We had the good fortune of connecting with Alvaro Palacio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alvaro, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.” – Theodore Roosevelt This has been my favorite quote since middle school. As an athlete, it implies that there is no substitute for hard work. You have to put in countless hours of hard work each and every day to be the best athlete out there. Running a small business is identical. I’ve had to put in (still do) several hours in a day to improve my business while making sacrifices along the way. Among these sacrifices, sleep has been the biggest by far. I want to succeed so much, that sometimes I’m willing to forego a full night’s worth of rest so I can work to improve Paramount Athletics.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am known for living a healthy lifestyle, and I take pride in helping people reach their goals regardless of age or gender. I get the most satisfaction when I hear, “I couldn’t have done this without you.” I created the Phantom Grips to help take away the mind from the grip so an athlete can focus exclusively on his or her training. Female or male, the last thing that should be on your mind is, “this bar hurts my hands” or “the weight is slipping out of my hands, I can probably only do one more.” I’m most proud of being an integral part of someone’s life and being able to add more time to his/her life. It has not been an easy road! Patience is the biggest lesson I’ve learned. Trying to run a business and take care of a 1-year old is no easy task. I adapt, and learn to work around my daughter’s schedule. Aside from the gloves themselves, I hand-write a personalized note on every order. Thank you emails are great and show appreciation, but I think a traditional hand-written message has a deeper meaning and goes much further.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For sure, they would need to try Texas Barbecue and Tex Mex! I love El Tiempo so that would be the first stop! If I had time to explore a new field of interest, it would be astronomy. There’s so much out there we don’t know about. You cannot come to Houston without vising NASA!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My biggest support system has been my wife and my parents! Even through the most difficult times of my start-up, they have always been there to encourage me to keep going. My mother has always been one to give positive messages. Any time I have doubt, she is there to motivate me to explore new ideas. My dad is a workhorse. He will drop what he’s doing to give a helping hand. My family lives 9 hours away, and he made the drive one weekend just to help me with sales calls and initial start-up tasks. My wife constantly throws new ideas for me to explore as well as assists with marketing/advertising ideas. So, to my amazing wife, Cristen, and my parents, I love you. Thanks for always believing in me and standing by my side in everything I do.

 

Website: www.paramount-athletics.com
Instagram: @officialparamountathletics
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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMbXf95MJgWXgnaX6yLLhlQ?view_as=subscriber

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