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

Hi Sharon, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I have always had an entrepreneurial side, even when I was younger, I would make jewelry in my room and sell it or I would come up with different inventions and ideas on how to improve things that already existed. Starting my own business was a tough endeavour but one that I’m grateful I pushed forward with. It has made me learn new things and grow in many ways.
I created a one-stop-shop creative space that is safe and inclusive for all under-represented communities! beTRUE Los Angeles has three cyc wall studios, a podcast studio, design-inspired lounges, a customizable and unique event space, a social media agency that represents LGBTQ+ content creators, private offices and more to come!
Seeing the joy and inspiration beTRUE brings to my clients for every event or studio rental is everything!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
beTRUE Los Angeles is the first of what I know will be many more locations in the future! This location was supposed to be the beta / “prove the concept” location to then create more. We are not even one year into the business and it is already showing how much the community needs a space like this. This was not an easy ride and I faced many challenges along the way and still do but I keep pushing through and continue to evolve the business and space as we keep growing. It’s becoming more than I could have imagined and it’s so exciting!

We are a one-stop-shop for all things creative — we combine studio space, event space, coworking, social media agency and a sense of community all in one place! The potential is huge and the opportunities are endless…this is just the beginning and I am so excited for what’s to come!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To be honest, building this new business has been so time consuming that I’ve barely been a tourist in LA myself! It would be so fun to get to do all of those things with a friend that visits! I’d love to do Universal Studios (especially Mario World), go to Malibu, Venice Boardwalk, The Grove Farmers Market, thrift shopping on Melrose and of course eat at all the top Yelp suggestions!

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?
I would love to shout out my fiancé, family and friends! They have supported me along this journey in every way. We have painted together, done DIY projects, put on events and more. Many of these were stressful times but having all of them by my side and working together made it so much better! 

Website: www.betruegrp.com

Instagram: @betrue.losangeles

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betrue-group/

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