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

Hi Alexandria House, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We started The Startup Sisterhood LA (SUSLA) during the pandemic when we saw so many women in our community, especially those living at Alexandria House, suddenly facing job loss and financial instability. The crisis made it clear that traditional employment couldn’t always be relied on and we needed to create new pathways for stability, ownership, and long-term income.

Our thought process was simple but urgent. What if we could help people launch their own businesses and take control of their futures? We wanted to equip women not just with encouragement but with practical tools—how to register a business, understand taxes, build a brand, and sell a product or service.

As SUSLA grew, we expanded beyond Alexandria House to include people from the surrounding community. We saw that the need and the potential was bigger than we imagined. To this day, SUSLA continues to help individuals start their own businesses, generate income, and create lasting economic opportunity for themselves and their families.

We didn’t just want to respond to a crisis. We wanted to build a model for empowerment that could grow and evolve for years to come, and that’s exactly what SUSLA is becoming.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What separates SUSLA from other career development programs is the community of Alexandria House. The key to our success is the bond we create to turn strangers into neighbors. At Alexandria House, we embrace everyone who enters our doors. The connections we’ve made with each other have led to incredible opportunities for personal and professional growth! Beyond business training, we provide mentorship, financial support like stipends and mini grants, plus childcare for parents, food for those coming off work, and transportation assistance to remove barriers.

Building SUSLA hasn’t been easy, but through commitment and a network of mentors, donors, and partners, we’ve turned challenges into opportunities. SUSLA is about resilience, connection, and empowering people to transform their lives through entrepreneurship.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
You can discover our entrepreneurs and their businesses through our website under the SUSLA program. It is an easy way to support local small businesses and connect with inspiring stories.

If my best friend visited, I would take them to Koreatown, one of Los Angeles’s most diverse neighborhoods full of small businesses. We would explore the restaurants off Alexandria Avenue, the street where Alexandria House is located, especially around the corner of Alexandria and 6th. If time allows, a quick visit to the shelter to see where our community and SUSLA grow would be great.
If you would like to support our work by donating or volunteering in the future, please visit our website for more information.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a big shoutout to our guest speakers and the entrepreneurs in Downtown LA who generously open their storefronts for our cohort field trips. Their willingness to share their spaces and stories provides invaluable inspiration and real-world insight for everyone involved.

We’re also deeply grateful to the mentors who volunteer one-on-one guidance with SUSLA students. Their time, expertise, and encouragement truly help shape the journey for many aspiring entrepreneurs.

SUSLA is built on community, and we’re always happy to welcome new entrepreneur volunteers who want to share their experience, support emerging business owners, and help empower others.

If you’re interested in joining us or learning more, we’d love to hear from you!

Website: https://alexandriahouse.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupsisterhoodla/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alexandriahouse-la

Twitter: https://x.com/ahouse_la?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandriaHouseLA/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StartUpSisterHoodLA

Image Credits
Alexandria House

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.