Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Grace Yniguez.
Hi Mary Grace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story began in Las Vegas, NV, at the age of 16 I became a teen mom with my boyfriend (who is now my husband). We were teen parents in HS and our son is now 19 turning 20 in November. Becoming a mom at that age pushed me to boss up immediately. I finished HS and later attended college while also working full-time. At the time, I believed that this was the only way I was going to become successful, but also looking back it was my way of doing things the RIGHT way and trying not to “mess up” again. I was always a person who was shy, didn’t like doing presentations and hated PUBLIC SPEAKING, but with friends that was a different story.
Through my years of working 9-5 jobs, I continued HS, went home to be with my family and take care of my son in his toddler years. It was a routine cycle every day… At the age of 24, when I was working at a law firm, I became very ill, long story short I was told I had an auto-immune disease called Ulcerative Colitis. After several years of working at a stressful job, I changed paths and worked for the company that I now own.
I came on board as the Operations Director and within three years, the CEO at the time offered me COO position. I played a huge role in building the company where it was before I purchased it. For 10 years, I ran the operations of the business from top to bottom, learned social media, marketing, how to run a business, how to build websites, graphic design and event production. I produced as large as 2000 held at the LA Dolby Theatre. With my skills and heart to want to help business owners succeed, I was the go-to person of our members to help them with their website and social media. I learned the ins and outs not only from the experts but by applying the skills in Social Register Network. The CEO was an amazing mentor and great catalyst to who I am today in business and as a woman. Always having empathy for others, giving back to our community, but also knowing to put our foot down when things are NOT RIGHT.
After ten years, the CEO decided she wanted to retire. I have to admit I wasn’t the first to raise my hand because, quite honestly I was SCARED!! That is a whole other level of responsibility. During the year, as she was interviewing different prospective buyers, I took a deep dive to figure out what I wanted to do and how I was going to help provide for my family. With the fear of the business being purchased, I ended up accepting a Corporate Job with a well-known law firm in their Marketing Department. Although I found out in a very short two months that Corporate Life was not for me again, I loved every moment of running the Marketing Department. This is where I am always also able to tap into my creative skills in building podcasts, social media marketing, and building a marketing strategy now for a LAW FIRM.
I laugh every day…about it because my counselor in college told me to take a minor in either communications or marketing and I remember vividly being so adamantly saying NO because I said that is NOT ME. I can’t talk to me…. and now it’s my well-known expertise.
After a short two months, and my son going through an ACL injury, I realized that Corporate Life was not for me. Family is important to me and during the thick of my son’s recovery, I had to request days off and/or felt bad doing so! I also learned that I didn’t enjoy being a Director of a Marketing department with a decision-making role, but still had to run approvals… I guess that was the CEO IN ME. LOL.
To make a long story short, I spoke to my husband and he was all IN and supportive. He said if buying at the time named Social Register of Las Vegas was what I wanted to do then let’s do it! So we talked to the previous CEO, and she was elated that I made the decision to be the one to purchase and signed the papers!
The first 2 months as the new owner in 2020 were amazing, I had a lot to learn, but it was all exciting to know that I can implement all these ideas and creativity into the business without having to ask someone haha! In the first few weeks, I rebranded the business, changed the name, changed the logo and launched it all! I quickly MODERNIZED the organization. We did very well with the new transition and had an influx of members join the organization and by month three, the pandemic hit the world.
This was the scariest thing, but for whatever reason, my mind just accepted it and said OK, let’s figure out how to ensure our members still get the benefits they paid for and they are still making those connections as they would in person!
I brought everything online, being one of the first organizations doing Virtual Speed Networking. I had local chambers calling me asking how I did it and how I ran it – which I of course gladly shared. You see I believe in abundance of energy and there is enough success for all of us!
With the time during the pandemic, pivoting and helping support the community allowed me to sit back and analyze what the business community was needing right now and implement it right away. I’m not afraid of trying and I am a person who if I have an idea we implement RIGHT AWAY.
Within the first two years as the new owner, we had members across the nation joining our organization which allowed me to pivot the business and make it NATIONAL. Now three years in, we are a nationwide networking organization with Live Events in Las Vegas, Orange County, CA, and Washington DC while still bringing our virtual networking events/community ONLINE.
When I bought the business, I always knew I wanted to expand to the OC, but didn’t know it would be this soon. Since launching in May of 2022, the business community has been receptive and is growing every day.
Our goal is to build exactly what we have in Las Vegas which is a Business Community of Business Owners + Entrepreneurs connecting, supporting, elevating and growing together.
Who is Social Register Network?
SR Network is the leading Networking Organization & Community exclusively for industry leaders, business owners + entrepreneurs. Our mission is to create a platform and community where business owners can build a quality network that fosters collaboration, support, relationships, resources, and growth for their business. We bring the HUMAN 2 HUMAN Connection.
SRN provides a platform for business owners to network, learn and grow through our business resources like business workshops, webinars, and seminars, and also amplify their voices through their stories. We offer a platform for members to teach, host events, and bring more visibility to them and their businesses.
This entrepreneurial journey is a lonely one and it feels good to be part of a community in our local cities where we can feel heard, seen, and supported.
