basics, I had a deep-seated desire to be my own provider. Due to some family dynamics, I decided to become self-reliant at a young age. From high school through college, I never stopped working. I chose to cover my own personal expenses—from my car and gas to the high costs of living in NYC during undergrad.
While that felt like a heavy lift at the time, I now view it as my greatest advantage. It traded a comfortable safety net for a sense of urgency, teaching me a level of grit you just can’t find in a classroom. It’s the reason I can handle the high-pressure environment of a global agency or a tech giant like Google; I learned early on that if I wanted to reach the next level, I had to outwork everyone else to get there.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Because of that background in both grit and high-level strategy, I’ve developed a “secret sauce” that bridges the gap between Big Tech frameworks and startup agility.
Currently, I’m consulting for a business automation startup that specializes in custom solutions. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all software; we build tools designed to solve the specific bottlenecks that stop a company from scaling. Most companies have a “leaky bucket”—they spend a fortune on marketing, but their internal processes are too slow to handle the leads. I fix that bucket.
I focus on three key pillars:
App & Digital Marketing: Using a decade of experience to drive high-intent, global traffic.
Process Engineering: Identifying manual waste and replacing it with custom automation.
Efficiency at Scale: Ensuring that as a company grows, its overhead doesn’t swallow its profits.
What sets me apart is that I speak both “Enterprise” and “Startup.” I know how to lead a global team for the world’s largest advertiser, but I also know how to get into the weeds with a founder to automate a CRM. I’m not just a marketer handing over a report of “clicks”; I’m a growth partner who looks at the entire business engine to ensure the technology is actually helping us move faster.
Any big plans?
Looking ahead, my perspective has shifted. I have an incredible wife and two little girls who are the “why” behind everything I do. When I think about the future, it’s no longer about climbing a corporate ladder; it’s about building a legacy. I want my daughters to see their father build something meaningful from the ground up.
After over a decade of mastering global search for the world’s biggest brands, I’m ready for a major pivot. I’m moving away from just “doing marketing” and toward being a builder. My goal is to take everything I’ve learned about scale and automation and apply it to my own ventures.
I’m leaning heavily into the business automation space because I believe it is the future of how work gets done. My plan is to transition from a consultant into a founder, creating a company that solves real-world problems through custom technology. I’ve spent years growing other people’s businesses to massive heights; now, fueled by the motivation of my family, I’m ready to do it for myself.
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benteles/
