Our community is comprised of some absolutely brilliant entrepreneurs and so we asked a few of them to tell us the story of how they came up with the ideas for their business.

Perla Mendoza | Advocate & Founder of Project Eli

Losing my beloved son Elijah, to ONE counterfeit pill containing a lethal dose of illicit fentanyl was the catalyst for starting Project Eli. Prior to this tragedy, I had no knowledge of fentanyl or the alarming practice of drug dealers creating counterfeit pills with it. As a grieving mother, I felt an urgent need to raise awareness about this dangerous substance that has claimed the lives of countless young people. Read more>>

Jená, Nyah, Scott, Rachelle Bhone | Owners

Our business “Burnt Umber Coffee ft. Petals & Poison Tea Room” came from our family’s love for coffee and tea culture. Our parents have always ran home businesses, so it made sense to create a family business that combined all of our interests. The name “Burnt Umber” came about because it is the color of both coffee and tea. “Petals & Poison” is our sister brand. They are known for their Small Batch Tea Blends, Tea accessories, Nu Antiques, and Gothic Victorian aesthetic. Their name came from the idea that the brand is both Gothic Victorian, but also Romantic. Read more>>

Jayna Won | Tattoo Artist and Co Owner of Angel Kissses Studio

I came up with Angel Kisseses along side Sabrina Drescher my business partner. We had met and discussed how hard it was for handpoking female artists to get hired as residents when we had started. We wanted to create a shop that was welcome in of anyone and everyone and had an inviting comfortable feeling for residents clients and guests. Additionally I used to call her tattoos Angel Kisses which is what inspired the idea for the name! Read more>>

Gina Kaysen Fernandes | Director of Media Relations, Juris Productions PR

The idea to start the Public Relations division of Juris Productions didn’t come to me overnight. It was a gradual evolution of more than a decade of documentary production and journalism work. With my experience recognizing compelling news stories and building strong connections with TV reporters, I realized there was more to learn about public relations (PR) beyond pitching stories. Read more>>