Townrootz

#066 - Today our guest is Ayodele Kinchen, a gifted and self taught artist, designer, and visionary.  With a keen eye and talent for design, she finds joy creating wearable art that transforms the everyday woman into a Queen, and aims to design pieces that heal, encourage, honor, and beautify the mind, body, and spirit.Her business started by making things for herself - handmade goods like jewelry, home decor, clothing, and handbags.  People started asking, “Hey, where'd you get that from?”  So she started making stuff for other people.  But, when she started making waist beads, her business exploded.“I have been wearing them since I was a child.  I knew and understood the traditional practice of wearing them so I felt if I decided to actually make them for others, I can equip people with additional knowledge and context behind why they're worn.  So I felt really good about adding that to my collection of goods, however, once I added that as a collection of items that I would include under my business name, it took off like crazy. And it's basically, it took over my entire business making handbags and jewelry and everything else.” We thought we were talking to an artist, but found out we were talking to a culture keeper, a change maker, a healer, and a counselor.  Ayodele's customers love her, evident by the repeat bookings for private parties.  But, the best compliments have come from the women who told her she literally changed their lives, one actually calling her a healer.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear how Ayodele bet on herself - leaving her full time 9 to 5 while pregnant with her 3rd child and never looking back. 

#065 - Today we talk to Carol F Burton, Founder of The Jeweld Legacy Group, a nonprofit consultancy based here in Oakland.  The company is named after mother - Jewel.  After a career in nonprofit management Carol saw an opportunity to work with nonprofits and public systems to provide support, technical assistance, resources, and show them how to partner in much more efficient ways to create more self-sufficiency.“so that at the end of the day, our communities would look a little different, that our communities would have what they needed to do for themselves and they were not reliant on governmental agencies.  And so that requires community-based organizations and grassroots organizations and faith-based organizations, advocacy organizations, and it requires the government, which is our cities and counties, to work better together so that our folks are doing better and they have the resources that they need.”In addition to consulting with nonprofit organizations, The Jeweld Legacy Group does executive coaching, strategic planning, and they host and plan meetings around the intersection of homelessness, public safety, mental illness, substance use, incarceration and any of the other issues that impact African-American communities.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Carol talk about how using an executive coach is akin to using a coach in an athletic competition. 

#064 - Today we talk to Toshia Christal who does not sleep - she is an artist, jewelry maker, painter, photographer, and licensed cosmetologist - a true Renaissance Woman.  She is a creative person at heart and cannot be reduced to any one medium.  She has a brick and mortar space at 2911 Fruitvale Ave to display all of her creative works.Toshia was crafty as a child, but she always thought of them as hobbies.  When she was injured on her job in 2008, she decided she did not want to go back to a job she did not like.  It was time to turn those hobbies into a business.“I was like, these hobbies are sustainable, right? These hobbies are my business. And so being at that disabled moment, I took the opportunity to realize that I didn't wanna go back to the job that I was at.  It was not fulfilling for me. And let me take the opportunity to officially go to school, get my cosmetology license, and become licensed. And that's kind of how it all started rolling. Yeah, I always knew that I didn't wanna work for the man - a nine to five system that did not really feed my soul.  So it was the perfect segue into entrepreneurship.”As an Oakland native, Toshia is proud to be an Oakland small business owner.  She credits a number of grassroots organizations like Womens' Initiative, Akoma, Black Cultural Zone, and Kiva for helping her get her start.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Toshia talk about why confidence is so key to being an entrepreneur.

#063 - Today we talk to Destiny Muhammad, AKA The Harpist From The Hood. Destiny has an inspiring story.  She grew up a military kid, but when her parents divorced, her mother moved with three little girls to Compton, CA.  An episode of I Love Lucy inspired young Destiny to play the harp, but that was not seen as a practical choice for a family navigating the welfare system.After graduating from high school Destiny became a barber, opening up a shop near the projects where she grew up, but then she got re-introduced to the harp.“And for you barbers out there, you know, barbering is lucrative - LUCRATIVE. So I'm doing well and thinking this is what I'm going to do.  In about 1991, I started dating a man whose best friend is a harp builder in a little town not too far from here called San Juan Batista. And in 1992, I got my first harp at the age of 30 and I started studying and eventually, I knew that I had had this dream and it was being brought back to me.” She started taking lessons as a 30 yr old adult, playing next to children.  She moved to Oakland from LA in 1997 and began playing farmers markets to gain confidence and that is where she found her name by starting a session with…“Jack London Farmers Market needs every Sunday rain or shine from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and my name is Destiny Muhammad, and I'm your friendly neighborhood Harpist From The Hood, letting you know it is all good - here at the Jack London Farmers Market. People laughed, I mean, so it stuck.”Stick around until the end to hear how an “inner message from God” about 6-7 months before the pandemic hit, made her start preparing before the shutdown.

