By: Gesche Haas
Gesche Haas is the founder & CEO of Dreamers & Doers, a highly curated community and PR Hype Machine™ for extraordinary women entrepreneurs.
For years, Isabella Rodriguez built a career as a freelancer in the events industry, drawn to the magic of creating experiences people would remember. But behind the scenes, the work often came with a cost. Too frequently, she found herself navigating environments marked by racism, sexism, and harassment, conditions that made it impossible to fully belong or commit to a single company.
Determined to keep doing the work she loved without compromising her values, Isabella took a leap and founded Super Great Fantastic, an international experiential agency centered on guest experience and emerging technology. From the start, she set out to build the kind of workplace she wished she’d encountered, one where employees are respected, leadership is accountable, and clients are met with transparency and care. Today, Isabella and her team are proving that creative excellence doesn’t have to come at the expense of dignity or safety.
What sets your company apart in a crowded market? What do you believe is your unique contribution to your industry?
More than anything else, we value guest experience. If a client wants something that’s an easy path but will lead to a confusing experience for their guests, we try to gently guide them in another direction. We are very upfront about the budgets, charging at cost, billing our agency fee, and refusing to hide behind margins. We also make a point to uplift our team. If someone wants to be a producer, not a coordinator, we hire them for that role and support from leadership down. We will always give our team a solid foundation and support.
Can you share a time when staying true to your mission or values required you to slow down or take a different path in your growth journey?
We’ve been asked our fair share of times to work with politicians who go against our personal values: a woman’s right to choose, and that no one is illegal on stolen land. At previous agencies where I worked, these conflicts didn’t matter to leadership because they just wanted the money. At SGF, we do what is right and say no regardless of what we stand to gain financially because we live and work in a way that makes us and our team proud.
What has been your greatest challenge in blending work with life? How have you managed to create a sense of harmony between the two?
The events industry is your whole life: weekends, late nights, overnight load-ins and outs. I even combine my yearly vacations with work events! Being surrounded by an amazing team and pushing through together helps immensely.
Can you share a significant life event that profoundly changed your perspective on leadership? How has it inspired the way you lead?
Coming up in this industry, I was always searching for a mentor, but in the early days, I could never find someone to truly guide and support me. Once I moved up, I did my best to mentor young women. Now, I mentor three young women and am actively trying to guide even more.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your entrepreneurial journey so far?
To trust my intuition. Saying no is okay. If my gut tells me something is wrong or something is amiss, then I listen. If a client has unreasonable requests, we politely guide them.
What advice would you give to other women wanting to start or grow businesses in an intentional way?
Just start! Start small, buy the domain, set up the Instagram account. You don’t have to come out with a huge bang. SGF started when I wanted to throw my 30th birthday party, which we thought we could use as a launching pad. My friends stepped in to help, and we created an amazing event. Lean on your community and your support system. You never know who may be interested in moving forward with you.
Isabella is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.
