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A key aspect of entrepreneurship is connecting with others who need empathy.
“I think so [empathy] Rodrigo Salas said in a recent interview that the most important part for anyone who wants to be a mentor or help someone.
It’s one of the many lessons Salas learned during his successful career in marketing and advertising, but perhaps more importantly as a small business owner. Using that know-how, he mentors other aspiring entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas.
Salas, 49, Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Northwest ArkansasBusiness Accelerator is an affiliate of Massachusetts-based nonprofit Entrepreneurship for All, a national entrepreneurial organization with offices nationwide. Its mission is to make entrepreneurship accessible to anyone with the drive to start their own business and create opportunities to build intergenerational wealth for their families.
EforAll was founded in 2010 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande. He believed that the best way to bridge the inequality gap of opportunity was to help aspiring entrepreneurs in their communities on their journeys. Founded his EforAll for. In particular, we help entrepreneurs outside the tech sector who may have limited access to start-up capital and traditional “incubator” or accelerator programs.
Bentonville-based funding Walton Family Foundation Supporting the Northwest Arkansas Accelerator, which launched in March 2021 as the state’s first EforAll community. The nonprofit hired Sarah later that year.
Yee-Lin Lai, senior program officer at The Walton Family Foundation, which supports EforAll NWA chapters, said: Exceeded $1 million“An entrepreneur of color, he has proven to be a relatable mentor in terms of language and entrepreneurial experience to the Hispanic community of Northwest Arkansas.”
Lai said increasing access to entrepreneurial programming in the region is a central focus of the foundation’s 2025 strategy.
“Eparatodus of Eforor” [Spanish language] The program helps do this by establishing programs that reach out to underserved communities of current and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Since joining EforAll in 2021, Salas has helped establish a staff of four to manage activities that help local entrepreneurs build their skills and social capital. They do so through accelerator programs (offered twice a year in English and Spanish), mentoring, pitch competitions, in-depth workshops that provide continuing education on business topics, and networking events.
EforAll NWA’s Winter 2023 Business Accelerator is in its third year and starts this month.
“Rodrigo has built and championed an impressive network of diverse leaders in Northwest Arkansas. Entrepreneur development director. “In order to run the Bilingual Accelerator Program, a large amount of personalized community outreach, volunteer recruitment and event management goes hand in hand with steady entrepreneurial support to the founders. We are at the forefront of these efforts, methodically and purposefully.
“He and his team bring great joy to the important work of inclusive entrepreneurship.”
From Mexico to Texas
Salas was born and raised in Mexico City. He described his family as typical middle class. His father was a marketing manager for a small grocery chain. His mother stayed home and she raised two boys.
Salas graduated in 1997 with a degree in Marketing from the Tecnotecho de Monterrey, where he met his future wife, Leticia Castellanos. He was his manager at the Nestlé brand in 2003 when he and his wife decided to move to Austin, Texas to further their education. They have lived in the United States ever since.
Salas received an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin in 2005 and has since continued his career in various CPG marketing, strategy and board roles.
“And then I decided to start my own business. It was the craziest idea,” he joked.
Inspired by Mexican traditions and love of cooking, Salas and his wife launched molysses in 2013. The family-owned business, now based in Bentonville, manufactures dishes and hot sauces that can be used in traditional dishes from various regions of Mexico.
Molli is sold online and in over 400 grocery stores nationwide.
“Starting a business sounds so easy and dreamy, but it’s so hard,” says Salas. “Especially when you have to run everything yourself. I didn’t know what I was doing in many aspects. I didn’t know the operation.”
Sarath said she must find a mentor. The US Small Business Administration and his SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer and professional business her mentors, helped. He has also done a lot of reading and taken several entrepreneurship courses.
“At first, we couldn’t find a co-packer,” he recalls. “So I’m at Texas A&M, [safely] Process food, don’t kill people. This is very important if you sell food. ”
Salas said he rented a commercial kitchen for the first three years and made his own products.
“Bottling, labeling, packaging, distribution to stores…a lot of things I hadn’t thought of and it was a huge learning curve, but I loved it,” he said. “And I still love it.
From Texas to Arkansas
Salas’ wife joined Walmart Inc. in 2019. The following year, her promotion moved her family from Dallas to Northwestern Arkansas.
Salas began mentoring other entrepreneurs while living in Dallas and sought out similar opportunities in Northwest Arkansas.he found it at a consultancy firm in Fayetteville startup junkiewhere he learned of EforAll’s plans for Northwest Arkansas through that work and was intrigued.
“I didn’t know who they were, but when they said they were looking for a bilingual executive director, I was intrigued,” he said. “Ever since I started my business, I have witnessed the difficulty of starting a business. Helping people in any way I can is what I have tried to do.
“the most important [aspect] It gives people who have lived in this area for generations the opportunity to move up economically and socially rather than displace them. ”
Collins said Salas is adept at staying resilient as the EforAll NWA team learns more about the ideas and early-stage founders’ targeted needs in the region.
“He has been very responsive to these needs as he has attracted board members, mentors and funders,” she explained. We have garnered support for adding team members dedicated to outreach activities for EforAll, which is a unique differentiator for this particular EforAll location.”
Collins also said Salas’ marketing experience has helped him tailor EforAll’s engagement levels to appeal to a wide range of stakeholders.
“He has a deep love for helping people use their own agency to make positive change. That’s the strength of a beautiful character,” she said. I’ve seen him attend many times, whether it’s a leadership event in creative morning, his passion for supporting underserved entrepreneurs shines through every time. He excels at creating the conditions for more leaders to grow and take their place. ”
Salas said EforAll NWA has established good traction and has developed working relationships with other entrepreneurial support organizations in the region. He said Northwest Arkansas is a great place for entrepreneurs for many reasons, and he mentioned a few reasons. Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation University of Arkansas, Walton Family Foundation, Tyson Family Foundation, Northwest Arkansas Community College, Startup Junkie, Forge, Unlimited community When Kiva NWA.
“We’ve found our niche and support each other,” he said. “Some see us as competitors, but we all support different entrepreneurs.” doing.”
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