#062 - Today we talk to Charmeng Robinson, a local artist who creates handcrafted original pieces that connect with nature.  Charmeng's pieces include acrylic paintings on canvas, timekeeper, clocks, handcrafted jewelry, coaster, dominoes, and more.Though her late father painted, Charmeng did not take it up until 2020.  She taught herself via online tutorials and then lots of practice.“I started taking some tutorials on Facebook and I met a young lady that was doing the painting. I was just admiring it and was like, ooh, I could do some of that for my family friends. And that was as far as my brain took it at that time. So I started taking notes on what to do, how to learn, how to mix the paint.”At the beginning, Charmeng was uncomfortable calling herself an artist, but she gained confidence after her cousin displayed her art in his San Francisco barber shop, Gifted Crowns, and she started having success at pop-ups.That led to several commissions including Sweet Fingers Jamaican restaurant in Oakland, the Oakland Roots, and becoming the sole vendor at the new Lululemon store in downtown Oakland.Stick around til the end to hear about how Charmeng got hooked up with the Oakland Roots.

#061 - Today we talk to Derreck Johnson, Founder of the nonprofit The Black Owned Project 365, which runs the Lifeline Culinary On The Job Training Program, a fully certified apprenticeship program that trains and mentors recently incarcerated individuals so they can have careers in the restaurant industry.The idea came to him while standing on the steps of the capital while his cousin, Kamala Harris, was being sworn in as Vice President.  But, this would not be his first rodeo.  He had experience with this population, hiring his first recently released individual back when he had an auto-detailing business, one of his early entrepreneurial ventures.He found himself short-handed one day when the rain cleared up and a bunch of cars started showing up.“I don't wanna turn this money away.  And one of the guys there was like, well, I can call the house and have some of my brothers come down.  I said, okay, please get them now. I'm just thinking he's calling his actual house. And his brothers were actually coming to work, but he was living in a halfway house.” “they came in and they started working and I was like, hey, can you all come back tomorrow?”Derreck ran his first pilot this fall.  He teaches them that the restaurant business requires hard work and you have to be consistent to be successful.  He believes one of the secret sauces of his program is access to him.  He works alongside them and does not give up on them if they stumble.“I feel it does because they have a direct connection with someone that they would never have a direct connection with. Usually when they get into employment, you would not meet the boss. You wouldn't meet the person that's running the restaurant.”Derreck still enjoys running his landmark Home of Chicken & Waffle restaurant in Jack London.  It is “must stop” for politicians and celebrities coming through Oakland.Stick around til the end to hear about all the famous people who have visited the restaurant.

#060 - Today we talk to Kamilah Mitchell, Founder of Teas with Meaning, which is an Oakland based tea company centered on intention, purpose, and wellness.  After a cancer diagnosis in 2017, Kamilah took herself to Mount Shasta to relax.  While there, she realized she would be guided by nature rather than western medicine.She learned that the herbs, roots, and fruits may be better for her healing process by not only helping her physically, but on her emotional and spiritual side as well.  She came back to Oakland and sat in community - having intentional conversations through tea time with her community.“Tea time is a process - you have to let the water boil, you have to let the leaves steep.  So it's a process. And then that process, just being really intentional about what that slowdown and that self-care really looks like for me.”Teas with Meaning was never intended to be a business, but just started to grow organically in 2018.  George Floyd's murder brought national attention to the need to support Black businesses.  When Beyonce put Kamilah's tea on her website, it sold out."I started bottling teas and when those teas made it to Beyonce's website, that created this, you know, buy black became a huge trend in 2020 - like it became a huge trend. So that helped with business a lot. Like I said, the right people seeing Teas With Meaning has always organically helped ease with meaning.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Kamilah's stories on her battles with western medicine and the healthcare system.

