I am of Mexican origin, I have been living in the Austin Tx area for some years, I am the wife of Mr Jorge Soto and mother of 2 children Jorgito and Samantha Soto. We have 2 dogs that are part of our family Covid and Sky. Personally, I like walking in nature, reading and meeting new people. I am part of the work team of S & G Builds, a company dedicated to remodeling and construction, my role at this moment is to take charge of the numbers (Bookkeeping) and thanks to the support of EGBI I am learning more about this activity.
What is your favorite part of what you do in your business?
My favorite part is that I’m learning something different.
What has been the most difficult moment for you in your profession?
A difficult part was at the beginning where there were not many clients and the income was not very stable.
How has EGBI helped you?
EGBI has helped me train and continue learning about how a business is structured in the United States.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself
Something fun about me is that people can like me.
If you had the opportunity, would you change anything about what you have achieved?
I wouldn’t change anything that I have experienced, because I believe that this is the process that I had to go through in order to get to where I am today.
If you could do it all over again, would you still join EGBI? Why yes or why not?
I would definitely join EGBI because they are a very complete organization that has everything necessary to support and train people who have decided to start a business.
EGBI provides training, coaching, and support to aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business. If you would like to know more about EGBI’s business coaching, visit https://egbi.org/coach/ Spanish-(https://egbi.org/es/coach-2/).
I was born in an ejido in Coahuila Mexico, and when I came to the United States at a very young age, I went to public schools here in Austin. I have 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren which I am raising 3 of them aged 4, 3 and 7 months. So I started creating again. From a very young age, I saw the need for our people to understand another language or have someone translate for them. I say this because my own experience since I was a child was doing it for the people I knew. I translated conferences, documents, legal documents, and also made them, whether it was filling out immigration documents, appeals, income applications, and even lawsuits that people had and did not understand. After high school I took a paralegal course, and was working in different branches of law, family law, workers compensation, immigration and international oil companies in administration. The moment my older children entered college I decided to return to college and obtained my bachelor’s degree in business. I did this for almost 25 years. I am now a graduate of Concordia University. Throughout this journey my favorite job was being a Mary Kay consultant.Now that I am at home and raising my grandchildren (children) as they know me, I decided to open the doors to what I have always done, people administration and from there (ALVAREZ ALCANTAR CONSULTING FIRM), LLC has been born.
Tell me what inspired you to start your business?
What inspired me to initiate my business was the injustice many of the minorities face due to the lack of understanding policies, and procedures, or when the community is taken advantage of because of services they need, i.e. in translation, notary, or simply reading a document in their native language.
Why did you decide to join EGBI?
I decided to join EGBI because I believe in their cause of helping the community and having many networking outlets to get your business off the ground and be successful.
Did you encounter any obstacles along the way? If so, how did you overcome them?
Yes, I was my own obstacle, I do not know how to ask for help, despite the fact that I know I need it, I only know how to lend a hand. I overcame that by remembering what one of the directors of EGBI (also a friend), stated to me, “it’s great for you to help out others, however you’re going to drive a bus through your heart if you don’t do it for yourself” Larrisa Davila.
How does your business differ from others?
My business differs from others because I try to understand the clients needs and make certain I can deliver the service they are needing without adding more stress to their situation. I’m blunt and transparent, if I can help I will if I cannot I let them know.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself
A fun fact about myself is that I like to collect souvenir spoons from everyplace I visit, and also prefer actual photos other than digital. (those 2 fun facts)
Are you happy with what you have achieved?
Absolutely, I am very happy with what I have achieved.
How has EGBI helped you?
EGBI has helped me in my confidence and has opened many doors and windows to more opportunities in gaining more clients.
EGBI provides training, coaching, and support to aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business. If you would like to know more about EGBI’s business coaching, visit https://egbi.org/coach/ Spanish-(https://egbi.org/es/coach-2/).
Michael is a summer intern here at EGBI. He is also an incoming sophomore. He was born here in Austin Texas. In school he is in a marching band and he wants to stay in it all throughout high school. Another thing about him is that he loves cats.
Share a fun fact about yourself.
A fun fact about me is that I’m left-handed and double jointed.
What do you like doing in your free time?
I enjoy playing video games from time to time and practicing my saxophone.
How did you get involved with EGBI and why did you choose to be an intern here?
I got involved with EGBI because I was chosen to work here. I chose to be an intern because it was different and so I decided to be here and see what it’s like and learn so I can use this knowledge for my future career.
Do you think others should volunteer or support EGBI? And why?
I think others should volunteer or support EGBI because this place has done many great things for other businesses. It has helped the community grow their business and help them succeed in life.
How has being with EGBI helped you personally and/or professionally?
It has helped me experience a different work environment. I have also learned how to communicate with people and improve my vocabulary in spanish. Another thing is organization has taught me how to organize my writing when I want to write either a blog about someone or explain something clearly.
How would you describe your experience here in EGBI?
My experience here has been great. Everyone is so nice, the environment here is peaceful, and relaxing.
Eileen Wu is a rising junior in High School. At school she enjoys being a part of the Band as a clarinet player and section leader! In her free time, she likes riding her bike and drawing. She doesn’t really know what she wants to do in the future, but something to make an impact on people’s lives and be able to travel with her family and friends all over the world.
What is a fun fact about you?
My favorite foods are watermelon and tomato and egg noodles. I have a four year old cactus named Eve.
How did you first get involved with EGBI?
I didn’t know about the internship programs that assign students to EGBI, so I was looking for business related non profits and then just applied through EGBI’a website.
Why do you intern for EGBI?
Because I am uncertain about what I want to do in the future, I decided experiencing the everyday activities of running a business at EGBI would help me figure out if this was really something I wanted to do. EGBI’s services and mission align with my own interests in business and supporting local businesses. I enjoy knowing that the work I do here could help aspiring business owners reach their dreams.
How has your experience with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally?
I haven’t really been at EGBI for that long, so I haven’t gathered many experiences, but I have been able to observe all the aspects of running a small business, and the resources available to help. Personally, I’ve met a lot of really cool people and learned about their journeys, which has really broadened up my perspective about my future. I hope I continue to contribute here and do what I can to help clients, as well as learn more everyday!
When choosing between Zoho, Swoogo, and Eventbrite, it is important to understand what platform suits your needs most. All of these softwares support in person and virtual meetings so that is not a major factor to take into account. For people who are already using Zoho tools like the Zoho campaign, Zoho projects, or Zoho mail, it is best to use Zoho since it is easy to use alongside other Zoho applications. If you are a complete beginner in the event management field, it is best to use Swoogo due to its beginner friendly interface. It is simple to use and has the smallest learning curve of the 3 applications, making it a great start for new users. Lastly, Eventbrite is the biggest of the 3 platforms, meaning more people use it and more people will have access to your events. This means that although a smaller percent of the platform might see your event, due to the greater size of the platform, this might still mean more people will see your event then in the other 2 softwares.
Pros and Cons of all the Softwares
Pros
They are all in one platform, meaning they have access to a large amount of tools.
They are each heavily customizable, meaning they can each suit your events uniquely.
They have mobile apps which make it easier to check in people and look at data from your phone.
Cons
They cost money when doing paid tickets and sometimes have costs to use the software in general. Do your research on the fees to see which one fits your budget.
Managing large events on these types of platforms can be complicated due to data overloads and coordinating large amounts of speakers or workshops.
Each of these platforms takes time to be comfortable with, meaning all staff who work using need practice before being properly equipped.
Be sure to research before getting started to be sure you are using the platform that best meet your needs.
