Mike and Debbi Sanchez own and operate Effect Media Group – a full-service marketing agency providing innovative solutions for businesses and brands focused on scaling to the next levels. They publish gmhTODAY – a quarterly lifestyle magazine covering the people, places, and things that make South County great. They also operate One Giving Tree – a nonprofit focused on providing Christmas trees to local kids and their families who would otherwise go without. They are both life-long Gilroy residents, high school sweethearts, only do things they love, and always crack up when they realize how long they have been together.
What do you do for work?
Effect Media Group is a full-service marketing and advertising agency. We help our clients articulate and share their stories, develop a unique user experience to attract more customers, and scale to the next levels of success. Our strengths are strategic planning, graphic design, custom websites, social media management, print publications, events, and video production. We also produce a quarterly lifestyle magazine, gmhTODAY, and distribute it throughout South County. And, in our tremendous free time, we operate One Giving Tree – a nonprofit that provides Christmas trees to local kids and their families who would otherwise go without.
How did you initially get started in your industry?
In 2016 Mike was working in the corporate world when he was hit by a drunk driver. While recovering, he started working on websites for friends and their local companies. Soon, he took on social media management and studied marketing theory, video production, and graphic design. Debbi has been in the event administration world for over 20 years, earning 5-star ratings from private and corporate clients. In 2020, during the great economic shutdown, Mike and Debbi were presented with a wonderful opportunity to publish gmhTODAY magazine. In 2022, Debbi joined Mike full-time to help manage the magazine and grow Effect Media Group. We are both drawn to this industry because we love seeing others accomplish their dreams and goals. To be a small part of that process is an honor and a privilege.
Who or what is your biggest influence?
For Mike, it’s his mom. For Debbi, it’s her dad. They are our two biggest heroes and examples of great character, kindness, and selflessness.
What’s something you’re excited about right now?
We are very excited about our company’s growth and the ability to help even more businesses succeed in these times.. New tools and technologies in the marketing world will help us do more creative work and provide better service. In the nonprofit space, we are continually working on community initiatives and building partnerships that will benefit and provide opportunities for many South County residents.
What brought you to Greenhouse Coworking?
We made a commitment to be a part of downtown Gilroy. We are at a critical point in history right now: are we a “Bedford Falls” or a “Pottersville”? We think Gilroy is somewhere in-between. As life-long residents, we want to be aligned with those who want the best for Gilroy in all aspects; the downtown area is just one of those critical components. We felt that to be in the game, we had to be on the field, so to speak. Greenhouse Coworking is located right in the heart of downtown Gilroy. It is also an example of how great our downtown, and our community, can be–a collaborative, positive, open space that promotes relationships and partnerships, creative ideas and conversations, and amazing possibilities!
What’s your favorite thing about Greenhouse Coworking?
Our favorite thing about Greenhouse Coworking is the camaraderie. With several businesses and nonprofit groups working out of the same space, a buzz fills the space: people working, chatting, creating, and making their marks in their own special ways. We love CMAP and all they offer to the businesses here and the community at large. Lunna takes excellent care of us as the office coordinator, Victor is always helpful with anything we need, and Jeanine is full of energy and a problem solver. We are right in the heart of downtown, which helps us support local businesses, and helps our clients find us.
Do you find it easy to make friends and networking connections here?
Yes. Everyone is nice and we all help each other! It is a very collaborative space.
How do you balance work and personal time?
LOL. Balance is overrated… and mostly a myth. We work hard, play when time allows, and sleep soundly! At the end of the day, we enjoy what we do very much. So, we don’t always consider it work…it’s more of an adventure.
Can you tell me about any pets you have?
Our little furry child, Snacks the Yorkie-Diva, just went to doggy heaven in early February. She gave us ten amazing years of unconditional love. She also expected us to wait on her hand and foot, so we did! We miss her bunches but have lots of funny, warm memories to remember her by.
Do you anticipate staying in this area for a long time?
We plan to stay as long as it takes to see our downtown and the community of Gilroy be the best it can be. We owe it to our predecessors and our future generations.
Raymond & Erin Rand are a couple that has lived in Silicon Valley for the last 20 years. Erin is from Canada and Raymond is from England. They originally met at University in Canada and transitioned to California after graduating. The last 20 years have been a mixture of start-ups and corporations, with Erin in Operations and Finance roles and Raymond in Marketing, Engineering, and Program Management. They both love to travel, try new food, and go hiking.