#059 - Today we talk to Charlese Banks, the creator and founder of The Town Experience, a platform that highlights the cultural events and as we call 'em, the town experiences that happen around the city.  She is hyper-focused on featuring local businesses, specifically black and brown businesses - letting the public know about grand openings and celebrations.Charlese took a platform from one event and turned it into a business.  The inspiration of the platform came about when Afrotech, a conference for Black tech workers, came to Oakland.  Charlese was inspired to build around that weekend's activities so that visitors could connect to locals and figure out how to do things that were outside of the conference and be able to take in the entire Oakland experience.Charlese knows that Oakland is an experiential city.  People come here on vacation or a visit for some other reason and Oakland touches them.  Next thing you know, within a year they move here.“everything about the city that makes it great - it is not something tangible. You have to come here to experience the city to get why people don't leave and why we choose to stay here.”Charlese's goal was to build a platform for visitors, but was surprised that the data showed most of her followers were locals who were not tapped into what's going on around the city.  This was the interesting twist - she set out to develop an app for visitors, she ended up developing one for locals.“A lot of the feedback I get - they're like, I love it because I'm finding all kinds of things that I don't necessarily see promoted in Oakland on your platform.”“So that was the surprising pivot - I was trying to figure out how to make this a platform appeal to people that weren't from here and then turned out the market I needed to tap in was the localized market first because we weren't actually taking advantage of our backyard.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear about how Charlese's key partnerships with companies like AirBNB and Visit Oakland have grown her business.

#058 - Today we talk to Melanie Graham, Founder & CEO of Social Equity Lab, an Oakland based boutique consulting firm that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, also on organizational development for nonprofits, corporate companies, startups, and governmental agencies - though Melanie says large nonprofits are the sweet spot.Indicators that you need her are low morale, high turnover, and difficulty in recruiting. She loves to focus on the organizational structure to make a lasting impact.  You can do all the training in the world, but you must change the structures that allow the inequities to exist in the first place.“looking at structures like, performance management systems or just like the hiring and recruiting process, just things that are very structural - I like to impact those because it'll really shift the culture of the organization. And frankly, it's easier to do that than it is to change people.  Behavior change can take a lifetime.  If structures change, people will change along with it.”Melanie started the business in New York, about 5 years ago.  She moved to Oakland during the pandemic.  A Seattle native, she was drawn to Oakland's history of activism and mobilization.Many would assume Melanie finds it easier to work with west coast or Bay Area clients, but that is not necessarily the case.  Interestingly, she finds that people in other areas of the country are more open about where they are and more open about addressing the issues.“organizations could be in a place where they think they're doing it well and don't think that they need this work or this support because, you know, listen, I'm from California.”“working on the East coast might be a little bit more transparent with where they're at.”“I would say the clients that I have in the South - their willingness to address it is a little bit more present."Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Melanie talk about how DEI issues affect the bottom line.

#057 - Today we talk to Yahshimabet Sellassie, Founder & CEO of Yahshi Bakes, an Oakland bakery founded in 2015 when she was 12 years old.  Yahshi Bakes makes handcrafted, organic pastries from locally sourced ingredients, featuring the warming spices and flavors of her Ethiopian and Jamaican heritage - so lots of vanilla, cardamom, brown butter, coffee, ginger, chocolate, and more.“I've always loved being in the kitchen. And so I knew from a young age that I wanted to have a cafe, and I naturally just found myself starting Yahshi Bakes because I couldn't keep myself out of the kitchen.”Yahshimabet followed the lead of her entrepreneurial parents.  They told her - if there's something you love doing, make it into a business.  At age 7, she became seriously interested in learning how to cook and bake, making something new for her family to enjoy most weekends.  By age 12 she was on Food Network - when most kids were at basketball and soccer practice, she was in a cooking competition on national TV.“Being on Food Network at 12 years old was super exciting for me.  I always dreamed of being on Food Network. It was one of my favorite channels to watch, and I used to make videos in my kitchen acting like I was on the show, so it was super exciting to be on there and cross that off of my bucket list sooner than I expected to. It was just really amazing to feel like I had the platform to share what I love doing with the world and reach an international audience of people.”The pandemic shutdown unveiled the unpredictability of pop-ups and led Yahshimabet to develop a subscription box - starting with pastries and moving to cookies.  Surprisingly, she has a good amount of sales in New York so the subscription box allows her to reach those customers.“I did a trial in October through December of 2022, and I was able to learn that the subscription model is actually a really good direction for Yahshi Bakes, and it allows me to have guaranteed sales in a way that popups haven't always allowed, like with the pandemic.”Be sure to listen until the end to hear how Yahshimabet's own dietary challenges led her to launch Yahshi Bakes.

