Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Margaux Hernandez | Chicana/o Nation Clothing Owner. Community Organizer

Chicano Nation Clothing brand is a family-owned business. Uncle George created Chicano Nation by making one single sweatshirt for himself, to represent who he is. I will always remember this, in middle school in the late 90s, a school official asked me to remove my sweater while on nutrition break. I remember looking at him confused and not wanting to remove my sweater. The sweater he asked me to remove was my uncles’s hoodies, “Chicano Nation”. The school official goes on to say the sweater is gang-related, it is against school policy, and demands for me to remove it. We go to the office and I remove my sweater to be picked up by my mother. I was still confused.  Read more>>

Rafael Bautista | Collectibles Shop / Events to the Community

My thought process behind starting my own business . has go back when I was a young kid visiting toys r us and just spending hours walking through aisles. Always think how kool it would be to own your own store and have people come and visit. The Funkool Shop in Monterey Park Ca is a little fraction of my childhood dream and I’m just enjoying every minute since we opened in 2022. And bringing celebrities for meet and greet signings has been rewarding from fans who appreciate me doing the shows. But it has it’s moments were it’s slow but you learn to overcome challenges and move forward. The most important thing about having a business is to make Fun / Kool. Read more>>

Arpi Andzhunyan And Vicky Boladian | Owner of Femme Fatale Nails

Our decision to start our own business stemmed from a combination of factors with the core inspiration being our deep passion for the nail industry. We wanted to transform that passion into a business that offers creative and relaxing services to the public. Our goal is to create a unique, customer-focused experience that aligns with our personal values. We believe that everyone deserves a luxurious experience and to feel good about themselves. Getting your nails done should be an opportunity to relax and get pampered. We wanted the ability to bring our vision to life and create something meaningful. We strive to meet the demand for high-quality, personalized nail services. Read more>>

Victoria Magaña Ledesma | Coffee Farmer/Business Owner

My path to entrepreneurship came, actually, through the most devastating experience of my life – my father’s deportation.

Like many children of immigrants, I wanted to honor my parents sacrifice. My parents like many others, did something incredible. The ventured to another country where they did not know the language and were faced with so many disadvantages to make a living and finding success. But they did it. Read more>>

August Vanrynsoever | Naturopath Practitioner

Due to my own healing journey I wanted to help provide a safe place for people to come heal. Read more>>

Karis Mcpherson | Writer, Photographer

Initially, I didn’t set out to start a literary business—I simply wanted to raise awareness and support the overlooked yet incredibly talented writers who inspire me. In 2023, when I began seeking a real-world community rather than an online one, I immersed myself into various literary spaces around L.A. By the end of the year, I attended more than fifty festivals, launched a community book recommendation series, and attended nearly one-hundred and fifty book events. However, it didn’t take long before I noticed a recurring pattern: book events were generally lowly attended and failed to rally the same support as book festivals. Which after engaging with hundreds of readers and industry professionals, didn’t sit right with me. Read more>>

Wally Champ | Artist. Creator. Designer.

It happened by accident. I was at my job for 12 yrs and needed change. At the same time, social media was growing fast which allowed me to get my work out across the world. The journey begins a year and a half before quitting. I’d get off work at seven, get home, eat and restore sneakers till about 2am everyday until it was no longer sustainable. Unsure of the end goal, I took the little money I saved and decided to go full time. Making it the most difficult and riskiest decision I ever made. During this time there wasn’t much information online on how to charge and approach this as a business. That information wasn’t really shared. Most of us were figuring it out on the fly. I became great at restoring sneakers. Read more>> 

Skylar Lawson | Business Owner

I’ve always been passionate about finding simple, natural solutions to everyday problems. The idea for EZ Nite Life Collection came from noticing how often people struggle with things like energy, sex drive, sleep, or even recovering after a fun night out. I wanted to create products that aren’t just effective but also convenient and made with health-conscious ingredients. Read more>>

Karen Ofelia Turadek | Entrepreneur

I want to solve problems for myself and others. But the whole idea of creating from zero excites and motivates me. That is exactly why I have never felt it as work but as something that I enjoy doing.