Hi Raymond, tell me about your business and what you do!
Growing Greener Innovations (GGI) is a Canadian renewable energy start-up that is building LFP batteries at its headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta. GGI will be one of the few companies in North America that will fully manufacture cells & battery packs. Most North American companies build battery packs from cells that are manufactured outside North America. GGI is a social enterprise company that is working to reduce energy poverty in areas where traditional grid infrastructures are not available (remote, inhospitable, etc). Erin is the CEO of the company and I’m the Head of Product Development.
What drew you to this industry?
Both Erin and I are engineers by education and have a background in software and hardware systems. The draw of renewable energy is the possibility of improving people’s lives while helping to reduce carbon emissions and replace traditional generation using devices such as Diesel Generators.
What’s something you’re excited about right now?
The amount of interest in the world to replace greenhouse gas producing devices. There’s also the real push for clean energy alternatives that are more than just talking points. I think the next 5 years are going to see an explosion in wind, solar, and other alternative energy sources.
What brought you to Satellite Workplaces?
We are longtime residents of Los Gatos and have friends who have used Satellite Workplaces before. When we did the tour with Stacy we were impressed with how well-kept the offices and common spaces are.
What’s your favorite thing about Satellite Workplaces?
Very friendly people, both the staff and the other occupants. I also love the coffee and some of the treats that are put out.
My name is Malinda Williams and I am the founder and CEO of She’s Got A Habit. I have spent all of my adult life as a professional actress and recently released my first book, The Game of Life and How to Slay It! I started my acting career as a young adult and recently began producing films. During the pandemic, I learned some basic code and started building a website that eventually evolved into She’s Got A Habit, my current business venture, and full-time passion.
Tell me about your company and what you do?
She’s Got A Habit is an online multi-vendor marketplace and wellness lifestyle site launched in January 2021. I’m currently running the day-to-day operations and wearing any and all necessary hats to keep this thing moving onward and upward. IYKYK
How did you initially get started?
My husband took advantage of a job opportunity in the area. In 2020 when everything shut down, I decided it was time for me to make a change as well. I’m creative, but I have always had technical skills and an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m also curious and confident enough to try just about anything.
What’s something you’re excited about right now?
I’m very excited about having finished my business plan. It’s taken many months of waking up at 5:30 am, several days a week to complete. I committed to and worked with a business advisor for several months. What I didn’t know about my business while running it, I learned while writing that plan.
What brought you to Satellite Workplaces?
I knew that if I planned to grow my business, I had to get out of the house and into a workspace environment. A co-working space seemed the perfect transition.
What’s your favorite thing about Satellite Workplaces?
I toured several co-working spaces. Some felt cold and intimidating or frankly dusty and dilapidated. None of those things appealed to me or how I wanted to spend my first year in business (outside my home office). I also wanted to be in a space where I and my coworkers felt safe and inspired to be productive. Satellite is a wonderful, welcoming combination of all things.
Kenia Perez is a Family Resource Specialist at Parents Helping Parents (PHP), a non-profit organization that supports, educates, and inspires communities to build bright futures for people of all ages with special needs. Kenia helps manage resources and information for families facing a diagnosis or seeking an evaluation for a loved one. She supports and guides them through the complex systems of education, region, and community.
Kenia got her start in this field while teaching a parenting class throughout the Gilroy School District. Parents frequently asked her for more special need support for their child with an IEP (Individual Education Program). Not having the knowledge, Kenia took it upon herself to learn and acquire information about resources for these families. She joined a support group and was hired by PHP.
Kenia has been working with PHP for four years now. Her biggest influences are the parents. “When I listen to them speak about the lack of support and their love for family members in need, it sparks my determination to continue my efforts.” She is excited that PHP has established neighborhood offices on the east side of San Jose and in South County, Gilroy. Her hope is to establish another office for even more informational training and resources for families in Gilroy.
When looking for a space to work, one of Kenia’s supervisors suggested she try Greenhouse Coworking. “It is a very convenient and pleasant open space. I really like that it is clean, that it has a nice open spacious feeling, and green colors, which make me feel at home – but better! Wifi connection and free coffee are a must. The staff is very friendly and helpful.
