How Beta Gamma Sigma Can Propel You to New Heights
By Pablo A. Ruz Salmones
CEO, Grupo Ya Quedó
I was spending the summer doing coursework at Carnegie Mellon University when I received an email from Beta Gamma Sigma regarding their promotion for the Global Leadership Summit. I had little knowledge of it, since only a few months ago had I been enrolled in my chapter at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (Mexico City), and completely unaware of how it could change my life. Yet, I always loved traveling, and something inside myself told me I should do it. I called my mother and let her know I wanted to go, and she encouraged me to do so.
Global Leadership Summit 2018
It was the first time that I attended an event like the GLS. Everybody used LinkedIn, and I had barely even heard of it. Slightly embarrassed, I made an excuse that I couldn’t access it from my phone, making a mental note to create an account as soon as possible. Being from Mexico the chance to establish professional relationships with people in the United States was the opportunity of a lifetime! Just a few months before my dear friend Esteban Lluis (a brilliant man and someone without whom none of this would be possible) and I had started our own company, Grupo Ya Quedó (Ya Quedó, for short). Back then it was just a small organization with amazing potential, so I had to make the most of every conversation and interaction.
One specific presentation had an incredible impact: Sameer Somal, CEO of Blue Ocean Global Technology, said that he would always follow up on every business card he received. I decided to go ahead and test him: I gave him my business card and followed up with an email afterwards. We consistently stayed in contact post GLS, allowing me to e-meet his wonderful business partner, Rachita, and learn from them and about the projects they were working on. This led to a fruitful partnership as we worked together to build Girl Power Talk México.
Ya Quedó and Girl Power Talk México
When Sameer and Rachita spoke to me about an India-based project with the goal of empowering women through business, I couldn’t have been more excited. Girl Power Talk, as it is called, had a perfect alignment with Ya Quedó’s values. Little by little we were introduced to their team in India, collaborating several projects for both US and India-based customers. Through our continued exchange and execution of ideas, both sides were finding common ground in knowledge, values, and work ethic.
Down the road, Sameer telephoned me, and saying that he and Rachita had been thinking of expanding Girl Power Talk, and that they thought of doing that in Mexico, in a joint venture with Ya Quedó. It took time and work to adapt the model to Mexico, but our genuine commitment to each other, as well as one common vision, kept us focused on our emerging joint enterprise.
With Girl Power Talk México, Ya Quedó hopes to change the reality of both Mexican women and Mexican youth by contributing to our overall mission: businesses are much more than just a source of income, but above all, a vision of the world.
2019 GLS
Now with more experience and preparation, I decided I was going there with one goal: to grow and further my professional ventures. What I didn’t expect was that I was going to arrive as an attendee and leave as a potential speaker: Trudy Leong, an organizer of the International Business Conference Chicago (IBC), and I had connected at the previous Global Leadership Summit. She mentioned that I would make “a wonderful speaker” (perhaps having observed my zealous participation in Q&A sessions and partaking in as many activities as possible).
The following year, I returned to Chicago as one of the key event speakers. My background made me stand out immediately, additionally with fellow presenters being twice my age, from well-known organizations such as the Bank of America, and ALDI, among others. This, I considered, was my formal inauguration into the business world.
There was no indication of the touchstones that would follow; I became of the overall winner of the Team Case Competition, and Glory Enyinnaya (International Business Consultant and BGS Board Member), invited me to be part of her platform, Kleos Africa.
A Promising Future
My presentation at the IBC led to connections with Scott Samuel (considered “The Godfather of Social Media”), Michael Schmitt (Executive Director of the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Chicago), and Dr. Raja Roy Choudhary (who by the way invited me to a delicious Indian restaurant, and I still owe an invitation to him for Mexican food) just to name a few.
In Chicago, I stayed at the same hotel as Dr. Raja, simultaneously excited and intimidated when we were picked up every morning to attend the event at Northeastern Illinois University. Several months after, Dr. Raja honored me with an invitation to be a speaker at the 2021 International Research Conference organized by the Universal Business School and the Institute of Scholars, where I gave my presentation on “Strategy and Ethics for AI Driven Businesses”, next to speakers with PhD’s.
Scott and Schmitt ended up introducing me to digital marketing and its influence in daily life. This has been a great asset to my business practices, and not something I take for granted in this ever-changing, adapt-or-fold culture.
In just over two years, Ya Quedó has experienced an incredible evolution, with current partnerships in clients in the U.S., Mexico, India, and Nigeria. We’re constantly brainstorming new ideas for projects and expansion, aiming to be recognized as innovators and changemakers both nationally and around the world.
Through Beta Gamma Sigma and the Global Leadership Summit, I was able to go from aspiring entrepreneur to a respected leader, business partner, and public speaker. Coming from humble roots, I understand the vitality in always being hungry to learn, along with an openness to accepting new opportunities as well as creating them. It’s not about relying on luck, but rather taking action (and having an excellent springboard to do it!) When you choose to do the latter, there’s no telling just how far you can go.
Specials thanks to Pablo A. Ruz Salmones for sharing his story and highlighting the incredible impact that Beta Gamma Sigma has made on his career!