#056 - Today Chris Pearson from episode 9 re-joins us to 1) catch us up on Be Well Natural - his holistic health clinic, but 2) to really discuss his community organization, Elevated Legacy.  Elevated Legacy is a comprehensive consciousness cultivation model that teaches self mastery through physical disciplines.  The flagship program was a basketball program with the goal to take a group of kids from age 8 to 18 and steward them through the process of discovery and self-mastery.They were so successful with the early groups that many kids outgrew the program and went on to more competitive programs that were more tapped into the college basketball pipeline.  Five of the first eight kids went on to play Division 1 college basketball on scholarship.“So we did a really good job in that department. Over the 14 years, I think we've probably placed 10 kids in Division 1 college programs. We have a very small number. We don't run a full size run like some of the bigger programs and our priorities are really different. It's about social-emotional learning, self-mastery and athletic performance enhancement.”Expanding beyond basketball, Elevated Legacy started and runs a few key programs:1) FREE intergenerational workouts every Saturday 930am to 1130am at Joaquin Miller Cascades where community members come out and get paired up with somebody from a different household and different generation and then they work out AND2) Brothers Building and Moving - Weekly Sunday sunrise hike for Black fathersBUT in the last year he received two grants (National Parks Foundation and Justice Outside) focused on addressing health disparities and limited access to outdoor activities for BIPOC communities.  These funds allowed him to execute three different events, which were really life changing for a lot of people:1- “We did a trip to the Muir Woods National Monument. We took about 40 people there. We did our reflect, evaluate, and focus curriculum component - what are you working on? What are you doing well, and what do you appreciate about somebody else in the space?”2- “Our second was to Yosemite. We took 33 folks, I wanna say like eight different families. We stayed at the Tenaya Lodge. We were able to subsidize folks, stay there, provide 'em with all their meals and whatnot. And we did a couple of hikes and some workshops - understanding the three eyes through which we perceive identity: institutional, interpersonal, and internal. And how does that affect how you participate in a family dynamic?  How does who you are affect what you do and how does what you do affect who you are and that kind of conversation so that people would bring a critical analysis back to their day-to-day.”3- “And then the final one, which in a lot of ways the icing on the cake - It wasn't the largest in terms of breadth, but we took 19 folks to the big island in Hawaii.  We did several hikes. We went through the Volcano National Park, went down into the Caldera, learned about the First Nations traditions that are there and the deep impact of colonialism and sort of shared resilience and shared understanding of being marginalized by structural violence and stuff.”Chris is simultaneously teaching life skills to young people and giving elders opportunities to make meaningful impact in the lives of young people, which is a true win-win for everyone.  If you follow Chris on social media, you can see the real impact he's having on real lives.Be sure to listen until the end to hear about Chris' relationship formula vulnerability + consistency = credibility.

#055 - Today we talk to Jennifer Hammock, The Confidence Coach. Jennifer was a stay-at-home mom who was terrified to speak in front of crowds. After overcoming that fear, she discovered her inner confidence, and began coaching other women, just like her, to do the same.Her annual DreamChasHer Conference brings women to Oakland from all around the country - last year's hybrid event was even international.  Jennifer's people / ideal clients are unapologetically Black women in their mid 30s.  DreamChaseHer allows attendees to learn from industry experts, but also network with peers.Jennifer says that many of her clients come to her because they lack confidence, even if they know it or not.  Though some women can show confidence on the outside, sometimes they question themselves and their ability.  Is this going to make sense? Will anyone support my service?  Her secret sauce is giving women the confidence to push forward and achieve big things.​​”You could have the prettiest website, you can have the best product or service, but if you don't have the confidence to pitch yourself to tell people about what you're doing, then it's going to be a secret. I always tell my clients, you can't sell a secret. So helping them to find confidence, having the right type of mindset that is gonna allow you to see the value that you have and the impact that it can have on others when you share it.”“...the business is the Trojan horse, but at the end of the day, I really like to just make sure that women's confidence is on 10 and that they really believe in the impact that their business can have on others.”Jennifer's primary program is “Fierce Confidence” where she helps clients confidently show up online and share who they are and the value they bring.  The program helps participants feel good about what they're doing.  One of her exercises is to encourage her clients to raise their prices.  Jennifer is pleasantly surprised when her clients trust the process.“I've also been just surprised by the leaps and bounds that people can make when they say yes to themselves, saying no to their excuses and just really dedicate themselves to what can be.” Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear how one DreamChasHer attendee with just an idea in one year went on to launch a business and then became a speaker at the following year's conference.

