Blogs

When it comes to small businesses, the key to survival is to pivot, pivot, pivot. And that's exactly what Alfredo Zendejas did with his personalized party accessory business Accesorios Zendejas mid-March, after the coronavirus pandemic created a “new normal.”

A native Indian living in Johns Creek, Georgia, Preeti Tanwar has mastered the art of resilience through her IT firm HiEd Success. Passionate about her work and helping others, Preeti launched her business in 2017 with the sole purpose of providing cost-effective, customized solutions and services to higher education institutions and educational technology companies with a focus in process automation and analytics. 

Like his father and brothers before him, John Hopson enlisted to serve in the military at a young age. But unfortunately, when he returned home from the Gulf War in 1991 he was left with severe post traumatic stress disorder. 

Ten years ago, John hit rock bottom and realized it was time to make a real change in his life. He wanted to find a way to uplift people who were suffering like he was by creating jobs for veterans, retired first responders, ex-felons, seniors and people of color. 

With a degree in Business Administration and a desire to achieve the American dream, Aracely Garcia moved from Guatemala to the United States in 1995. She says her life hasn't been the same since she became co-owner of La Fiesta Party Supplies & Gifts, an import and export distributor of party supplies located in Los Angeles.

Daisy Bedoya was already struggling to make ends meet when the coronavirus pandemic forced her to close her business for a few months, leaving her with mounting debt. Graphx Designs and Concepts is a graphic design company that creates posters, LED light displays, window lettering and more in Largo, Florida. 

Kansas City-based wedding florists Lily Williams and Betsy Ford are on a mission to express love through flowers. But over the past few months, the coronavirus pandemic has forced them to adapt their business and serve their community by filling orders for funerals instead of wedding celebrations.

Two heads are better than one, and Mar Y Sol Alvarado and her husband Alfred are a clear example of this adage. As the owners of Alro Window Coverings—an installation service company in Mountain View, Calif.—Alfred brings his entrepreneurial knowledge to the table, matched with Mar’s business development experience from working in nonprofit organizations for more than 10 years.

Lisa Romer King’s business plan was born while studying for her M.A. in Business Management when a professor tasked her with writing a business proposal. The assignment sparked something in Lisa and she decided she had to follow through on her idea and bring King's Professional Networking and Placement to life. 

For the past three years, Lisa has been running the business she dreamed of out of Lauderhill, Florida where she serves as a mediator, public notary, credit educator and business advisor to members of her community.  

In the midst of a global pandemic and a severe economic recession, entrepreneur Adriane Anderson was forced to rethink her retirement plan.

A Georgia native and a lover of hosting gatherings, Adriane Anderson opened her event venue Bless the Occasion just last year. She knew she wouldn’t be able to retire comfortably if she continued to rely on her income working at Publix, a grocery store chain, so she embarked on her journey as a small business owner in 2015. She purchased an old home in Stone Mountain, GA, and remodeled the facility—a process that took about four years to complete, as she had to navigate zoning changes and permit requirements. Her business hosts little girls' tea parties, etiquette classes, baby showers, birthdays and small events of up to 50 guests. 

From stay-at-home orders and being denied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to testing positive for COVID-19, the past few months have not been easy for Chicago business owner Kejuana Isom.