Building ecosystems
that outlast
the people who build them.
I turn economic data into decisions and entrepreneurial communities into self-sustaining ecosystems. Based in McAllen, TX — working nationally.
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years of Chamber experience
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companies soft-landed in US
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companies assisted to start
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1MC communities led
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women entrepreneurs served
ACCE · 40 Under 40 · 2025
US Chamber · 5-Star · 2026
Kauffman Foundation · 1MC
IEDC · Silver Ribbon · 2018
Author · Brewed From Within
Economic Pulse · McAllen · Q2 2026
Economic Pulse of McAllen
What if your city had real-time economic intelligence?
Most mid-size cities are flying blind — relying on data that's 12–18 months old. I built a live economic intelligence dashboard for McAllen that tracks what actually moves the needle. I can build one for your city too — and keep it running every month.
McAllen Economic Pulse
Live · Feb 2026
Sales Tax Revenue+76% YoY
Retail Sales+60.5% YoY
Construction Permits+11.5% YoY
Cross-Border Crossings+2.6% YoY
Economic Health Index84 / 100
No expensive software. No IT department required.
Built on Google Sheets and Apps Script — tools your city already has. I configure it, train your team, and hand you the keys.
17 variables. 1,513 data points. AI-powered forecasting.
Real-time indicators, 90-day projections at 85% confidence, seasonality radar charts, and city-to-city benchmarking.
Built and proven in McAllen, TX.
Not a concept. A working system running in one of the fastest-growing cities on the US-Mexico border.
Let's find out if the Economic Pulse is the right fit for where you are. 30 minutes. No fluff.
The Economic Pulse of McAllen
Most cities are making million-dollar decisions with year-old data.
When a business considers relocating to your city, when a developer eyes your market, when a council member votes on an incentive — they're working with data that's 12 to 18 months stale. Your city deserves better.
18
Months behind — the average lag of traditional economic reporting
State and federal datasets take quarters to publish. By the time you see the numbers, the opportunity has already moved.
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Predictive capability in most mid-size city economic offices
No forecasting. No seasonality analysis. No sector-level signals. Just spreadsheets and gut feel.
$0
Budget most cities have for real-time economic intelligence
Enterprise platforms cost $200K+/year. Mid-size cities go without. Until now.
We solved it for McAllen.
→
Here's what it looks like.
The McAllen Data Hub — live
17 variables. 1,513 data points. One Economic Health Index.
Built on Google Sheets and Apps Script — tools every city already has. No enterprise contract. No IT department. Live, actionable economic intelligence updated automatically.
Deep Analytics — per-indicator TTM with AI forecasting
Every variable tracked trailing twelve months with YoY and MoM deltas. Live sync, always current.
02
Next 90 Days — statistical projections at 85% confidence
Know which indicators are trending up or down before they show in state reports. Plan ahead, not in hindsight.
03
Seasonality Patterns — radar view across 12 months
Understand your city's economic rhythm. Know your peaks, plan for your valleys, never be surprised again.
04
City Benchmarks — your numbers vs comparable cities
See how you stack up on sales tax, employment, vehicle crossings, and construction vs peer cities.
How it works
We build it. We keep it running.
This isn't a one-time delivery. We build your Economic Intelligence Dashboard together, then stay on as your monthly data partner — keeping your indicators current, your forecasts sharp, and your leadership informed.
01
Discovery call
We identify which public data sources your city already has. Most cities have more than they realize.
02
Custom build
I configure your Google Sheets infrastructure, wire in your data sources, and build your Economic Health Index from scratch.
03
Monthly updates
Every month I refresh your indicators, update the 90-day forecast, and send your leadership a one-page economic briefing. No technical knowledge required on your end.
04
Ongoing partnership
As your city evolves, so does your dashboard. New indicators, new benchmarks, new sectors — your data intelligence grows with your economy.
Does your city qualify?
The right fit matters.
✓ Population
Cities between 50K and 500K residents
Large enough to have meaningful economic data. Small enough that enterprise solutions are out of reach.
✓ Infrastructure
You already use Google Workspace
If your city has Google Sheets, you have everything needed. No new software required.
✓ Intent
Leadership committed to data-driven decisions
This works when city leadership wants to use data — not just collect it. A champion inside your organization matters.
30 minutes · No pitch deck · Just a conversation about your city
1 Million Cups · West Region · Jorge Sanchez, RNL
Building communities that actuallythrive.
42 field-tested tactics across 7 categories — built from 8+ years organizing and leading communities across the West Region.
