Starting and growing a business is hard, but often deciding to start the business in the first place is even harder. We asked some successful entrepreneurs from around the community to open up to us about how they thought about starting a business.

Luis Lopez | Owner

My father was the Executive Chef at a restaurant in Cardiff by the sea. in 2007 After graduating college in Santa Barbara I moved home, and my father asked me if I wanted to open a restaurant with him. After about 15 seconds of thinking obviously the answer was YES!!! In July of 2010 we opened the “Lighthouse Oyster Bar and Grill” located here in the Oceanside harbor. Read more>>

Lauren Harris | Dog Trainer & Canine Nutritionist

Starting Magnolia Dog Academy was a journey fueled by my passion for dogs and the desire to do things differently. After years of working with various training companies, I witnessed firsthand both the effective and ineffective practices in the industry. Each experience taught me valuable lessons about what truly matters in dog training—building trust, ensuring safety, and fostering a genuine bond between dogs and their owners. Read more>>

Karina Zamura | Non Profit Organization founder

Starting the business was driven by my personal experience of the unique struggles women face on a daily basis: from low wages to society’s expectations of balancing family and work, women are under immense pressure. This reality inspired me to create a space where women could find emotional healing and balance through dance therapy, a method I discovered could help reduce stress, anxiety and burnout. My vision was to create a community that supports women to not only thrive professionally, but also find fulfillment and happiness in their personal lives. Read more>>

Patrick Mcintyre | Loan Officer / Entrepreneur

I think it was a delusional thought process of dreams of grandeur. Because I did not look into the industry and statistics for a start up businesses. All I knew, was I had a tremendous amount of anxiety, and kept thinking, “what am I doing?” Read more>>

Brian Arnold | Business Owner

The idea of starting my own business came from a combination of practicality and passion. When I was younger, curb painting was a simple way to earn extra money with my cousin, but as I got older, I realized it filled a real need in the community. After moving to North Park, I noticed many homes and businesses lacked clear curb numbers, which not only affected deliveries but also safety services like first responders. Read more>>

Tatiana Paje | Talent Manager

Before I started my management company I worked for a couple talent agencies and acted myself. My kids used to act as well, and that was the driving point of my business for managing. To start it on my own wasn’t an easy decision, but I thought I will never do it if I don’t do it now. I had a business partner at the beginning of this journey, but eventually my partner had to split due to personal reasons, so I had to work on my own which was exciting and a bit scary. Read more>>

Jon Melicharek | Co-Founder & Photographer

I think for me, there was always something comforting about being a worker rather than an owner. And it took until after I met my wife and she saw firsthand how much heart and soul I gave for other people, that she brought up trying to do that for something I cared about. For a while, I watched her go back to school, get a degree, and start her own small business and it really inspired me, but there wasn’t any catalyst until I was unexpectedly laid off.  Read more>>