Yeraldin Yordi is an Austin-based entrepreneur and a passionate corporate event planner dedicated to crafting unforgettable experiences. She is the owner of Yeraldin Events. With expertise in high-profile conferences, captivating product launches, and engaging team-building retreats, Yeraldin brings meticulous attention to detail and creative excellence to every project. Embracing diversity and inclusion, Yeraldin creates inclusive environments where every attendee feels valued and engaged.
Yeraldin shares her experience as a client with EGBI.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I love to dance and travel to different countries. I am half Lebanese and half Syrian, but I was born and raised in Venezuela, so I love cultures.
Tell us about your business.
Yeraldin Events provides event planning and coordination services for both corporate events and personal celebrations. Our goal is to create memorable moments and experiences for our clients and their guests. Our planning and coordination services range from event production, budgeting, food, entertainment, and more!
“Supporting an organization like EGBI aligns with the principles of economic empowerment, community development, and fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.” Yeraldin Yordi
How did you first find out about EGBI?
I first found out about EGBI at the open house for BCL of Texas.
How did EGBI help your business? What service did you benefit from?
EGBI provides crucial support to my business. They have offered me mentorship, marketing and branding one-on-one sessions, as well as opportunities to network, and even helping plan their annual luncheon fundraiser. EGBI’s assistance has helped me as an entrepreneur develop my business more.
Why should people consider supporting an organization like EGBI?
Supporting an organization like EGBI aligns with the principles of economic empowerment, community development, and fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. It is an investment in the potential and aspirations of entrepreneurs.
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/.
In today’s time, all businesses are using technology to stay ahead. One game-changing technology is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has changed the world of marketing. While the idea of AI may sound complicated, it offers numerous easy-to-implement solutions that can help your marketing efforts. In this blog post, we will explore some straightforward ways in which business owners can use AI in their marketing to maximize the success of their business.
Personalized Customer Experiences:
AI helps businesses give personalized experiences to their customers. By analyzing large amounts of customer data, AI can understand individual preferences, behaviors, and buying patterns. With this information, businesses can tailor their marketing to each customer, which increases engagement. Personalized email campaigns, product recommendations, and website content are some simple AI strategies to deliver great customer experiences.
Chatbots for Customer Support:
Using AI-powered chatbots on websites and social media platforms can improve customer support by making faster response times. Chatbots can handle common questions, provide product information, and even help with making purchases. By giving these tasks to the AI, businesses can make sure they have constant customer service. With advancements in AI, chatbots can understand and respond to customer questions more accurately, mimicking human-like interactions.
Predicting the future for Smarter Marketing Decisions:
AI- predictions help businesses make marketing decisions backed by data. By looking at past historical data, AI pattern recognition can predict future trends, which helps businesses to create better marketing strategies and target the right audience at the right time.
Social Media Management and Content Creation:
Managing social media platforms and creating engaging content can be time-consuming. AI tools can make these tasks easier by doing content creation, scheduling posts, and looking at social media performance, all for you. With AI-powered content creating tools, businesses can discover relevant articles, videos, and images that reflect their brand. This saves time and effort in manual searching. Additionally, AI can look at social media conversations to help businesses understand their audience’s preferences and tailor content.
Incorporating AI into marketing strategies doesn’t have to be scary or complex!
Whether it’s personalizing customer interactions, implementing chatbots for better customer support, using patterns for data-driven decisions, or creating better advertising campaigns, AI offers numerous solutions. Embrace the power of AI and take your marketing efforts to the next level, gaining a competitive edge in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Remember, the key is to start small and gradually start using AI solutions in your marketing, while keeping a close eye on the results and changing your approach along the way. With the right AI strategies, your business can flourish in our increasing digital era.
So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of AI and unlock its potential to boost your marketing efforts today!
María Alejos is the owner of Blossom Flower Studio, a custom floral home studio based in Cedar Park, Texas that specializes in creating artistically designed floral arrangements and installations for weddings and life event celebrations. Her company designs and set up each event with care and thought, making sure that the result reflects the client’s vision. In addition to its floral design services, Blossom Flower Studio also offer floral workshops.
María Alejos was certified in the Los Angeles Flower School and worked for many years in prestigious design studios in California. After moving to Texas, she continued her education with Intrigue Designs which is run by Sarah Campbell.
Maríashares her experience as a client with EGBI.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
My birthday is on January 16th, which is close to Martin Luther King Day. Thus, every few years, my birthday is on a national holiday, and it makes me feel really lucky because it makes my day more special to have my family and friends celebrate with me.
Another fun fact about me is that I am very creative during cooking time. I love to cook and explore different flavors. During many years I have collected many cook books of worldwide dishes recipes, including my Peruvian food. I just see the ingredients and the picture, and I never look for instructions! Sometimes, I use other ingredients to make healthier meals, which results in a delicious dish and, of course, the presentation in a decorated table with flowers is the final touch and is very important for me.
“EGBI taught me all the essential tools to start a business and gave me all the support and resources that I still need to succeed.” María Alejos
How did you first find out about EGBI?
I found the information in a flyer at an entrepreneur event in Austin. I contacted them immediately, and I started the classes on January 16th. I still remember because it was both my birthday and the beginning of my entrepreneur journey. I have been with EGBI for the past 8 years.
How did EGBI help your business? What service did you benefit from?
EGBI taught me all the essential tools to start a business and gave me all the support and resources that I still need to succeed. An entrepreneur needs to have many talents in order to function, and in my case, just to be creative with my flower designers was not enough. Now, I am in the first month of a EGBI 90 Days to Biz Success Program directed by Joni Foster with a fabulous group of business owners.