42
best practices
7
categories
40+
communities in the West
8+
years in 1MC
Jump to a section
Sponsors
Aim for 2 to 6 active partners
5 practices
01 · Sponsors
The Self-Sponsor Quick Win
If your community lacks a coffee or venue sponsor, organizers should list their own businesses. This populates the platform, demonstrates real local buy-in, and shows prospects that professionals actively back the community.
02 · Sponsors
The Four Pillars of Sponsorship
Aim for one of each: Venue, Coffee or Food, Livestream, and Marketing or Printing. Diversifying reduces dependency on any single partner.
03 · Sponsors
The 30-Second Spotlight Ritual
Open every meeting with a brief, specific verbal thank-you to one sponsor. Explain why they support local entrepreneurs. A personal story creates loyalty beyond a logo on a slide.
04 · Sponsors
The Value Stack Pitch Deck
Create a simple 5-slide sponsor pitch that quantifies your audience: average attendees, founder demographics, social reach, and media mentions. Update it quarterly with real data.
05 · Sponsors
The Annual Sponsor Renewal Letter
Every December, send each sponsor a one-page impact recap: how many founders they fueled, presentations they witnessed, and connections made at their venue. Renewals are dramatically easier when sponsors remember what they bought.
Organizers
Aim for 7 or more active organizers
8 practices
06 · Organizers
Industry and Network Diversity
Build a team with varied backgrounds: a banker, a creative freelancer, a university staffer, a tech founder. Each brings a different network, ensuring outreach reaches every corner of the city.
07 · Organizers
Specialized Roles
Assign clear roles: The Connector recruits presenters. The Web and Check-in Lead manages the dashboard. The Door Host greets with a QR code. Clear ownership prevents burnout.
08 · Organizers
The Shadow Program
Invite consistent attendees to shadow the organizing team for two weeks. This low-pressure trial recruits new members while ensuring cultural fit before any formal commitment.
09 · Organizers
Leadership Pipeline
Always have a Co-Lead in training. Succession is not optional. It is infrastructure. If the Lead Organizer moves or burns out, the community keeps running without skipping a beat.
10 · Organizers
The Organizer One-Pager
Create a one-page document describing what being an organizer looks like: time commitment, specific tasks, perks, and what the role is not. Clarity before the ask dramatically increases yes rates.
11 · Organizers
The Quarterly Organizer Retro
Once per quarter, hold a 30-minute session just for the team: what is working and what is not. This surfaces hidden frustrations before they become resignations.
12 · Organizers
The Three Meetings Rule
Before asking someone to join the team, invite them to attend three consecutive meetings. By then they are already invested emotionally. The ask becomes almost natural.
13 · Organizers
Small Favors, Big Pipeline
Start small with people who have organizer potential. Ask them to pick up coffee, or stay 15 minutes to stack chairs. Each ask is a little bigger than the last. The t-shirt is just a formality.
Meetings
Same day, same time, every week
7 practices
14 · Meetings
The Reliability Rule
1MC happens every Wednesday at the same time. Period. Even if a presenter cancels, the meeting proceeds. Long-term community trust is built on predictability, not perfection.
15 · Meetings
The Empty Slot Backup Plan
If a presenter cancels, pivot to a Community Townhall, an ESO Resource Session, or a roundtable on a founder topic. These often become fan favorites.
16 · Meetings
Professional Pre-Game Huddle
Organizers meet 30 minutes before showtime for a run-through. A well-organized team creates an environment where founders feel safe sharing real business challenges.
17 · Meetings
The Weather Report Opening
Start every meeting with a 2-minute local ecosystem update: one win, one challenge, one resource available to founders this week. It anchors the meeting in real, current context.
18 · Meetings
The Hybrid-First Standard
Even for in-person meetings, maintain a consistent livestream link. Remote founders who tune in once often become in-person regulars. Treat the camera as a front-row seat.
19 · Meetings
The Year-in-Review Meeting
Once a year, celebrate your community's impact: total cups served, presenters featured, jobs created, investments made. It resets the community's sense of purpose.
20 · Meetings
Ecosystem Event Roundup
At the end of every meeting, open the floor for local events. Over time, you become the central hub for what is happening locally, not just a weekly meeting.
Attendance
Aim for 25 or more registered attendees
6 practices
21 · Attendance
QR Codes Everywhere
Place QR codes on every chair and the coffee table. Add a sign: Free coffee if you scan. Make check-in the ambient activity of the room, not a friction point at the door.
