Kandance Vallejo, the visionary behind Remedios Consulting, shares valuable insights on launching and growing successful businesses with a focus on interpersonal relationships and leadership coaching. Transitioning from business ownership to consulting, Vallejo emphasizes innovative thinking in overcoming challenges.
Kandance’s advice resonates with small businesses and nonprofits, emphasizing coaching in leadership. In contrast, in a podcast, she discusses her entrepreneurial journey, highlighting the importance of interpersonal relationships and coaching.
Addressing scaling challenges, Kandance advocates for early hiring to prevent burnout, collaborates with Tressa Rowland for profitable strategies in 2024, and advises prioritizing business intelligence and realistic planning. She underscores the significance of strong teams and effective leadership hiring, training, and support. Kandance emphasizes responsibility in training employees and suggests seeking operational support for sustainable growth.
Larry D. Williams is the Community Liaison for the HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) of the Purchasing Department of Travis County. Travis County and its HUB department are award-winning organizations within the government purchasing arena. He received his BA from Arizona State in Mass Communications and Media Studies with a minor in Public Policy and Public Service. Larry prides himself in bringing professionalism, innovation, and equity to the forefront of every position he has been involved in. Larry has focused his entire career on expanding nonprofits’ and governmental agencies’ community-level work to enhance their effectiveness with their most important stakeholders. It is his passion for seeing professionals and community organizations break through their boundaries and expand their effectiveness in their given communities.
–Larry shares his experience as a volunteer with EGBI.
–Share a fun fact with us.
A fun fact about me is that I am new to Central Texas. I have an ever-growing list on my phone of great and unique places on my phone that I have experienced since I moved here.
“It became more desirable for me to be a small part of seeing that mission available to the community” – Larry D.Williams
-How did you first get involved with EGBI?
When I was hired as the Community Liaison for the Travis County Purchasing HUB program I went through the HUB Resource Guide and connected with external stakeholders listed there. EGBI was one of those organizations.
-Why do you volunteer for EGBI?
I was first impressed by the professionalism of the staff. As I became more aware of the mission and vision of EGBI it became more desirable for me to be a small part of seeing that mission available to the community.
-How has your involvement with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally?
My time volunteering with EGBI introduced me to the entrepreneurial climate of Austin and Travis County. Being involved with EGBI also made me that much more excited to enhance this community by improving the access that Historically Underutilized Businesses have to the Purchasing process of Travis County.
– What was the most rewarding experience you had while volunteering for EGBI?
Being able to share the HUB process of not only Travis County but also the other governmental agencies in the area.
– Why do you think others should volunteer or support EGBI?
I believe others will find a passion for the entrepreneurial climate of the City of Austin and Travis County and its importance in our community.
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 support our efforts, please visit our website https://egbi.org/donate/.
Born in Venezuela, Maria holds a bachelor’s in architecture and a marketing certificate. As a new degree holder, she had the opportunity to work in trade shows’ booth design and production, translating into more than ten years of work in the field of trade shows and corporate image. Later, she moved to the United States and worked in higher education administration spearheading the student services department in a private university. For more than a decade she worked developing student services procedures and training with a particular concentration on students’ non-academic matters assistance, regulations compliance, campus safety, handbook revision and update, student onboarding, and major university events.
Her responsibilities as a student services administrator also provided her with an open door for community service, getting involved in organizing fundraising and awareness events to support national and local organizations, overseeing, and advising students’ clubs and associations, and mentoring the Student Government Association.
Her volunteer work led her to act as a mentor for a non-profit organization, Youth and Democracy in the Americas. Being its Mission to raise awareness regarding the situation of democracy in Latin America, it successfully progressed attaining the support of the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro, several US Senators and Representatives, national and foreign student organizations, and various other non-profit organizations.
More recently, Maria has been involved in e-commerce and logistics having among her duties the translation and interpretation of meetings, training, and documents for limited English proficient team members. In her spare time, she volunteers as an assistant instructor for an early literacy for adults’ program, and as an English-Spanish translator and interpreter for non-profit organizations.
–Maria shares her experience as a volunteer with EGBI.
–Share a fun fact with us.
I love to swim in cold waters but not on the beach or rivers. I prefer to swim by jumping off of a boat, in the clear shallow blue waters of the open sea.
“It is an exciting opportunity to learn about EGBI’s work and mission” – Maria Hoffman
-How did you first get involved with EGBI?
I was looking for opportunities to volunteer and got involved with EGBI through Volunteer Match.
-Why do you volunteer for EGBI?
It’s an opportunity that allows me to give back to the community. On the other hand, I have the chance to put into practice my translation skills, which is something I highly enjoy.
-How has your involvement with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally?
