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Meet Pablo F. Valle of Small Business Connexion in Galleria

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Pablo F. Valle.

Pablo F, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew in New York and came to Houston about twelve (12) years ago.

When doing presentations, I often mention to people in the local Houston area that I am originally from another country – New York. People often laugh because they know that Texas and New York have totally different cultures. The reason I mentioned that is because when I first came to Houston I did not know anyone just my mom, grandmother, and sister. As an Engineer and Entrepreneur at heart I wanted to connect with people so that I can expand my professional network and at the same time start another business venture.

I attended several networking events, groups, and organizations but none seemed to cater me to my specific needs. I also attended chamber events, but most would ask me if I had a business, to which I would respond – No, I am an Engineer by profession but an entrepreneur at heart and I am looking to create a business. Most chambers would respond – If you do not have a business, what business you have doing at a Chamber of Commerce?

My focus was to find an organization that would cater to both the professional and the entrepreneur. Many professional organizations were industry focused (e.g., Engineering Societies, Lawyer Associations, etc..) while many chambers and networking groups were business oriented. Since I couldn’t find an organization that would carter to my specific needs, I went out there and created my own about eight (8) years ago called Latino Professional Business Network – LPBNET. The organization’s purpose was to unite professionals and entrepreneurs to help them Grow. Develop. Connect. LPBNET started with fifteen (15) people and grew to over 4,500 affiliate members in less than four (4) years.

By the fifth year (5) we rebranded the organization to Small Business Connexion (SBC), while maintain our core vision of helping professionals and entrepreneurs grow, develop, and connect. Today SBC has over 12,500 local Houston affiliate members.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth but a struggle and journey worthwhile.

Some of my struggles included the difference in cultures I was faced with. Most people in the South are accustomed to “the southern hospitality” mentality. When I would go out networking or have business meetings people would begin talking about their families, children, and were so kind while in New York our culture was to keep all family matters to ourselves and focused in business – an “In & Out” mentality – The get right to business mentality. It was a struggle to get acclimated to the new culture.

My other struggle or challenge was developing strategic alliances with other networking & professional organizations. While some of the local networking organizations were well established with 1,000 of members, the professional societies were very niched oriented. Neither entities wanted to come together and collaborate.

Learning and adapting to the southern hospitality provided me the opportunity to work with more people and overcome this struggle.

Also, creating a greater value within our organization (an Online Growth Academy with valuable business resources, online courses, and an expanded online directory) and letting the other networking groups know that they can still maintain their core focus and vision but work with us to leverage the tools and resources we had developed allow us to overcome this struggle and expand our network.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Small Business Connexion – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Small Business Connexion is a Private Professional Business Networking Association that focuses on helping our local Houston small businesses and professionals grow, develop, and connect thru Networking and education.

To accomplish our mission, we focus on developing unique -on and off-line educational networking opportunities for our affiliate members. What sets us apart from many networking organizations is that many of these groups are created by business owners to expand their network and businesses. Once their networks have expanded and their businesses are growing, most group founders are left with the decision to either continue running the groups or focus on their businesses. Most choose the latter, to continue working their businesses and the groups then disappear. Our uniqueness is that our Business is Networking. Also, we have been able to create valuable online business resources and a powerful integrated online directory.

SBC has been able to develop key strategic alliances with other larger networking organizations and thus experiencing greater growth in a short period of time. Among my peers, I am known as The Godfather of Networking.

We are proud of our -on and offline Success Growth Academy and our upgraded powerful online directory recently launched www.CitiBizList.com

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about our city is the very thing that I initially struggled with – The Culture.
I love the fact that our city has a family & friendly culture. Its functions at a lower space as to compare to New York.

What I dislike most of our city is the fact that it does not have an expansive public transit system like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. This results in many people having to rely on their personal vehicles for transportation and thus creating major traffic congestion.

Pricing:

  • Annual SBC VIP Membership is $199 (which includes all our -on and of-line resources plus our newely launched expanded small business directory)
  • Monthly SBC VIP Membership is only $19.99 (with our promotional code SBC20)

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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