Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Grace Hefley | Freelance Photographer & Creator of To Jupiter Love Grace

Starting my own business began with embracing my passion for photography. Once I moved to the Oregon Coast half way through my high school career in 2014, I immediately decided to pursue my new school’s yearbook and newspaper. Read more>>

Gabriela Garcia Olivo | Founder and Designer of Gabriela Michele

While in college, the idea of having my own business and creating the opportunity to work for myself started taking shape. Since childhood, I have dreamed of designing clothes and having a clothing brand. It made sense to me to make this dream my entrepreneurship initiative. Read more>>

Yahman Berry | Marine, small business owner

I didn’t want to be working hard everyday for the rest of my life and making someone else rich , also me being in the military, I didn’t want the leave without setting myself up to succeed, like go to school or start a business. I make 23,000 a year in the military and I know for a fact that I’m worth way more than that. Read more>>

Brook Perdigon | Founder + Creative Director of Brook Perdigon Textiles

I founded my company in 2015 with a handful of prints that I designed on the coffee table in my tiny little apartment in Los Feliz. I had been working as a textile designer for interior designers and then at Tai Ping Carpets for 10+ years and I was very eager to see what I could create from my own ideas. Read more>>

Johnny Gentleman | Drag King, Show Producer, and Host

Dapper Puss Entertainment was created as a drag production company that produces shows and safe spaces for members of the QTBIPOC community. As a drag king in a drag queen dominated industry, it’s more difficult to receive bookings because most drag producers didn’t see drag kings as serious drag performers. Read more>>

Patrice Sterling | Book Publishing Coach & Sickle Cell Advocate

I combined two things I know well that others often ask me about- family and writing. Twenty-Two Publishing was established as a vehicle for individuals to share their family stories. It is essential to have a space to address the issues and experiences that shape us. Read more>>

Yoky Matsuoka | Founder & CEO of Yohana, a technology and wellness company dedicated to helping families create space in their day to prioritize well-being.

I’ve spent my career making technology that helps people live happier, healthier lives. As an endowed professor at Carnegie Mellon and then at The University of Washington, I worked in robotics and neuroscience with a focus on making devices to restore the body’s capabilities for sensation and movement. Read more>>

Katelyn Buchan | Artist, Clothing Company, Art Facilitator

Starting my own business was something that came slowly and naturally building through my early 20’s to really establishing a professional business late 20s. At first it was a fun hobby going to music festivals sharing my art and live painting in 2018. Read more>>

Maurice & Kimberly Sanchez | Business Owners

Our thought process behind starting our business was that we wanted to produce fresh home-made desserts with simple ingredients that everyone could enjoy without preservatives or ingredients you have never heard of. We always knew one thing was certain, everything tastes better made from scratch. Read more>>

Brad Lemack | Talent Manager, PR Consultant, Career Coach, Educator & Author

I moved to Angeles from my hometown of Boston in the early 1980s to begin working as a publicity executive for pioneering producer Norman Lear’s television production company. As a television series publicist, I had exposure to all aspects of sit-com television content creation. Read more>>

Aliesha Renea | Fashion Designer, Poet & Entrepreneur

I was in the shelter with a lot of people who had the same issues I had. We had depression, we had suicidal thoughts, we wasn’t confident. I wanted to first write a poetry book, but I was like nobody would feel like really reading it. So I noticed alot of people loved fashion. They loved talking about what people had on, they loved putting on their best outfit. Read more>>

Brittany Franklin | Founder & CEO of You’re Not FInished

Starting my own business isn’t something I ever imagined myself doing, to be honest, but given everything I want to do in the mental health field for people who limited access to resources, it just made the most sense. Read more>>

Susana Cerna | owner of Mawisa Handicraft

I always thought that I had to do something so as not to miss my country and generate income for my things. It doesn’t depend entirely on my husband. but mainly I expected a lot in my country and that made me create Mawisa Handicraft. Read more>>

Thamar Prussien | Co-Owner of The Nanny Share Network

While dependable, safe childcare has always been difficult for parents to find, the problem exploded after the Coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020. When moms and dads began to solely work from home and pull their children out of daycare and after school programs in favor of E-Learning, they wondered how they would ever balance it all. Read more>>

Kesha Alexander | MSW; Owner & Administrator

Since a young girl I knew I wanted to work with the elderly. I saw my family care for my great grandfather who had Alzheimer disease and it was stressful for my loved ones. That is when the interest sparked in starting my business to care for the elderly. Read more>>

Ashley Edes | Designer & Creative Producer

As a fashion intern in London, a woman I worked for said to me, “You are going to be your own boss one day.” At that point, I had never considered it but her words lit a fire. Read more>>

Kim Serrano | Founder and Owner

My inspiration behind In Control Cosmetics was a need for me to create an affordable healthy makeup line for all skin tones. My journey started back on 2018 when I struggled to find makeup, especially with lipsticks, lipglosses and blushes (online and in person) that were free from allergens, Read more>>

Taylor Alexander | Founder/CEO of TEABOX

Since I was a teen I always had a passion for jewelry & accessories. My thought process was to just do it, It took me over a decade to start..I saved my money for 1 year one year, and took a leap of faith and Launched TEABOX November 21st, 2021. I knew I wanted a Luxury Jewelry Business after my business class almost 10 years ago, Read more>>

Henry Alonzo | Music Executive & Entrepreneur

When I was in grad school I had a teacher who said that a true entrepreneur could always see an untapped need and look for an opportunity to improve or create. In the mid-2000s, the music industry was evolving quickly and I recognized that many labels were not keeping up. Read more>>

Klayton Carroll | Mental Performance Coach and Speaker

I started my business, Ready. Player. Win., because I saw a need in the market to provide young athletes with the mindset needed to overcome mental setbacks. Many young athletes need to recognize that mistakes are a part of the process, and that they need to find ways to conquer this fear to be disciplined players both on and off the field. Read more>>