Oct. 13 – Patricia Flores moved to Northeastern Pennsylvania about a year ago because she saw the area as promising.
“I see a lot of potential here that a lot of people don’t necessarily see because they’re from here,” Flores said of Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area. “When I came here, I was just visiting, but I met a lot of people who were moving from New York City because New York City is so busy and there isn’t as much potential for people there to grow their own businesses.”
Now she has cut the ribbon at Catalyst Connect Consulting, a digital media marketing company that helps small businesses build their digital profile and presence.
Originally from Hawaii, Flores joined the U.S. Army after high school. Although her service was primarily based in New York, she was also deployed to the Middle East, deployed to Afghanistan and spent time in Kuwait. During her four transformative years in the military, Flores dabbled in basic Microsoft Office applications and continued to expand her knowledge base, both personally and professionally.
According to Flores, the military emphasizes the importance of forming a plan for returning to civilian life. At the end of her employment, Flores sold cars for a year. But she had ambitions to start a small business, like her parents before her, and saw an opportunity in NEPA.
“I like to target a lot of small businesses that want to have a little bit of growth to the next level they’re trying to get to,” Flores said. “Especially in this area, there are a lot of parents, a lot of small businesses, that haven’t quite made the leap to digital yet. … and they need help with that, so that’s where I come in.”
Her skills allow Flores to help local businesses with social media marketing, business branding, website design and other services they may need to expand their digital presence.
Although locally based in Wilkes-Barre, Flores said Catalyst Connect Consulting is ready and willing to help other out-of-town businesses.
Currently, Flores operates Catalyst Connect as a solo act, but this may expand as more clients take advantage of its services.
Still, Flores is reluctant to rapidly expand her business and prefers quality over quantity in the near future.
Locally, support for Flores and Catalyst Connect was strong, with the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce showing particular interest in the company. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Catalyst Connect was hosted by the Chamber on October 11 at Wilkes-Barre’s THINK Center.
In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, Flores has a clear vision for developing a network, especially as it relates to other veteran-owned businesses.
‘It’s certainly a very small percentage of people who join [the military]so I’m always looking for small businesses that are also experienced,” says Flores, adding that she offers discounts to other veteran-owned businesses.
Catalyst Connect Consulting’s full services can be found at catalysatorconnectconsulting.net or by searching the company name on social media.
