|
| Profile Views: | 139 views |
| Friends: | 157 friends | | Last Update: | 4 months ago | | Signup Date: | May. 23, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
First Name:
|
Chris
|
|
Last Name:
|
Pareja
|
|
Story:
|
I was born an entrepreneur. I have always had at least two things going at any given time – even when I had “jobs.” The first entrepreneurial venture I started was around the age of 6. My brother Jason had a wagon and loved to show off his muscles. We had a big backyard with tall grass. I had an idea – just like any other budding entrepreneur. We could charge neighborhood kids 25 cents for “hayrides.” My brother got half the revenues for providing the strength and the wagon. I got half for the idea and the promotion. Unfortunately, the venture was quickly shut down by regulators (parents), but an entrepreneur was born. And I have been figuring out ways to take ideas to market ever since.
|
|
Company:
|
B2B Power Exchange is all about helping people find, close and deliver new business differently. B2B Power Exchange connects entrepreneurs, consultants and sales people who sell to companies. We use in-person and online meetings to help people build relationships on a local, regional, national and, sometimes, on an international basis. Some of our participants are closing $100,000, $500,000, $800,000 and larger deals. Many of these opportunities are large enough or complicated enough that individual people or companies wouldn’t be able to close or deliver them on their own. B2B Power Exchange provides knowledge along with online and offline tools to help facilitate the creation of partnerships that can generate these results. We are trying to bridge the gap between online and offline networking worlds. Many people aren't prepared to play in both, so we don't make it an either/or proposition. The problem with most online social networks is they focus on technology first and people second. We focus on the people and the way they want to or need to do business, and then supplement their interactions with the appropriate technology. Unlike most online communities, we also don't limit online interactions to chats, blogs and discussion boards - we actually replicate in-person networking meetings in an online format. This allows people in inside sales or from remote areas of the country or world to network with others in real-time. They can do demos, hear and see one another (if they choose to use web cams.) People have literally participated in our online meetings from airports, rental cars, park benches and from countries such as Ukraine, Canada, Philippines, Mexico and soon from India. If they have phone and internet connections, they can participate. We can literally help people expand their business development efforts on a global basis. Find out more at www.b2bpowerexchange.com and www.b2bpowerexchange.net.
|
|
Company Name:
|
B2B Power Exchange
|
|
Product Description:
|
We have some paid products and many that are free. We charge for breakfast meetings and mixers where people can connect in person in various parts of the country. We currently provide free online meetings and seminars which connect and educate people from around the country and around the world. We also recently launched a free online community at www.b2bpowerexchange.net.
|
|
Difference:
|
We level the playing field for entrepreneurs, consultants and sales people. We enable them to compete with or sell alongside much larger companies. Not only do we help them compete, we can help them attract the partnerships they need to provide offerings that are just as good as or better than the largest enterprises out there – without the overhead or headaches associated with employing large numbers of people. But the bigger thing we are doing to make a difference in the world is that we are teaching people to collaborate. Working with people who understand the value of forming win-win partnerships changes everything. 1 + 1 doesn’t have to equal 2. It can often equal 5 or 6.
|
|
Passion:
|
I am passionate about making the world a better place because I was here, not because I left. I love to see people win when there is no logical reason that they should. To that end, I tend to want to help everyone I meet, but I learned I couldn’t reasonably help everyone directly. By connecting them with others, I am often able to help them achieve their goals indirectly.
|
|
Inspiration:
|
I have never had heroes. But the people I respect most have been wildly successful, have nearly lost everything and bounced back to be as successful as or more successful than they were in the past. I have less respect for people who have been handed everything on a platter. Show me someone who has had their butt kicked by life and came up swinging – that will inspire me.
|
|
Motivation:
|
I am driven by changing two things: the way people stand and the looks in their eyes. I often meet entrepreneurs, consultants and sales people who have everything on the line. They have to sell to survive. Sometimes you can tell by their posture and the look in their eyes that things aren’t going well. You can also tell (even when they don’t say it out loud) that they are going to have to give up their dream and find another job if something doesn’t change soon. When I can remind them of their true value, or introduce them to someone that gets them back on track and back to believing they can conquer the world, they stand taller again, and the look of desperation leaves their eyes and is replaced with fire. That drives me.
|
|
Success:
|
A lot of people commend me on the success of B2B Power Exchange. Bootstrapping an organization that has grown nationally and has generated international participation may be my claim to fame, but it is not my biggest success. It is the tool to achieve biggest success – helping individuals understand their true capabilities and helping them achieve their goals – that is the biggest success.
|
|
Challenge:
|
I have learned that you learn who people really are when things go badly. Promises can be broken. Threats can be made. Contracts can be ignored. Life has to go on. I try to follow the 5-year rule. If it won’t matter in 5 years, move on and try to forget about the pain, but learn the lesson. Sometimes it will matter in 5 years. At that point, I adopt another strategy. When life has kicked my butt and I am lying on the ground looking up, I know I have two choices. I can lay there and die or come up swinging. I always choose to come up swinging. B2B Power Exchange and LeadGenaires were both born from those types of situations. So, I guess I would say when life happens – start a business! (Or figure out another way to regain control, because it is all up to you.)
|
|
Advice:
|
You are surrounded by the resources you need to accomplish anything you can dream up. The trick is to be focused enough to know what you are looking for. When you see what you need, figure out what you need to do to make it yours. If you can’t find it on your own, ask for help. You can’t do everything yourself, and if you try, you will never reach your full potential. Establish partnerships. 1 + 1 can equal 6!
|
|
Website:
|
www.b2bpowerexchange.com
|
|
Calling:
|
When other people are injured, they lose blood. When I get a cut, I drip entrepreneur juice. As I mentioned previously, I have been entrepreneurial as long as I can remember. I have always enjoyed building something impactful from scratch. B2B Power Exchange and my other company, LeadGenaires, are both dedicated to helping companies achieve new levels of success. Eventually, when money is no longer an issue, I will still surround myself with entrepreneurs who are trying to make a difference in the world. At that point, I will still advise them and share my knowledge, but I may invest more money in them, too.
|
|
Keywords:
|
business, networking, b2b power exchange, collaboration, development, sales, marketing
|
|
Business Model:
|
Breakfast meetings, online meetings, seminars, sponsorships and other streams which will be announced in the coming months.
|
|
Pain:
|
The two largest problems facing small and mid-sized businesses (and many larger businesses) are:
1. How do we find more business?
2. How do we deliver once we have closed that business?
B2B Power Exchange is designed to solve both of those challenges. We help people leverage relationships to find new opportunities. We also connect people who complement one another in ways that allow them to execute projects that the individual entities might not be able to pull off alone.
|
|
|
View Chris.Pareja's Friends
Send Message
Report this Person
