2017 Celebrating Success

We want to thank everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, and sponsored our 7th Annual Celebrating Success fundraiser. Each year this event honors the achievements of our clients and their contributions to the local economy.
We were joined by our amazing mistress of ceremonies, comedian, and former rocket scientist, Shayla Rivera,  Austin Community College Board of Trustees & Celebrating Success Committee Chair, Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D., and Consul for Political and Economic Affairs, Jorge Salcido Zugast.  We heard inspirational video testimonials from our clients with ATX Co-op Taxi and Barbon’s Barbershop.  Christina Paz, owner of Siller Preferred Services, led the audience through her entrepreneurial journey and relationships created along the way through EGBI’s support.

Celebrating Success luncheon also included a business expo, where EGBI clients had an opportunity to showcase and sell their products and services. We were so excited to bring this opportunity to our clients. We have been nurturing our family-owned businesses through education and resources. This was a great way to continue our support by connecting them with a number of community leaders, business consultants, professionals and other entrepreneurs.

We also had the opportunity to honor our volunteer of the year, Fernando Labastida.  As a staff of three, EGBI relies on volunteers as expert instructors, support, and more.  We wanted to acknowledge all of our volunteers’ efforts and assistance throughout the year.

We want to once again thank our sponsors for all your support in helping us connect individuals to the resources and education they need to make them successful business owners. We are proud to announce that more than half of our sponsors were EGBI alumni.
We appreciate the continued support of sponsors, donors, community partners, and volunteers in our efforts to create, grow and sustain successful grassroots businesses, contributing to Austin’s economy and the prosperity of their families.
 

Thank you to our Title sponsor:

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor:

Thank you to our Gold Sponsors:

Barbra Boeta, Judy & Al Lopez, Statefarm – Agent Alejandra De la Torre
           

Thank you to our Silver Sponsors:

Austin Community College, BB&T Bank, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Digi.City, El Paso Oncology and Internal Medicine*, Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D.,  PeopleFund, The Critical Update*

Thank you to our Bronze Sponsors:

Austin STEM Academy*, Balam Construction*, BCO Consulting Group*, Chago’s Caribbean Cuisine*, First Citizens Bank, Law Office of Mario Flores, Method Hair Salon*, Peacock Salon*, Ranger Dash Productions*, Red Carpet Productions*, Round Top Bank, Siller Preferred Services*, SouthStar Bank, Tamale Addiction*, The Law Office of Ana Estrada*, Victory Framing*
*EGBI Clients

Ice Cream Cone or Fruit Cup?

Las Mangonadas opened it’s doors in December of 2016 to serve customers a variety of their forty homemade flavors of ice cream,  cakes and pastries made daily, fruit cups, and other tasty snacks.  Claudia Sanchez, the co-owner of Las Mangonadas, learned about the business from her uncle, Alfredo Sanchez,  who was already an entrepreneur. Claudia gained experience through a similar business she helped her uncle with in Illinois until she decided to move back to Austin.  Both created the Austin business to provide the assortment of sweet to salty munchies that also include corn cups, smoothies, Doritos locos, and so much more.  In business for less than a year, they have already started to see growth in sales.
Claudia first became connected with Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI) when she attended Curso Empresarial, EGBI’s series of workshops taught in Spanish by local subject matter experts who have years of experience dealing with start-up businesses.  “The workshops helped with the general vision of business and learning from the experience of other attendees and instructors.  I was motivated that running a business was not going to be easy, but with tenacity it was going to be possible.” Claudia continues, ” I continue to receive assistance from EGBI anytime I contact them. They are always ready to help with resources, their knowledge, and encouragement. ”

 

 

Do you have a Tamale Addiction?