Kenia balances work and personal time by keeping these two parts of her life separate. “At work, I like to focus – music helps”. Once Kenia leaves the office, she only spends time on her personal life. “I love spending time with my dog, a mixed wire-haired terrier!”
Hi. I am Ahmad Takatkah, General Partner at KingsCrowd Capital. I joined them as Senior Vice President of Investment Research, first to build quantitative ratings to evaluate investment opportunities in the online private market, then to manage venture funds.
My background in venture capital and data science is perfect for this work. I earned my MBA, was a Kaufman fellow, and spent eight years working in venture capital. I have enjoyed employment with N2V, Leap Ventures, and ArzanVC. I spent three years at Carta as a data scientist. They are a leader in cap table management and private equity technology.
In my free time, I run my own VC and data science blog — VCpreneur.com, reaching thousands of readers. Hopefully, the education goes down easily when mixed with my own brand of entertainment!
I came to Satellite and found it offered the flexibility I needed. I can come in and grab a desk without booking weeks in advance. Previous coworking spaces didn’t have that. This flexibility allows me to be more spontaneous. Also, Ann R. Mejia makes the place feel like home. She is genuinely happy to help all of the time and spares no effort to make sure everyone has what they need.
I am new at Satellite, but look forward to meeting people and making new friends. This is what I miss the most about working at a big company’s office — building relationships, having lunch together, kitchen and water cooler conversations. Most kept to themselves at other coworking places. I look forward to making new friends here!
Soon, I will bring my dog to work. Taffy is the cutest dog you will ever meet! She is a full-grown Chihuahua + Yorkshire Terrier and just 5 pounds…smaller than a cat! Come ask me to show you her pictures!
Finally, did you know that you can now invest as little as $100 in startups?! Most people now dedicate a couple hundred dollars each month to invest in a new startup. On KingsCrowd.com we aggregate all crowd-investing opportunities, conduct thorough data-driven research, and give scores to help you decide where to invest. If you’re interested, come to me for a free 3-month trial.
Tony Martinez is a very active Satellite member! He is one of the founders of negozee, a startup that supports Hispanic business owners. He guides them in launching, organizing, and scaling their businesses for success in America. And he loves what he does.
How did you get into your career and business? How did it all start?
I used to work at a Hispanic tax/accounting association where I met many Hispanic tax professionals across the nation. Many of them told me that their clients (Hispanic small business owners) needed help organizing their business finances. There wasn’t much information in Spanish about entrepreneurship in America. So I decided to build a social learning company for Hispanics to learn how to launch, organize, and scale businesses in America.
What brought you to Satellite Workplaces Campbell?
After working from home all of 2021, I needed to find a place where I could focus. I first looked at a Regus but it was too dry and “corporate”. Then I looked at a WeWork but I hated that it was Downtown with limited parking and a lot of traffic.
I love Satellite Campbell because it’s at The Pruneyard in the middle of all the action. There’s plenty of parking and 20 minutes away from home.
What is your favorite thing about Satellite Workplaces?
The staff (Mia and Marissa) are super nice and helpful. It’s available 24/7 so I can show up anytime. It’s always chill and it’s never overcrowded. The location is great and the price is very affordable for an early-stage startup like ourselves.
What is the biggest influence on your life?
My biggest influences are my parents and millions of people like them who made the treacherous journey to immigrate to America in search of a better life. This is why our startup is focused on helping Hispanic immigrants launch businesses in America. We’re helping them overcome the language and cultural barriers of launching a business in a foreign land.
What’s something you’re personally excited about right now?
Every year there are 1 million Hispanics in the US who start businesses. I’m excited about this huge market potential for our startup to serve. We’re getting some traction with 1,000 members on our platform and a few sponsors/partners.
How do you balance work and personal time?
It’s been a bit hard because the business is asking so much from me at this early stage, but I try to make sure at least Sunday is personal/family time. I understand that to have a productive work week I need to recharge and rest during the weekend. I also take random days off during the week when I don’t have meetings.
Do you have a website?
Yes, negozee.com. And we have an app launching Thursday, September 29th at 4:30 pm! It will be a virtual launch party – stop by and join! You can utilize many free learning tools on negozee’s website including setting up a FREE profile. Or start a subscription for $28/month.
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