Early success gave this young entrepreneur the credibility to bridge community, business gaps

At 21, Jonathan Pitallo is already an entrepreneur, real estate agent, and investor, he shared, but community engagement might be his biggest passion, he said.

A standing banner from Vive Promo and Print

The Kansas City, Kansas, resident and Belton native founded Vive Promo and Print, is an agent at EXP Realty, and owns three properties, but he’s also an ambassador for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, routinely connects with young professionals through the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, and works with local school districts and nonprofits to share his entrepreneurial journey.

“I like being involved wherever I can be,” he said. “There’s a guy named Joaquin Toro. He’s an insurance agent in KCK, and he tells me all the time like, ‘Dude, even if it’s like a baby shower, just go; you’ll love it. You love being around people. Just attend it.’” 

“Early on, that was his advice to me,” Pitallo added. “‘Attend everything. You’ll find what you like.’ And that’s exactly what I did, and I found what I like.”

Pitallo especially enjoys connecting with and inspiring young entrepreneurs like himself.

As an ambassador for the Hispanic chamber, he noted, Pitallo helps to make new people feel comfortable.

“My job is to make sure I’m bridging the gaps — presenting them to people, connecting them, and guiding them along as they continue to network,” he explained.

Within several of the local school districts — including Olathe and Shawnee Mission — he talks about entrepreneurship with students, he said.

“Usually these kids are excited,” continued Pitallo, who started his business at 16. “They’re engaged because they see someone that’s close to their age.”

“I hope to share my story and show the real stuff,” he added. “I failed a couple times. It wasn’t all pretty. It’s been a while since I started the idea. So I was patient, persistent through it. I’m just hoping they know that they can reach out to me.”

Learning from the dream

While he was a student at Belton High School, Pitallo started a clothing brand, he shared, selling puff paint hoodies. Despite the success of the venture, the pandemic forced him to “shut down that little dream.”

“A lot of creativity happened during that lockdown,” he explained. “I decided to pivot and start trying to brand things for businesses.”

That led to Vive Promo and Print, a KCK-based business that offers same-day stationery printing, screen printing and embroidery services, plus promotional products.

“A lot of people come into my shop or my office just to talk,” he said. “There’s times they’re not ready to even buy anything. They just want to have a conversation with me and my team, and we love that. We like conversations, hearing people’s situations.

“A lot of people trust me, trust my word,” Pitallo continued. “They see like, ‘Hey, you were able to succeed so young, maybe we need to hear a thing or two from you.’ So I feel like that’s what sets us apart.”

Check out a podcast interview with Pitallo and Enterrupt KC below, then keep reading.

Pouring into the foundation

While building Vive, Pitallo also interned for a local concrete small business, he noted. That experience not only allowed him to learn more about how to run a small business — it’s also what got him involved in real estate.

“I got a love for it,” he added. “In my community, many people don’t own a home. I know if they already trust me with this other stuff and they can trust me with real estate, that just bridges gaps for everybody.”

While juggling everything he has on his plate now, Pitallo also has big plans for the future. In a couple of years, he said, he’s hoping to add an even bigger community engagement piece to Vive. And at some point, he’s thinking about going to school for business law, so he can partner with and protect small businesses.

“Then they start respecting these little guys as they continue to grow,” Pitallo noted. “That’s what I want.”

But right now, he’s at a point of self discovery, he noted. 

“I feel like, as entrepreneurs, we’re always looking for that next opportunity and things,” Pitallo explained. “So I still want that. I’m hungry for it. But now I get a pause moment.”