Meet Ana Flores | Defense Business Owner

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

Hi Ana, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Hi, my name is Ana Flores and I am the owner and creator of Safety Awareness Shop. I believe the most important factor behind my success has been my passion and drive to promote personal safety for all. Since launching SAS last year during March I set clear goals for this brand. I knew that despite SAS being a business my goal was to create a community to which now I refer to as our “SAS family.” My passion to protect others is rooted in my background growing up in an unstable household alongside working in the Security field. I’ve worked anywhere from event security, executive protection, loss prevention, and now at our Regional Trauma Center. I’ve dedicated my working life to protecting people and take great pride in knowing I go above and beyond to help those in need. Being a 5’2 Latina woman going into a field where size and strength are idealized I quickly learned preventative ways to be safe. I learned to raise my awareness level, follow safety protocols, enhanced my de-escalation skills, and applied defensive tactics training whenever needed. During my assignments I had many people, specifically women, tell me they felt unsafe walking to their cars or just going out on errands alone. I would share with them a few of my encounters and safety tips. From these interactions, I decided to focus on empowering those who are vulnerable in our communities. I used my work experience, people skills, and being bilingual to raise awareness about personal safety tools civilians can carry available through SAS. I made it my mission to empower others to protect themselves and their loved ones through safety tips, in-person pepper spray courses, and demonstrations. I’ve received so much love and excitement from the communities I’ve joined. Fast forward to today we just celebrated our first year in business and SAS continues to grow through our socials, website, and pop-up events.

What should our readers know about your business?
I strongly believe that life is always happening for us, not for us. I encourage everyone to find something they are passionate about and build a business around it. I started Safety Awareness Shop without a degree in business and because I felt this was calling. I believed in my idea. I did my research and self funded SAS. I tell everyone this but I remember using my savings to fund SAS and being left with $12.00. As fun as owning a business may seem there are many responsibilities that come with the territory ranging from taxes to licenses etc. It is important to stay organized and take the time to also educate yourself or seek support if this is something anyone wants to pursue. I’ve crashed my website three times but I’ve always improved it and continue to do so often. Despite the challenges I’ve faced I truly believe the good outweigh the road bumps. In the process of building a business I built a brand and I built myself. I gained confidence, business knowledge, and new friends. No matter what business you launch, remember to stay true to your values and always stand up for yourself. I’ve had my fair share of negative experiences from being talked down to to even having my skin color changed. Through all interactions I’ve always shown everyone respect and stayed true to my values. A mentor of mine taught me that people that like you will speak to you but if they trust you they will conduct business with you. My goal in life has always been to be around like minded people who are driven and aiming to be better each day. Where I am in life I can honestly say it is only going up from here.

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.
If my best friend was visiting the area and I wanted to show them the best time ever I would take them to one of our pop up events and introduce them to my small business friends. I enjoy vending but also attending these events and being around our community. The music, the food, and the vibes in general are an amazing experience.

I would also take them to my go to spot Cafe Des Croissants in Rohnert Park to pick up sandwiches to take to enjoy on a beautiful hiking trip. We would then head to my favorite hike Alamere Falls, a 9 mile waterfall hike located in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County.

On another day we would drive to the Larkspur Landing Ferry, park our vehicle there and take the boat to San Francisco. We would partake in tourist activities and visit Alcatraz Island as a tour. Followed by a visit to the Aquarium of the Bay. We would end our day sharing dinner in a restaurant in the Piers of San Francisco.

To enjoy a few local activities we would go to Scandia in Rohnert Park to play mini golf followed by lunch at The Barlow in Sebastopol and ending the day with bowling in the Epi Center in Santa Rosa, CA. To end the week I would take my friend on the Golden Gate’s Gem hiking trail to experience the beauty of San Francisco and nature all together. We would share a week of hiking, adventure, and amazing food.

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?
There are many people I can attribute my success to. I am eternally grateful to all people that have offered guidance, words of encouragement, and mentorship throughout my journey. Mercedez Hernandes, the creator of the SOCO Market, has been my inspiration for the business owner I aim to be. She has helped launch so many small business dreams including my own and our community loves and appreciates her for that and so much more. Since attending the Soco Market my brand has taken off and I’ve had the opportunity to form friendship bonds with other business owners in each community. I like to think that now it’s my turn to help mentor and uplift others through their journey.

Our SAS story would not be possible if it wasn’t for the Barbier family. This is why I would like to dedicate my shout-out to Evan Barbier, CEO of Barbier Security, and his family. I strongly believe that life is always happening for us, not for us. I began my journey in the Security field with Barbier Security Group during a hot summer at the Marin County Fair. I can honestly say that experience was the most tiring and rewarding experience that gave me a chance to be something in life. Having the opportunity to work alongside Evan, his family, and their team taught me work ethic, values, and valuable skills I would not have learned elsewhere. Asides from a job I gained a family. Growing up in an unstable home I desperately needed guidance and purpose. I found all this in the Barbier family. Evan became my mentor and his wife Carla was and is someone I look up to. They started their business with their limitations at the time, self-funded their company, worked very hard, and now continue to build and protect others through their services. I remember Evan would assign me books to read to help me learn about safety from experts he worked with like Gavin De Becker and so many more. My favorite reading assignment was the Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker. After every read, he would talk to me about it and offer insights and engage in discussions with me. Shadowing him I learned more than I could in a classroom. I can honestly say that I would not be as driven and as hardworking as I am today if I had not met the Barbier family. They are the pillars of SAS as a brand. I am eternally grateful to the Barbiers and the time, effort, and guidance they dedicated to me.

Website: www.safetyawarenessshop.com

Instagram: @Safetyawareness.shop

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/safetyawareshop?lang=en

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/safetyawareness.shop/