My children inspired the idea to create cute waterproof bags and totes. They would come home from school with their dirty, soggy gym clothes bunched up in a disposable plastic zipped bag from their teacher. It did the job, but I had to find a better way to transport their clothes and prevent these plastic bags from sitting in a landfill. Read more>>

Claudia Lucatero | Image Consultant & Barber

The decision to start my own business stemmed from a deep passion for creating an elevated and personalized grooming experience. I saw a gap in the market where grooming wasn’t just about a service but about fostering a sense of community and exclusivity. I wanted to build something that aligned with my vision of not just styling but also connecting with people on a deeper level. Read more>>

Samantha Blackbeard | Founder & Wine Curator

I think starting my own business was a natural evolution of my experience, passion for wine, and creative personality. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling and ideas, and working in the wine industry gave me the opportunity to connect deeply with both. Over the years, I noticed a sad consistency in the market – while South African wines are world-class, they weren’t being showcased in the luxury segment with the reverence they deserve. I also had to listen to the entrepreneurial voice that was growing within me and take the risk to start – to elevate South African wine to its true value by blending fine wine with fine art as an unparalleled experience. Setting a new standard for luxury New World wines. Read more>>

Amy Sturgiss | Creator

I started creating sun catchers during COVID as a way of relieving stress. The initial response was positive. After encouragement of a friend decided to list on online. I decided I wanted to meet and talk about my creations, so I started going to craft fairs which built my confidence. Now, my art is in Artfully Made Artisian Mall. My creativity outlet has become a successful side business. Read more>>

Lavelle Powell | Artist and Businessman

Financial and personal flexibility in a nutshell. I’ve always been one to carve out my own path and I don’t well in environments that are too restrictive. Read more>>

David Shao | restaurant’s owners/ chef

The Good Alley brand was created by a team that founded the famous Ji Rong Pecking Duck Restaurant in California in 2004, dedicated to providing high-quality Chinese cuisine. The main chef began learning cooking at Shenyang Yuan Road Restaurant in 1989, specializing in “Liaoning cuisine,” one of the eight major Chinese cuisines, and had the honor of becoming a student of the Liaoning cuisine master, Liu Guodong. Master Liu is proficient in Liaoning, Sichuan, and Suzhou-Yangzhou cuisines, so the team also mastered the essence of these major cuisines during their training. Read more>>

Daniela Guerra | Insurance Agent

The thought process behind starting my own business in the financial services industry stems from a combination of recognizing an unmet market need, the lack of education in our community, the opportunity for personal and professional growth and the passion I have for helping others. I’ve always had a strong desire to make a positive impact on people’s lives, to help others achieve financial security and peace of mind by ensuring that families are financially protected after an untimely death or a critical, chronicle life event while they are still living can be deeply rewarding. Read more>>

Marcia Espenshade | Realtor

Marcia Espenshade- REALTOR From Brazil to California: A Journey to Real Estate Success
My journey into real estate entrepreneurship began with a passion for helping others, a desire for building my own business, and a deep appreciation for finding the perfect place to call home. My story is rooted in a rich family history—my great-grandparents emigrated from Italy & Portugal to Brazil in the early 1900s, and I grew up in a household where my mother still spoke occasionally in Italian. Read more>>

Darwin Reina | Filmmaker & Festival DIrector

As a filmmaker, my journey began in 2013, but my love for storytelling started long before that—I began acting at just five years old. After years in front of the camera, I decided to pivot toward directing in 2011. This shift was largely inspired by my experiences in New York, where I faced challenges while studying and auditioning. Those struggles made me realize that I wanted to be the one telling stories and leading creative projects. Read more>>

