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.
Dr. Cristina Zheng | Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, Founder & CEO of Holistic Healing Physical Therapy & Wellness
I started my own business because I felt like I was not able to make a real difference with patients. Working in outpatient clinics and various other settings that were all insurance-based did not allow me to spend as much time as I’d like with my patients as visits were largely dictated by insurance companies in order for the clinics to make any money. I felt that there should be a higher level of care. I specialized in pelvic floor physical therapy for women of all stages of motherhood and womanhood. Read more>>
Roosevelt Williams III | Young Black & N ‘ Business President & CEO
“Roosevelt Williams, III, founder, family man, and visionary formed Young Black & N’ Business with the hopes of providing a ladder for upward mobility for his community. This ladder would do more than help people leave the “physical” hood, but release the mental shackles formed by systematic marginalization. Today, Young Black & N’ Business is proud to bring early entrepreneurs out of the darkness and into the light by helping them grow their professional look network, providing high value exposure opportunities, and entrepreneurial content from real entrepreneurs. Read more>>
Simone Vezzali | Restaurant Entrepreneur
My business partner Giacomo and I grew up together in Italy and moved to California in 2007. We’ve always been passionate about the Restaurant business. During our formative years, we covered literally every position of the front of the house all the way up to management. Our experiences during the years strengthened in us the idea of creating a place where the care for our customers would go hand to hand with the experience of the authentic taste of our beloved Emilia-Romagna. Read more>>
Sean Cavanaugh | Massage Therapist and Business Owner
The focus was to provide a high quality product for the environment that needs it. Deep tissue Massage is great for the San Diego community. The people of San Diego are tightly active and also very professional. This client base needs good therapeutic massage. Massage is a recession proof profession and not like to be automated any time soon. Read more>>
Katy Landis | Licensed Educational Psychologist
I worked with students in various school districts for 10 years but balancing the demands of being a School Psychologist with becoming a mother to my own children had proven to be very challenging. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to be able to step away from my career while my children were in their infant, toddler and early elementary school years. I thrived on being very present for my family during that stage of their development and grateful to be able to do so without other distractions. Read more>>
Kaan Peksen | Co-Founder of White&Melon Clothing Brand
To begin with, I always wanted to have my own business and I was also interested in the clothing/fashion industry. It felt like a good opportunity to start my own business when I was a student at San Diego State University. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father and my grandfather also worked in the textile industry for years so we have accumulated 50 years of experience in textile wholesale before cofounding clothing brand I was always interested in manufacturing garments such as T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatpants, Shorts etc. Read more>>
Maxime François | Co-founder of La Maison François
It is at the beginning of the year 2020, at the Hôtel de Vogüé in Dijon, Burgundy, that the first exhibition of the artist Eric François is born, carried by his wife Véronique. On this occasion, eighty-five paintings will be presented. It is the starting point of a beautiful family adventure which will be relayed and amplified by Céline, Maxime and Alexandre, their three children. It should be noted that they have been attending exhibitions and immersed in their father’s paintings since they were very young. Read more>>
Vincent Dotson | Owner of Luv Mylk
Honestly, there was a lot running through my mind. Excitement, nervousness, fear, joy and many other feelings. After going through those emotions I began gameplanning. Figuring out the details of everything such as permits, licenses, setting up accounts, insurance , creating a business plan and most important how far do I want to take this. Unless it’s not your first business a lot of the learning is on the go but I think that’s the only way to get the experience or knowledge. Read more>>
Jamie Hayen | Get on Camera Video Coach
After 25 years working in corporate America, I’d reached a breaking point. We decided to take a 1 year sabbatical and travel full time in our RV. It was absolutely as awesome as it sounds. I highly recommend. After returning to the “real world”, I needed to get a job. I hired a coach to help me with my LinkedIn profile because that’s how people got/get jobs now. After my 2nd session, the coach said, “Jamie, I get the feeling you don’t want to do this.” Read more>>
Robyn King | Baker/Founder/Special Needs Advocate
I wanted to change the world 1 bite at a time. Create a healthy alternative while sharing proceeds to individuals with disabilities Read more>>