Meet JoWanda Dziesinski | owner of Green Goddess Pedicabs

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

Hi JoWanda, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve lived in Santa Monica 13 years, and mostly use a bicycle to get around, I loved the idea of having a bicycle-oriented business such as pedicabs, that fits so perfectly into the beach and eco-friendly lifestyle. I had been a pedicab driver for quite a few years, and decided that if I was going to stay involved with that, I might as well make it into my own business and develop it further. I also love the feeling of helping others enjoy a good part-time income, and contributing to my community!

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?
We have several aspects of the business. The first is local tours of Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Marina del Rey. I feel proud of the history tours that I’ve developed, which really leave visitors with a truly unique experience as they travel around the beach area on an open-air bicycle carriage (pedicab).
Secondly, we do special events. I always love taking corporate groups-we get to be their fun activity after they have worked super hard all week at conferences gathered in the beach area! So they are always happy to see the area and have fun. We also do VIP events-some of the most notable ones were a fashion and entertainment crowd at the Miu Miu event on the Malibu Pier, and a Fenty Beauty ride along the beach. We have even worked for the California Science Museum, which used our pedicabs in a Cambodia exhibit at their fundraising event!
Third, we provide street-level advertising space, The pedicabs can be wrapped in vinyl, similar to what you might see on the side of a bus. I also have digital screens for rotating digital graphics. The great thing about pedicabs is that the brand is immediately associated with something fun- a pedicab ride!

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?
Well, this is an easy question to answer, since I am in the tour business! I would, of course, take them on a pedicab ride…we explore the beach area first. The Santa Monica Pier, the Original Muscle Beach, the famous Casa del Mar and Shutters Hotels, Venice Beach, including the Skate Park (skateboarding originated here), the Graffiti Wall, The Venice Beach Boardwalk, Muscle Beach (made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger), the Venice Canals (modeled after Venice, Italy), and then Marina del Rey, the largest manmade marina in the Western Hemisphere and very young part of Los Angeles-it opened in 1965.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink along the way that are right on the beach-Shutters Hotel for a sunset cocktail, The Venice Alehouse, the Waterfront, or Hinano’s Cafe in Venice, or perhaps Killer Shrimp in Marina del Rey. You could go surfing, paddleboarding, boating, parasailing…or just people-watch, from the back of a pedicab, of course.

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?
Although it’s pretty cool to have a female-owned pedicab business, it’s the kind of thing that definitely requires some brawn. These things have to be hauled up in trucks, tipped up to be worked on, and require you to really get your hands dirty and have some bicycle repair skills. So I wouldn’t be able to do anything without Justin Baltz, my partner and also my son Samuel Moneta, who do a lot of the literal heavy-lifting. And then there is my daughter Bella Moneta, who does a ton of babysitting the little one in the family so we can get things done-it truly is a family business!

I’d also like to thank the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, specifically the CEO Judy Kruger-I feel like just in the short time I have been involved, they have been generous with opportunities, great suggestions and networking events and have helped me as I grow and evolve as a local business owner. Ivannia Perez with Sustainable Works was also endlessly helpful in achieving my status as a Santa Monica Certified Green Business.

Website: https://greengoddesspedicabs.com

Instagram: greengoddesspedicabs

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCizMTEeshWpsey6qnjhfrSA