Professionally I believe it is an exciting opportunity to learn about EGBI’s work and mission. Personally, EGBI provides me with the rewarding feeling of being of help for a good cause.
– What was the most rewarding experience you had while volunteering for EGBI?
I’m new to EGBI, yet I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate to spread the voice about the resources available for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
– Why do you think others should volunteer or support EGBI?
Helping small businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed is very important, and volunteering with EGBI increases the opportunities to accomplish that goal.
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 support our efforts, please visit our website https://egbi.org/donate/.
Are you starting your own business? Do you want to know if anyone around you is too?
Alignable is an online network that connects small business owners. It is a US-based company that went public in 2014. Now, it has more than 7 million members.
Imagine a LinkedIn but specifically, for micro and small business owners.
Here is what Alignable can help you with:
Make connections with other business owners
Alignable is meant to act as an “ice breaker” for this community by helping you make connections, post about your business, and refer others. You can announce new events or product lines to all your contacts at once.
You can also create and join groups to connect with other business owners that have similar interests. When you first join, Alignable adds you to a community that includes the businesses in your general area.
This makes it easy for other owners in your area to seek out your business and vice versa. Once you establish a connection with each other, you can continue it through Alignable.
Contribute to your local community
Alignable is great to get you in contact with business owners in your local community.
It spans about 5 to 10 towns in your area and you can personalize your connections by specifying who you want to connect with.
These might be potential customers and partners!
Here are 3 Steps to Promoting Your Business on Alignable:
Step 1: Figure out the logistics
You need your post to communicate your event or announcement clearly. What is the title of your announcement? What is the date and time of your event? Who is it for? What are you promoting?
Step 2: Create art for your post
Unique social media art is a big part of catching your audience. Make sure your message is clear and the color palette is simple. Your design should be something that you stop scrolling to take a look.
Step 3: Share your post
Below is a list of all the different functions on Alignable. You are able to click what kind of post you want to share so your potential consumers can understand your post’s purpose.
The main difference between Alignable and LinkedIn is that it’s more casual. Since it connects you from town to town, it feels close knit.
If you want to contribute to your local community and connect with other small business owners in your area, Alignable might be good for you.
Small businesses deserve the spotlight too.
See if Alignable is a good complimentary platform for you.
Jesus is a Financial Center Manager at Independent Financial, where he manages the retail side for the Austin location. He is responsible for the day-to-day operation, expanding the business of the branch and small business development.
He has been working in banking for over ten years across the state of Texas. Jesus focuses on developing deep ties in the communities he works, and helping persons reach their financial goals. He has worked on a variety of entrepreneurship programs and financial literacy classes, delivering them in person and virtual platforms.
–Jesus shares his experience as a volunteer with EGBI.
–Share a fun fact with us.
I occasionally write short stories, and give them out to my friends. Nothing major, but I enjoy writing literary fiction. Slices of life that give a glimpse of what we go through daily. They are cathartic.
“Volunteering at EGBI is a great way to help our community.” – Jesus nevarez
–How did you first get involved with EGBI?
I had just moved to the city, and I was still struggling to get acclimated. I had reached out through email to know how I could help. I had researched EGBI, and my perception was that they are a great resource to our local entrepreneurs. Monica Peña reached back, and invited me to an EGBI event. Thereafter, I asked if I could assist in some of the classes that EGBI does for entrepreneurs. Since that point, I’ve been enjoying being a volunteer for EGBI at different stages and programs.
–Why do you volunteer for EGBI?
Small business are the lifeblood of our communities, and entrepreneurship is a pathway to achieve financial security. I believe in what EGBI does, and the persons that run the organization truly have their hearts in it. I like to help persons get better, and some of the entrepreneurs and small business owners that attend EGBI just need a hand to reach the next level. I work at Independent Financial, where we try to build healthy communities. They have supported me in this endeavor.
-How has your involvement with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally?
Professionally it has allowed to me see what the small business community needs in Austin. Understand their concerns and their aspirations. It has connected me with other persons across the city that are also looking to assist our entrepreneur community. Personally, well, just meeting new persons. Moving to a new city, with no family or professional network can be difficult. I’ve met so many persons in the classes, and accelerated my knowledge of the city and its resources.
–What was the most rewarding experience you had while volunteering for EGBI?
There was a presentation in the last quarter of 2022. They were presenting the persons that had graduated from the program. Hearing all those stories of success, allowed me to see the tremendous impact that EGBI has in our city.
– Why do you think others should volunteer or support EGBI?
Volunteering at EGBI is a great way to help our community. EGBI has a develop great systems to understand entrepreneurs at different levels of their business journey. They are in the business of helping people get better, that is something that we could all do.
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 support our efforts, please visit our website https://egbi.org/donate/.