Nehemiah Ubaga | CEO and Creative Director | Neyipac Entertainment

I started my business in 2010, which then I still reside in Nigeria. My father being a missionary from Nigeria, with several church located within the country. I started gaining the skill sets through doing work for my father’s church. Eventually, church members asked me to shoot and edit various projects for them and they loved my work. I continued to work on my skill set and more folks reached out to me for both photography and videography. It became a way for me to give back to my community as well. When I didn’t go off to college right away, I was looking for an opportunity to sink my time and brain power into. I used the examples set forth by my parents, as they always have given back to the community, to do the same through photography, videography, and exceptional post production. Read more>> 

Tina Avedissian | Baker

The pandemic served as a turning point for me, pushing me to finally pursue my dream of starting my own business. For as long as I can remember, I had been passionate about being in the kitchen, but life and responsibilities always seemed to get in the way. The uncertainty and reflection during the pandemic made me realize that life is too short to put off my passions any longer. I knew it was now or never. Beyond my own love for baking, I wanted to create something that I could pass down to my children—a business they could take pride in and one that would leave a legacy. Read more>>

Marco Pelusi | Celebrity Haircolorist/stylist, Salon owner

I had the beautiful opportunity at a young age to work in-house as an educator and then a product developer at an Italian haircolor company. After having enjoyed this work, and then later, after having created a strong, entertainment-based hair clientele here in LA, I knew I wanted my own space, my own brand, my own products! I didn’t want to even do an opening order with another product company when my salon opened in 2005 – I wanted my products ready for the opening! I found the right salon space, and the right chemist to manufacture my HairCare products. Read more>>

Kyra Bell | Owner of Kanebelle

Kanebelle looks way different from when I started it in 5 years ago. In 2019, I lived in Japan and decided to turn my hobby of making jewelry into a small side business. For the most part I just needed extra money and hoped it would help. There were so many things I had learned that first go round but ultimately I had to close shop not long after moving back to the States. For two years I thought about how I should go about reopening Kanebelle. In that time, I became passionate about candle making and decided to research the process. The more I learned, the more I wanted reopen Kanenbelle and make it into a candle business. After much thought I decided to combine my passions of candle making and gaming/nerd culture but I had some trouble getting it started. Read more>>

Ben Pham | Founder and Instructor at LA Group Drum Class

My thought process behind starting LA Group Drum Class was rooted in my passion for music and my belief in its ability to bring people together. In traditional drum lessons, students usually learn one-on-one, which is an excellent way to develop skills. However, for adults, it can often be daunting to learn something new alone, and students may burn out or lose motivation. That’s how I came up with a solution to this. I wanted to create a space where adults could learn drums in a supportive environment—where they could not only learn from instructors but also from fellow students, and where they could grow together. Starting my own business allowed me to bring this vision to life. Read more>>

Nakya Lewis | Entrepreneur

I desired a business that created generational wealth. A business that my daughter and family could call their own. I wanted to create something that would inspire and motivate not only myself but my loved ones also to be the best them. Give my family name a new identity in Christ. That with GOD all things are possible. Read more>>

Penneylope Rosado-martinez | Master Hair Stylist and Brand Educator

For years, I struggled under the rigid rules of salon owners, torn between delivering the best for my clients and following someone else’s vision. Then, I discovered booth rental, and it was freeing. It opened up a world of possibilities, surrounding me with a vibrant community of creative stylists and estheticians. Now, I have the freedom to choose the products and equipment that align with my values, fueling my passion and enhancing the service I provide. Embracing booth rental has transformed my journey, reigniting my love for my craft and empowering me to steer my career with boundless creativity. Read more>>

Aj Pakpour | Author entrepreneur Anti-aging and life science specialist

# A Visionary Entrepreneur’s Journey: AJ Pakpour’s Compassionate Approach to Healthcare
As a humanitarian and entrepreneur, my thought process behind opening and starting a business is simple: find ways to give back to our community, county, state, country, and hopefully, the world. My number one goal is always rooted in compassion. Read more>>