22 · Attendance
The First-Timer Welcome
Assign a dedicated Greeter whose only job is to identify new faces and introduce them to at least three regulars before the meeting starts. Nobody should leave their first 1MC without knowing someone's name.
23 · Attendance
The Stealth Invitation
When you need to meet someone for coffee, suggest coming here instead. No pitch, no setup. They will figure out what 1MC is on their own and be glad they showed up.
24 · Attendance
The Bring Your Boss Month
Once a quarter, theme a meeting around economic development leaders. Invite elected officials, bank executives, and university presidents as special guests. Attendance spikes.
25 · Attendance
The Cross-Community Guest Pass
Partner with a neighboring 1MC community to swap a few regulars every other month. Visiting attendees feel like celebrities, hosts feel validated, and both communities grow.
26 · Attendance
The Re-Engagement Note
Every 90 days, identify attendees who have not been back and send a personal note referencing something specific to them. A single personal sentence converts more than any mass blast ever will.
Platform Logins
Aim for 75%+ of organizers recently logged in
3 practices
27 · Platform
Monthly Dashboard Day
Once a month, the team stays 10 minutes after the meeting to log in together, update meeting notes, and clear the presenter pipeline. Collective accountability makes a chore feel like a team ritual.
28 · Platform
Mobile Accessibility First
Every organizer should have their dashboard login saved on their phone. Real-time check-in management during an event is only possible if nobody is digging through emails to remember a password.
29 · Platform
The Visibility Talk
Frame platform logins not as compliance, but as community visibility. Communities with active dashboards are more likely to be featured in 1MC newsletters. Make it personal, not procedural.
Presentations
Keep 5 or more founders ready to present at any time
7 practices
30 · Presentations
Always Be Recruiting
Every organizer asks at least one person per week: "Have you thought about presenting at 1MC?" It takes 30 seconds and keeps the pipeline full. Make it a standing item in your post-meeting debrief.
31 · Presentations
Presenter Coaching and Dry Runs
Offer a brief coaching session before the event. Prepared presenters refer other founders. The investment in one coaching call pays out in three future applicants.
32 · Presentations
Incubator Takeovers
Schedule one month per quarter where every presenter comes from a local accelerator, university program, or student pitch competition. It builds a durable institutional pipeline.
33 · Presentations
The Follow-Up Founder System
Three months after every presentation, reach out and ask what happened next. Success stories become your most powerful recruiting tool for future presenters and future sponsors.
34 · Presentations
The Almost Ready Waitlist
For founders who say they are not ready yet, add them to a low-pressure list and check in every 6 weeks. When they are ready, they already trust you. The application becomes a formality.
35 · Presentations
The LinkedIn Sourcing Ritual
Once a month, each organizer identifies local people who have recently posted about starting something. Anyone building anything is a candidate. The timing of the ask matters more than anything else.
36 · Presentations
Partner with FastTrac Affiliates
Ask your RNL for a list of FastTrac affiliates near you. FastTrac works with entrepreneurs actively developing businesses. One ask to the right affiliate can fill your pipeline for months.
Culture & the Extra Shot
The tactics that turn attendees into evangelists
7 practices
37 · Culture
The Coffee Cup Counter
Start every meeting by announcing the cumulative cups served — your total historical attendance. It turns a metric into a celebration and gives long-time regulars a reason to cheer.
38 · Culture
The Signature Banner
Have every presenter sign a 1MC banner immediately after their Q&A. It creates a physical legacy of entrepreneurial history and gives you great social media content every single week.
39 · Culture
The Mug Ritual
Give every presenter a branded 1MC mug. It sits on their desk, starts conversations, and draws in future applicants. A cheap mug is your best long-term marketing investment.
40 · Culture
Success Story Spotlight
Regularly share stories of founders who landed clients or investments after presenting. Elevating these stories validates the program for skeptics and reminds your community why the work matters.
41 · Culture
The One Year Later Interview
Every month, bring back a past presenter for a 5-minute where-are-they-now update. It closes the loop publicly, creates storytelling gold, and reminds the room why showing up matters.
42 · Culture
The Community Wall of Fame
Dedicate a physical or digital wall to presenter photos with one-line impact quotes. Founders want their photo on that wall before they have even presented.
43 · Culture
The Birthday Post Protocol
Track the launch anniversaries of businesses that have presented. Post a congratulatory shout-out each anniversary. It costs nothing and creates fierce loyalty from the founders you feature.
Contribute
Share a Best Practice
Something working in your community? Submit it and it may be featured in the next edition of this guide.
Thank you. Your tip has been sent to Jorge. We review all submissions and reach out if it makes the guide.
