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What kind of clients come to EGBI? Client feature: Teresa Valenzuela-Basa

by | Feb 26, 2013 | Success Stories

What kind of clients come to EGBI? Client feature: Teresa Valenzuela-Basa

By Al Lopez, February 26, 2013

The diversity of our clients is an element that makes our experience here at EGBI especially interesting and rewarding. At one end of the spectrum, we have folks who don’t yet have a specific business but feel that sometime in the future they will start a business. At the other end, we have clients who already have a business developing, but have reached a point where they realize they really need and want to have a more formal business plan, such was the case of Teresa Valenzuela-Basa.

Teresa arrived in the United States in 1991 as a refugee from Chile. Her passion for art, color, and fashion led to an initial career in jewelry design, which has evolved into a creation of a full line of fashion. Teresa’s strong commitment to her community and heritage inspired her to work with a Chilean Foundation which aims to preserve the colorful art form of horse hair weaving while helping women to become financially independent. Her community involvement includes volunteering at Safeplace, an Austin based nonprofit that empowers women living under family violence.

Teresa is currently in our noon cohort of Building Success Program (BSP). We have covered business topics such as business plan, personal finances/credit, budgeting, pricing, legal structures, taxes and insurance among other. Coming up are sessions on marketing, branding, and using social media for your business. The BSP culminates with each client, including Teresa, presenting a brief summary of their business plan to the class members and the EGBI staff.

Teresa’s designs have been featured at the Texas Campaign for the Environment, Austin Fashion Week, and the 2012 Texas Emmy Awards. She is periodically featured in Univision’s Despierta Austin providing fashion tips. Her first fashion debut, Vento e Sole, takes place on Sunday, March 17th at Ballet Austin. The event benefits Safeplace and Ballet Austin. Tickets can be purchased here.

It is particularly exciting when we see collaboration among our clients. In this case, our client Sugar Fashionista is participating in Teresa’s Vento e Sole event providing their fabulous desserts. We are proud of them, Teresa and other small business owners who call EGBI their “base of support” and look forward to continuing to help them sustain and grow their businesses.

If your current situation is similar to Teresa’s, and you are ready to take your small business to the next level, come to EGBI. Check out our website, sign up for our entrepreneurial training sessions beginning in April and attend our great workshop series in March.

Latina Fashion Designer, Teresa Valenzuela-Basa currently enrolled in EGBI’s Building Success Program

“EGBI is providing guidance and training to enable my business to grow steadily and with solid roots. Their professional team is full of resources and they are dedicated to ensuring small businesses succeed. The support of EGBI is reassuring to business owners. As a fashion designer, I can count on their guidance to surround my company with professionals who are instrumental for running a business in an ethical, productive, effective and efficient manner.”  Teresa Valenzuela-Basa

EGBI Client Highlight Home Help Services by Verobran

by | Jan 23, 2013 | Success Stories

EGBI Client Highlight Home Help Services by Verobran

By Nayeli Gallegos, January 22, 2013

Veronica Trevisan is the Co-Owner of Home Help Services by Verobran along with Branbilia Mendoza. They offer home support services, a combination of residential cleaning and home health care.

Veronica, a native from Argentina and Branbilia (Bran), a native from Mexico, met each other in 2006 while working for a Mexican Taqueria. In 2008, Veronica went to work for a home attendant care agency and recruited Branbilia to the team. They found out that working together was very natural for them. They began planning for their business at the end of 2011. In March 2012, Veronica enrolled in EGBI’s Building Success Program, where she was able to begin writing her business plan and learned the foundations for business management. She graduated in May and they started operations on July 7, 2012.

Veronica Trevisan & Branbilia Mendoza

Right after graduation, she took advantage of the FREE membersthip that the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GAHCC) offers to EGBI Graduates, and she has actively used it to expand her circle of influence. Veronica quickly learned the advantages of networking and the continuing education opportunities offered by the GAHCC and EGBI. “I am the one who does the contacts, socialize and receive referrals. Bran is the one who gives us credibility by performing an excellent job” said Veronica.

“I always tell everybody, that even though we have different points of view sometimes, we know who is the best in each area, so, she is the boss when it is time to perform our tasks inside the houses, and she respects my way of managing the company.”

Veronica and Bran were able to start the business with their personal savings, and now are able to operate with the income generated from their sales. They pride themselves in the fact that they manage their personal finances in a very responsible way.

“It is impossible to say how much help we received from EGBI. Being an immigrant entrepreneur requires a lot of courage, starting from the fact that the laws could be totally different from the country you are coming from. EGBI helped us to understand all these special things we need to know and how to operate correctly in the United States,” said Veronica.

“EGBI taught me that it is ok to start small and that everyone makes mistakes in the journey, but that there are people who are willing to help…all I need to do is ask.”

Peggy Montgomery, Chair of Texas CBar; Veronica Trevisan and Lois Mermelstein, Volunteer Attorney at EGBI’s Legal Clinic

 Veronica and Bran continue to attend EGBI workshops and special classes. As an example, they attended the Legal Clinic in December 2012, where they got an opportunity to talk privately with an attorney and get FREE legal advice. They both continue to come back to EGBI anytime they need business advice or a referral, and we enjoy seeing them grow and develop their entrepreneurial skills.