Meet Alejandro Medina, born in Monterrey, NL and founder of CompuPlus. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Media Communications as well as PC repair and maintenance IT. In 2013, Alejandro moved to Austin, Tx, where he worked at a well known computer repair shop for a couple of years before deciding to start his own business in 2016.
Alejandro shares his experience as a business owner and how EGBI can help you grow your business too.
Hi Alejandro! To get started please tell us what inspired you to start your business? What inspired me to start my business was the need for better customer service and more affordable computer and smartphone repair service in town with a bilingual approach.
What makes your business unique? In CompuPlus we care about our customers and understand the importance of their computers and smart devices and how valuable they are in their lives.
What are some obstacles you feel like you have encountered in starting or growing your business? How did you overcome this? Promoting it in a city where I know very few people and not knowing all the ins and outs of starting a business in a country different from the one I was born and raised in. I´m still dealing with those two main obstacles but with time and the support from institutions like EGBI I feel like I’m overcoming these obstacles little by little.
“EGBI is the best option for business consulting in Austin!” – Alejandro Medina
What workshops have you taken at EGBI? So far I have only taken two Spanish workshops: Taller para pequeños negocios (workshop for small business owners) and puntaje de crédito (credit scores).
How has EGBI helped you? Monthly meetings with EGBI´s program coordinator, Leo Pozobon, are helping me better understand how to run a business and make it grow.
———
Want to work with EGBI? Contact us to find out how you can get started.
Conoce a Raúl Rodriguez, fundador de Raul’s Taqueria Al Pastor, un carro ambulante de comida Tex-Mex al norte de Austin. Raúl comenzó a cocinar ayudando en la cocina del restaurante mexicano de su madre. Después de perfeccionar el oficio, Raúl se dio cuenta de lo mucho que la gente disfrutaba de su comida y decidió iniciar su propio negocio. Hace diez años, la taquería de Raúl nació, especializándose en tacos mexicanos tradicionales. Desde entonces han crecido hasta tener a más de 3 empleados y comenzaron a ofrecer sus codiciados tacos Al Pastor. Hoy puedes encontrar los tacos de Raúl en su carro de comida ambulante en la calle Rundberg Lane y en línea vía Grubhub.
Raúl comparte su experiencia como emprendedor y como EGBI te puede ayudar también a que tu negocio crezca.
¡Hola Raúl! ¿Para comenzar te gustaría decirnos qué te inspiró a iniciar tu negocio?
Dar el salto de la cocina de mi Madre para iniciar mi propio negocio fue inspirado por el apoyo de mis hijos. Mi hijo me animó a hacerme emprendedor y me hizo darme cuenta que podría hacer dinero y proveer para mi familia.
¿Qué es lo que hace único a tu negocio? Nuestro negocio toma a la cocina mexicana original y la combina con nuestro propio estilo. Ofrecemos una gran variedad de tacos y tortas, sirviendo desde tacos de desayuno hasta tortas cubanas.
¿Cuáles son algunos de los obstáculos que crees que has encontrado al comenzar o al acrecentar tu negocio? ¿Cómo los superaste?
Creo que el iniciar el negocio fue la parte más difícil. Al principio me costó mucho trabajo. Fue muy difícil conseguir el camión/espacio, contratar empleados y obtener clientes. Toda mi familia ayudó, lo cual hizo el proceso manejable.
¿Qué talleres/asesoramientos financieros has tomado a través de EGBI? Tome el curso de Crea tu Plan de Negocios y aprendí a realizar proyecciones financieras y un plan de mercado. Realmente disfruté conocer a otros emprendedores y trabajar con los asesores.
¿Cómo te ha ayudado EGBI? EGBI me enseñó la mecánica de iniciar un negocio. También me ayudaron a crear un plan de crecimiento y a establecer objetivos inteligentes.
Traducido al español por Diana Ariza. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.
By Amy Carrillo Cobb, Business Owner at AmyCobb.Co
About 70% of businesses with employees will survive their second year in business. At this point you need to start planning beyond your problems.
Tips to Maintaining and Increasing Sales
Collect on the money that is owed to you.
Don’t go it alone. Tap into Resources and Network.
Ask what you’re worth? Develop a Pricing Strategy.
Put profitability first and rewards second. High salaries should come second to Cash Flow.
