Entrepreneurs tell us about starting their businesses

Thinking through whether to start a business – whether to take the risk, whether to go out on your own – isn’t easy. So we asked some entrepreneurs we admire to tell us about how they thought through the process of starting a business.

Shawn Dougherty | Founder & Executive Producer

The whole idea behind starting our family business came from wanting to combine our strengths and create something meaningful that could actually make a difference. We wanted to open up our beautiful space to people from all over, giving them a place to heal, connect, and reset. It’s really about building a legacy of wellness and creating experiences that help people grow and bring them closer together. Read more>>

Lulu Alshami | Florist

I have always loved and admired flowers everywhere I went, but I didn’t always create floral designs. I started tapping into the art of arranging flowers when I was a first year law student who needed a creative escape. It started out as creating arrangements for myself, friends and family in my very limited free time and then blossomed into so much more. When I started my business, my goal was to make people feel seen, heard, loved and celebrated through beautiful flowers. More specifically, flowers that always reflect the persona of the person receiving them. It’s important to me to create arrangements that compliment people’s style because thoughtful touches are what make all of us feel seen and loved. Read more>>

Chris Baldwin | President, The L-Project

The L-Project was created in 2015 to produce events and spaces for 2SLGBTQI+ women & non-binary creatives to express themselves through the arts and technology. After the last Lesbian bar, The Palms, closed down in West Hollywood to make way for a multi-use development project, our Founder, Elisabeth Sandberg, decided she wanted to build a community of feminine identified spirits that would mix and mingle outside of the bar scene. As an historically Lesbian 501c3 non-profit, it’s important to us that we foster a sense of belonging and promoting a culture of acceptance, understanding, and love by using art, music and technology to bring people together. Read more>>

Madalin Marquez | Owner of Made By Madalin Charcuterie Bar Cart

My thought process when starting my own business was to create a side income for my family and I, living in California and working a full time job just isn’t enough these days. My small business has given me the opportunity to make a little extra and has turned out to be something I love! Having a Charcuterie Bar Cart has been fun, getting to be a part of people’s events and create personal charcuterie boxes for their guests; it’s such a unique touch to elevate any event! Read more>>

Robert Ramos | Co-owner and stylist

We started the salon, Estilo Salon in 1991 and in 2017 we rebranded and put our names on the door, Ramos Carreon Salon same location same team, a new name and a newly remodeled salon .
The thought process was really about creating a space for creative people to get together and have a place to be creative and have their individual style. Read more>>

Lauren Patty | Lauren Patty, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

I wanted the freedom to create the practice I desired without the limitations or restrictions that are common when joining an established practice or group. I wanted to design every aspect of the office space and curate an experience for patients from the moment they schedule their first appointment. My goal was to create a high-end office with all of the newest technologies to offer patients while maintaining an environment that feels comfortable and welcoming. I also value work-life balance, so creating my own business meant I was solely responsible for setting my work hours, which has enabled me to block out time for myself and for the people in my life. Read more>>

Sona Guloyan | Crepe Studio Founder & Guru

Growing up I always wanted to pursue entrepreneurship but really had no clue where or how to start. After finishing college I was working at Wells Fargo as a banker. A family member/mentor who I looked up too one day asked me what I wanted to do with my life. It brought back an idea I had in my head for years about taking my grandmothers recipe and opening a Crepe Café in my home town of Pasadena. After months of research and much support from my family, I decided to leave my job and open my Crepe Café, and Crepe Studio was born. Read more>>

Jingshu Lu | Film director & editor

The drive behind my filmmaking stems from a tapestry of dramatic experiences throughout my life, most of which are intricately shaped by my mother. She is a vivid, emotionally expressive presence—her performative nature has made my own emotional landscape and life journey equally intense and unpredictable. Through this, I’ve come to understand the nuanced complexities within family dynamics and societal structures, especially the shades of gray that define human relationships. Filmmaking, for me, is a way to translate these personal reflections and emotions into a cinematic narrative. Read more>>

Tamany Vinson Bentz | Intellectual Property Attorney

I work with clients to cultivate their intellectual property so their business can be more valuable. Before I started my own firm though I worked for very large law firms. Most of the work I was doing at large firms was trying to fix problems with intellectual property that were created because companies did not get advice early enough in their growth to avoid the issue. I decided there had to be a better way to help companies and decided to focus on helping start ups and growing companies earlier in hopes that they never have problems with their intellectual property once they are successful. Read more>>

Brian L.a. Compton | Founder & E-Commerce Enthusiast

When I was young, my father played a significant role in inspiring my entrepreneurial spirit. As a police officer for the City of Los Angeles, he had a stable career, yet he was always seeking additional sources of income. He involved me and our family in many of his ventures, regardless of their success. From real estate classes to wellness sales and even seasonal clothing sales, he explored various opportunities. I believe it was during this time that the seed was planted for my desire to own my own business. Read more>>

Giselle Spratley | Licensed Medical Esthetician

My thought process in starting my own business was driven by a combination of my professional experiences and personal motivations. I’ve been a medical esthetician for three years, working in luxury medspas, wellness clinics, and dermatology offices. I had the privilege to learn from different fields in skin care, gaining the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality, personalized treatments. However, I wanted more freedom to create my own approach to client care, aligning with my vision of wellness and beauty. More than anything, my son inspired me to take this leap. Read more>>

Jordyn Shapiro | CEO and Founder Just Start LA, Executive Function Coach

Starting Just Start LA was born out of my passion for helping students overcome educational challenges and reach their full potential. I wanted to create a space where students could get personalized support, especially in areas like executive function skills—time management, organization, and prioritization—that are often overlooked but vital for success. My goal was to offer more than just tutoring; I envisioned a community hub where students, parents, and educators could come together to learn and grow. Read more>>

Nate Boclair Iv | Brand Ambassador

I have always been into fashion ever since a young boy. Always wanted to wear suits like my grandfather who was the president of a HBCU and learned to become versatile from my Auntie who kept me with the latest streetwear. I never really had a thought process about it until one day I posted a GRWM with Paper Planes Clothes(Emory Jones x Jay Z Clothing Brand) and the management team reached out in my DM asking if I could do some more work for them. After that everything just started to fall into my lap. Creed was the next big deal, collaborating with Dillards, then Steve Madden, to my latest deal with Tom Ford. It’s truly all been a huge blessing. Read more>>

Daniela Daniela | Flores Deos Co. – Wholesale Flower Distributor inside The Original Los Angeles Flower Market

As much as I’d love to take credit for starting this business, the truth is my parents founded it 31 years ago. My dad officially retired six years ago and asked if my mom and I wanted to continue what they had built. Honestly, I didn’t step in just to own a business- it was more about continuing my fathers passion for supporting the people behind the flowers. Read more>>

Lizeth ” Liz” Gomez | Meet Lizeth Gomez owner of Yaquesita Mex LG

As a proud Mexican with a deep appreciation for my heritage, I embarked on this business venture with a clear vision: to introduce the world to the authentic pet products of Mexico and share the richness of our culture and traditions. As an animal lover, I made sure that my creation would include our beloved pets, allowing them to enjoy our Mexican culture as well trough our carefully crafted products. Read more>>