Why should people consider supporting an organization like EGBI?
EGBI will keep giving all those essential resources for entrepreneurs, such as support from companies and donations. There are also many ways to consider helping EGBI, such as contributing with money donations, participating in the galas every year and donating time as volunteers or donating products or services.
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/.
Chef Nikki is the mother of a 10 year old boy named Leython, named after her business Leython’s Island Plates. Nicole Samuels, better known as Chef Nikki and her husband decided to start their catering business when they saw that there was a need for more diverse food In Central Texas. Her inspiration comes from cooking as a young girl at the age of 9 years old with both of her grandmothers, from getting up every Saturday at 9 am cleaning and cooking, to preparing to help both grandmothers on alternate weekends. One weekend Chef Nikki would be cooking Jamaican food, and the other weekend would be Central American food from Honduras.
Chef Nikki is a family woman who enjoys spending time with her family and doing fun things with them. She loves to laugh and watch comedy, suspense, horror, and some scientific movies. Nikki loves music, dancing, and having a great time entertaining. She loves creating art in her home or decorating, and enjoys watching food networks, cooking shows, and other cultural meals. Nikki’s passion for Asian cuisine also comes out in her cooking.
Nikki shares her experience as a client with EGBI.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
My background is very diverse in culture. I want to give my customers food that has a flavor and great herbs, where your stomach is fully satisfied and you can say, “Chef Nikki, that hit the spot!” – a saying my dad would say when the food he ate was good. I cook vegan and gluten-free and all my food has flavor, is tasty and the texture is up to par. I love good quality food, so I cook and prepare meals just as if I was eating it. If it is not up to my standard, I start all over again. That’s how particular I am about food.
How did you first find out about EGBI?
I found out about EGBI through the Austin Texas business building network. I actually heard one of the employees at EGBI speak and offer their services to any small business owner. That is how I reached out.
“EGBI is a great organization for any business who needs help or a blueprint to follow through with their business.” CHef Nikki
How did EGBI help your business? What service did you benefit from?
EGBI helped my business by learning more about then bookkeeping with the help of Leonardo. Monica has helped me with marketing and how to utilize Facebook and social media. She gave me pointers on how to use marketing tools for my business, in addition to teaching me how to market my business and cross market. EGBI is a savior to me, because I was losing hope and wanted to give up. After speaking with the employees there, they showed me there is more I can do. I just have to put in the work and accomplish the goals to get our business, seen, heard and gain more traffic.
Why should people consider supporting an organization like EGBI?
EGBI is a great organization for any business who needs help or a blueprint to follow through with their business. EGBI is a life saver. They have a great team of people who genuinely want to help you. I feel at home, and I don’t feel like I am talking to a stranger – I feel part of their family. I can speak and be open about any issues I may be having.
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/.
Phishing scams typically involve scammers sending emails, messages, or websites that look like they came from legitimate organizations or individuals. They often lure victims into clicking on malicious links, downloading harmful attachments, or providing personal information. By understanding how phishing scams work, you can recognize suspicious activities and protect yourself effectively. In this blog, we will identify a couple of ways to avoid phishing scams.
Strengthen Your Passwords:
Create strong, unique passwords for each of your online accounts. Include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using easily guessable information such as birthdays or pet names. Furthermore, consider using a reputable password manager to securely store and generate complex passwords.
Be Wary of Suspicious Emails and Messages:
Exercise caution when receiving emails or messages, especially from unknown senders or unusual sources. Look out for red flags such as misspellings, grammatical errors, generic greetings, or urgent requests for personal information. Legitimate organizations typically address you by name and use professional language.
Verify the Legitimacy of Websites:
Before entering sensitive information on a website, ensure that it is secure and trustworthy. Look for “https://” in the URL, indicating a secure connection, and a padlock icon in the address bar. Double-check the website’s domain name for any variations or misspellings that may indicate a phishing attempt.
Be Cautious of Unexpected Attachments or Links:
Avoid clicking on attachments (.ZIP, .JAR, .JS) or links in emails or messages unless you are confident in their authenticity. Hover over links to preview the URL before clicking on them. Be wary of shortened URLs or suspicious domains. When in doubt, contact the sender through a trusted communication channel to verify the legitimacy of the message.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):
Utilize two-factor authentication whenever possible. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second verification step, such as a unique code sent to your mobile device, in addition to your password. Even if your password is compromised, the attacker would still need the second factor to gain access.
Keep Your Software Updated:
Regularly update your operating system, web browsers, and security software to ensure you have the latest security patches. This helps protect your devices against known vulnerabilities attackers may exploit to launch phishing attacks.
Educate Yourself and Stay Informed:
Stay informed about the latest phishing techniques and scams. Keep up with cybersecurity news and be aware of new threats. Educate yourself and your team about the risks of phishing and the importance of practicing safe online behavior.
Use Antivirus and Anti-Phishing Software:
Install reputable antivirus and anti-phishing software on your devices. These tools can help detect and block known phishing websites or suspicious activities, adding an extra layer of protection to your accounts.
Report and Delete Suspicious Messages:
If you receive a suspicious email or message, report it to the appropriate authorities, such as your email provider or the organization being impersonated. Most email providers have mechanisms in place to report phishing attempts. Delete the suspicious message without interacting with it further.
Phishing scams pose a significant threat to our online security, but following these essential tips can greatly reduce the risk of falling victim to these fraudulent attacks. If you think or are worried that you’ve been targeted by a phishing scam, be sure to run a virus scan and also change your account password. Stay vigilant and be sure to educate yourself and others!