Tamale Addiction is famous for being fresh, organic, local, and delicious! Since it first set up at a farmer’s market in 2010, these tamales have managed to collect a following of Tamale Addicts and in the process increasing their production from 80 tamales their first week to now 9000 tamales on a Monday through Friday work week. Their flavors have spread fast through markets and coffee shops around Austin, San Marcos, San Antonio, and major events as ACL Music Festival, Old Settlers Music Festival, Food and Wine Festival, Formula 1 at COTA, etc. Recently these savory meals have made it into local retail stores.  Now their product can be found in Wheatsville Co-op, Royal Blue Grocery, People’s Pharmacy, Fresh Plus, and Thom’s Market. You may even be lucky enough to spot a Tamale Addiction food truck in an office campus near you!
Owner Adrian Paredes and his wife Mariana’s experience in the food industry started in 2009. After a failed venture with Mexican desserts, a new opportunity randomly aroused when a farmer’s market director asked them if they could make and sell tamales (they didn’t know how, but they said “yes”). Over the next days, Adrian and Mariana called every family member they knew to collect recipes, tips, and tricks about making tamales. They worked all week to prepare 80 tamales for their first market. Those tamales were sold out within an hour. The couple rose to the task before them: going organic and local and create vegan and vegetarian options for their customers. They had found the magic!  This is when Tamale Addiction was born.
Due to rapid growth,  Adrian Peredes sought out training and consulting services from the Economic Growth Business Incubator to develop a business plan and financial projections.  “I  am so grateful for the training, support and networking EGBI has given my business.  The business has been such a great adventure for my wife and I.”  – Adrian Paredes.


Launch of the Consular Assistance Special Campaign for Mexican Nationals in Central Texas

The Consulate General of Mexico in Austin announced the launch of the Consular Assistance Special Campaign for Mexican Nationals in Central Texas, a new effort sponsored by the Mexican Government to promote “know your rights” seminars, US citizenship workshops, financial education clinics, and individual consultations with immigration attorneys, among other services.
This initiative is the result of extraordinary resources allocated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico to its consular network in the United States. In Austin, funds will be used in a capacity building effort to better protect the rights and interests of Mexican nationals within the Consulate’s jurisdiction.
The main activities and programs that are part of the campaign are:

  • Know Your Rights Information sessions. Attendees of these sessions will receive information about their rights, what to do in case of detention by an authority, and information about SB4.
  • Immigration screening consultations with immigration attorneys. Through an individualized screening consultation, a person will be able to talk to an immigration attorney to find out if he/she qualifies for any type of immigration relief. The person will receive legal counsel as to his or her potential options, and what next steps to follow.
  • Naturalization clinics. At these clinics, Legal Permanent Residents who qualify will receive legal assistance to apply for U.S. citizenship.
  • Emergency preparedness clinics. Attendees to these clinics will receive information on how to protect their children and properties in case of deportation proceedings. They will receive assistance executing powers of attorney forms, and other legal instruments, as needed. They will also receive useful information in case they decide to return to Mexico.
  • The Financial Assistance Window.This service, located within the Consulate, will provide training and guidance on how to protect patrimony, as well as cultural and linguistically appropriate financial and educational advice with the purpose of increasing financial literacy among the immigrant community.

All services offered will be free of charge to participants. This program was made possible in the collaboration of several organizations and attorneys throughout Central Texas.   Economic Growth Business Incubator was proud to be one of the organizations along with American Gateways,  Asociación de Restauranteros Mexicanos de Texas, Casa Marianella, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, De Mott, McChesney, Curtright and Armendáriz, LLP (DMCA), Education Austin, Equal Justice Center, Foundation Communities, Hispanic Alliance, Lincoln – Goldfinch Law, Migrant Clinician Network, Mis Cuentas, RAICES Texas, The Law Office of Yohana Saucedo, P.C., The Lyttle Law Firm, and Volunteer Legal Services.

  • Mexican and other Latino immigrants interested in knowing more about the campaign or how to take advantage of this opportunity for free services can register at the Consulate’s website https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/austin/, under the Protección tab (Centro de Defensoría).

Why There’s Only One Ideal Type of Salesperson

By Ronell Smith

Last year Rand Fishkin, a Seattle software executive, started an exciting Twitter thread when he let loose a provocative comment regarding sales tactics:

“Best way to sell something—don’t sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect, & trust of those who might buy.”

As you’d expect, the comments that flowed in ranged from total agreement to disagreement bordering on denouncement.

In many ways, everyone is right and wrong: Sales and salespeople get a bad rap, some of it deserved, in large part because the worst examples (i.e., pushy, sometimes sleazy tactics) stick out in our minds and override those occasions when salespeople were actually quite helpful.

We have our brains to blame for the contempt, says Clifford Nass, a Stanford communications professor and co-author of The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships, said in a New York Timespiece on the topic.

Click To Enlarge
Why There’s Only One Ideal Type of Salesperson Infographic