Right now, we are hosting monthly Networking Mixers in various venues in the OC area. We have 2500+ Members as a collective. In Las Vegas, our networking mixer does anywhere from 100-150 ppl in attendance, and in OC about 40-70 ppl within time this will definitely increase as more people know about who we are and what we do. This community is built by the community. In addition to the networking and resources, we also give back to our local communities by featuring a non-profit at our mixers at no cost to bring them visibility, awareness, and support too. As business owners, it is a blessing for us to do what we love and make money to support our dreams and impact, I believe it is our role and responsibility to give back to our local communities in some way or another.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think with every journey, there are always bumps in the road, but with adversity comes tenacity and the DRIVE to push forward. As a previous teen parent, that wasn’t easy. It’s hard growing up! And now telling a 16-year-old she has to grow up to because she has no choice, that was definitely hard, but I DID it. It wasn’t easy finishing school with a baby, then later getting a FT job and juggling both college and raising a toddler – that IS NOT EASY. But never did I feel that it was so hard that I wanted to give up. It’s what I did to take care of myself and our family and to ensure my son had everything he needed.
In business, it’s the same journey. It’s not EASY. It may look easy for people on the outside, but it takes a lot of TENACITY, GRIT, and DEDICATION. Because there is no one there telling you what to do, you just have to do it or you don’t get anything done. Being an entrepreneur is a blessing in so many ways, but what I believe people don’t talk about is the mindset and the type of level of LEVELING UP and learning about yourself that you have to do to break down barriers and roadblocks.
If you’re stuck in that hole, it’s hard to get out if you don’t have the tools, resources, and a TIGHT community to be there to motivate you, inspire you and share with you that you are not alone. It’s a lot of MENTAL capacity, for real. It’s not just rainbow and butterflies… BUT the most rewarding thing about being an entrepreneur is realizing that you have a gift and impact to make in this world…and when you see just 1 person touched by that impact, it’s all worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Social Register Network is a Nationwide organization that brings business owners + entrepreneurs together to make meaningful connections by providing curated events, platforms, and a community filled with business resources. We remove the typical transactional networking and focus on building a quality network.
Our core values are the foundation of our organization’s principles.
Our organization’s culture is “how can we help you; how can we support you”.
We operate by the 4 C’s of Social Register Network:
Connection: Real meaningful business relationships are built here. Authenticity Real connections lead to friendships, business opportunities, and introductions to more connections.
Collaboration: We believe that collaboration is a powerful source in networking through sharing our resources and connections and having the top of mind on how we can collaborate to bring us both success, we all will ELEVATE together.
Cultivate: Growth + Elevate
Elevate – includes growing personally and professionally. As business owners, we should always be learning. We provide business resources to help you build and grow personally & professionally. Our experts are here to help you pour into our community. We provide business workshops, webinars, weekly tips and so much more.
Community + Giveback
We are a community more than anything. This includes our business relationships but also our business and local community. As business owners, we believe we each have a role and responsibility to give back to our communities. As our businesses grow, we have the opportunity to give back to our community so it grows and thrives too! Each of our mixers features a local non-profit and all non-profit organizations will receive complimentary membership to SR Network.
Our mission is to provide a platform and community where business owners can build a quality network that fosters collaboration, support, relationships, resources, and growth for their business. Elevate: together in business, community, and life. We are the platform to amplify your voice!
We provide a platform and community for business owners + entrepreneurs.
– Hosting monthly networking events
– Exclusive SRN Member Behind the Vault Events
– Business Workshops, Webinars, and Seminars to build, grow and scale your business
– Marketing & Promotional Opportunities
– Masterminds
– Opportunities to use our platform to bring you MORE VISIBILITY and AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE through teaching, speaking, and features.
What sets up apart from others is that we are exclusive to business owners + entrepreneurs who are not here to pitch to each other but are here to build meaningful connections. We’ve been in the industry for 27 years and this is a business, we don’t do something else, this is not lead gen for us, we specialize in creating events and benefits to support the business community.
Because I am an introvert, everything I do is with intention and meaning. Social Register Network encompasses every bit of that. From our benefits, our community app, our networking events, and our speakers who speak at our events to the tiniest details of swag bags.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Be part of a networking organization, community, or group that resonates and aligns with you 100%. And don’t just join free ones. Yes, some are OK, but you get in what you pay for. If you are going to be free, you are mostly not going to get anything out of it because the mindset is not there. The people who are paying to be in a room are the people looking to connect, support, and elevate together.
Once you do that, you will find a mentor and peers that align too! Remember that networking is a 2-way street, give and receive.
Always think of others, go into a networking event with the mindset of — finding out who people are at this event and how you can become a resource to them. This is the golden ticket to ensuring that other people remember you and you become the resource. Once you’ve built that relationship, those opportunities, introductions, and clients come in effortlessly.
Pricing:
- Virtual Membership Only $295 annually or $35 monthly
- Community Membership Access to in person and virtual: $695 yearly or $99 a month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.socialregister.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/marygraceyniguez
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marygrace.yniguez.5/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeA5Wqqx-FbHawg_5IhRfSA
Image Credits
Photographers: Ati G. Branding & Photographer, Josh Line Photography, Social Register Media | Val Novoa