Focus on what you do best. Your business should not be all things to the marketplace.
About the writer: Amy Carrillo Cobb gives others the financial capacity to make a difference through Bookkeeping, Accounting and Finance services. She is a Money Mindset Coach, Business Coach, and blogger. https://linktr.ee/amycobbco
2. Click on ‘New Project’ and add all the video clips you want to use.
3. We recommend choosing an audio before editing your clips. Click on “+add audio” to go to a library of audio to choose from (shown on the left side picture) or you can add your own audio.
4. Click on the clip you want to edit. At the end of each video clip you can see a slider (shown by the orange arrow) that allows you to shorten or cut certain parts of the video clip.
5. When you click on a video clip additional editing tools pop up at the bottom. Below are the meanings of those additional tools.
6. Made a mistake? You can delete any clip by clicking on the clip and then the trash button on the bottom right corner. You can also change the videos resolution and frame rates by clicking in the top right corner.
7. Once done editing, click on the top right corner and download the video. Once saved to your camera roll you can also share your video on all the social medias listed.
Complete! You are now one step close to becoming a video editing expert.
Meet Veronica Trevisan, the owner of Ñapegados: a business that serves local Spanish-speaking small businesses with administrative services, for better company management, and customer services. With the help of Veronica, several entrepreneurs have scaled their businesses to 6 and 7 figures.
As a Launch Manager of online info products, she helps course creators, coaches, and business owners start or expand their online businesses. In her portfolio, she has clients from LATAM, Canada, and USA to whom she has helped reach multiple 5 and 6 figures in 7 days selling their info products in English and/or Spanish. Veronica also became an expert in the art of audience’s investigation. Here she helps entrepreneurs who want to narrow their audiences for a better sale, but principally to better serve their clients in both languages. As a course creator herself, she has courses in Spanish about creating very qualified audiences.
Veronica shares her experience as a business owner and how EGBI can help you grow your business too.
Hi Veronica! To get started, would you mind telling us a fun fact about yourself?
I like to ride my electric bike all around Austin. I have had it since 2016 and still, I am amazed when kids and even adults, wave at me and say “I love your bike”. I share a picture here. I think it is really cool, too.
Why and how did you start your business?
When my friend Bran and I decided to start a cleaning company in 2011, I realized there was a lack of information in Spanish to help local business owners, so I started a blog. My blog was simple: I read articles in English, made a summary in Spanish, and posted it on my blog. With this exposure, I had the opportunity to write for a very important Spanish newspaper here in the Austin area (El Mundo Newspaper), which then gave me the opportunity to host workshops about different topics and teach aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. People started noticing my expertise and, as they say, the rest is history.
What was the toughest moment in your business journey? How did you go past it and move forward?
The toughest moment so far has to be when I had to fire a client with whom I had been working for more than 6 months. It was a very scary decision, but I knew it was the right one. It affected me financially, but emotionally was a relief. I moved forward reminding myself every day that I deserved better and that my intelligence and knowledge should be respected.
What would you tell other entrepreneurs wanting to open their own business?
Don’t wait! Starting your own business is worth it. It is a lie that you will work fewer hours in the beginning, but it is also a lie that you will earn safe money (and tranquility) as an employee. Think about this- if someone is willing to pay you XX amount of money for your skillset, don’t you believe that you can make more money using those skills set in your own company? It is just common sense.
“EGBI’s volunteers are highly appreciated; you too will be appreciated, and good exposure is always good for business.” – Veronica Trevisan
How has EGBI helped you throughout your business journey?
EGBI was fundamental in my journey. I am one of the first-generation alumni (2011). The courses were not given in Spanish at that time. Barba, Nayeli, and our dearest Al helped me in many steps of the way, and that is why I became a volunteer.
What would you say to someone thinking of volunteering and supporting EGBI?
EGBI is an amazing organization. You can tell that it is a family for most of us alumni, and the reason why we keep coming back. Before the pandemic, the Celebrating Success Event was our reunion. It was wonderful to see the success of so many entrepreneurs.
I recall how important it was to learn from experts in different fields. Now, as a volunteer myself, when I am summoned to give a class to newcomers, I can enjoy the presence of other business owners for 2 hours. Their excitement, their eagerness, and their bravery are refreshing to see.
———
Want to work with and/or volunteer at EGBI? Contact us to find out how you can get started.
