Blogs

Growing up in Mexico, mornings for Nora Angeles were busy and often consisted of a trip to the neighborhood juice stand for a fresh juice or smoothie before school. This was an inexpensive and easy way for Nora’s mom to get her kids the nutrients they needed to start their day off right. After moving to America, this concept became the inspiration for Nora to start her own small business. 

When Andrew McDowell set out to open his small business, he wanted to address a prominent issue he was seeing in his community—food deserts.

South Los Angeles is riddled with food deserts, meaning that many neighborhoods do not have access to healthy, affordable food within a reasonable distance from their homes, leading to high rates of diabetes and other health problems. 

This post originally appeared on Venturize.org

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15, and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic small business owners to our nation’s economy and discuss how we can help them thrive and grow their businesses.

Every year, Univision hosts POSiBLE LA, a special event in Los Angeles, for Latino entrepreneurs and small business owners to come together and learn about the resources available to help them grow and thrive as business owners. This year we’re sharing a recap of the event and some key takeaways for Latino entrepreneurs. 
 

Small Business Majority’s Outreach Team advocates for entrepreneurs on two fronts: It supports policies that would benefit small firms, and it offers workshops and events that help small business owners grow their companies. We’re sitting down with members of our Outreach Team to provide an introduction and let small business owners know how our team members can assist them.

This week we are spotlighting Claudia Moreno, Small Business Majority’s Southern California Outreach Manager.

Cellie Mayol’s journey from CFO to entrepreneur was by no means traditional, but now she says she wouldn’t have it any other way. The Miami-based small business owner and non-profit founder started her path on the straight and narrow with a degree in Finance and International Business Management. After graduation, she started her career as an accountant and worked her way up to CFO. But, while things were going great for Cellie at work, her life at home was tremendously difficult due to an abusive marriage. Her home life began to affect her work and unfortunately Cellie was let go from her job. With no income and a young daughter to feed, she turned to selling drugs to make ends meet. 

For Mark Gisler and his family, a lack of good assisted living facilities in his area spurred two generations of Gislers to make their mark on the care home industry in Northern California—and to create a workplace where employees can feel like family.

During almost a decade of service with the U.S. Military, Virginia-based lawyer Matt Banks witnessed several cases in which disabled veterans were denied disability compensation for injuries or conditions sustained during their military service because they did not have the medical evidence to show that their injuries or conditions were “service-connected.” This experience coupled with his desire to be an entrepreneur inspired Matt to start a small business devoted to helping his fellow veterans.  

Vernita Naylor is the owner of Jabez Enterprise Group (JEGroup) and is the newest member of Small Business Majority’s Small Business Council. 

My journey to entrepreneurship was many years in the making. As a kid, I was inspired by my father’s work as a carpenter. Whenever there was a problem around the house, he would fix it himself. Not once did we have to call a plumber, an electrician or roofer. If nothing was broken, he was always coming up with projects to enhance our home. It was my father’s creativity, self-sufficiency, and ingenuity that made me have a strong desire to become an entrepreneur when I grew up. And that’s exactly what I did. 

Denver student Kamiya Willoughby is challenging preconceived notions about a popular type of food that is often construed as unhealthy and unsophisticated. 

“Soul food is a legitimate cuisine, but most people see it as a snack or junk food that you can only eat every once in a while.” Kamiya said.

“It is such a classic American cuisine that deserves a spotlight and deserves a step away from the stereotypes,” added Tess Hurlbert, Kamiya’s fiancée and business partner.