#054 - Today we talk to Renee Cage.  Renee is a coach, a licensed mental health clinician, and a lifestyle strategist.  She helps ambitious women get ahead in their careers while achieving their ideal work-life balance.  In simple terms, she helps women design the life they want.In her mental health practice, she works with particularly women leaders in a variety of leadership positions, but they typically come to her with issues around depression, anxiety, and grief & loss.She received her training in mental health through Alameda County where she's worked for 22 years.  She started a private mental health practice when she noticed there was a need for more Black female clinicians. “when I got clients to come to me, they had been to a therapist before or maybe they didn't connect right because they were from a different ethnicity or something.  And it was just like, you gotta get through the layers to start to connect and the understanding. And once they were with the Black clinician or Black woman was just like, okay, we're speaking the same language, I feel comfortable, I feel safe to talk about this,  I don't feel judged.”The coaching business was a natural extension of her mental health practice.  After her clients got to a baseline, they began to look for the next step.  That is where Coach Renee steps in by helping them get clear about what's important to them and getting clear about how to create a life of balance.  The biggest part is she holds them accountable.  Her coaching clients are…“women that are really ready to lean into themselves, like really are ready to step out of their comfort zone.”“for my coaching clients, you have to be ready and willing to be uncomfortable. I don't work with unmotivated people.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Renee's advice on deep breathing and why it's so important to put your oxygen mask on first.

#053 - Today we talk to Gisele Bonds, a life-long photographer - she took a box camera on her 4th grade field trip. She started her business in 1989 in Richmond, then moved to Bay Fair Mall, ultimately moving to Oakland, the last 20 years on Grand Avenue.Gisele started as a portrait photographer - anything with a person in it like graduation portraits, weddings, couples, cotillions, etc…“I probably have about 12 high school senior clients now who not only did I do their senior portrait, I did their mothers', so that's a blessing.”In 2016, Gisele decided to change course, niche down and focus on personal branding photography - “What's that?  I don't know. Let's find out.  Let's make it up”  She began helping corporate professionals and entrepreneurs curate a set of images that tell their story, which differentiated her from others in the market.“We are trying to communicate online, it's like talking to toddlers with ADHD. And if you think back to when you were a little kid, did you want the book with all words or did you want the book with illustrations?  So your personal brand photos are what you use to get people to stop scrolling and then pay attention to what you're trying to communicate with them.”She found that local Bay Area professionals were a little behind the curve so she built up clientele on the East coast, in the DMV (DC Maryland Virginia), and the Southwest.  She could fly out for a few days and then support them via zoom.  Then when Covid hit in 2020 and everything locked down, her flights were canceled and it wasn't safe to be at the studio so she realized it was time to go all in on the digital products she had in her mind, but was making excuses not to do.“And so with that in the spring of ‘20, I started my brand visibility accelerator membership.  In that membership I teach visibility strategies. They may work around obviously how to leverage brand photos, but also understanding local SEO - identifying the proper social media platforms where your ideal client is.  And then knowing how to leverage that platform, how to network, whether it be virtually or in person.  And live streaming - the tool of live streaming is so powerful when done correctly. Unfortunately, most business owners don't know how to live stream properly.”Be sure to listen until the end to hear why Gisele says it is so important for small business owners to join their state and national trade association.

#052 - Today we talk to Madelyn Mackie, The Career Activator.  Madelyn is a Certified Career Management Coach and Trainer.  She shares her inside knowledge to help clients set themselves apart and highlight their strengths, abilities and special talents in today's competitive job environment.It took Madelyn 40 years and 3 prior careers to finally find her calling.  She started her career as a biochemist and became a published researcher.  She decided she did not want any more of that and transformed her passion for performance into a second career in theater and started working at professional theaters all across the country, including four Tony Award-winning theaters.  After 15 years she wanted her evenings and weekends back so she embarked on a 3rd career when she went from volunteer to staffer at the American Red Cross.“I'd go out into our community, the Bay Area, and provide food, shelter, clothing, and mental health support for families impacted by disasters. I love the work. I love the mission of the organization. I love the culture, I love the people. And I was like, hey, I wonder if the Red Cross would hire me.”Working in theater forces you to look for a new job every eight weeks - the show opens and closes, you're done / the show opens and closes, you're done.  Madelyn needed a system to handle this so she tapped into her scientific training.“So I was like, if I gotta keep looking for a job every eight weeks, I want a system because one of my superpowers is I'm a linear thinker. It's why I was good in chemistry. It's because I see processes, I see procedures. I like to put things in a straight line. So I said I'm gonna come up with a checklist and scripts and, and to-do list and all these things that I need so that when it comes time for me to search for a job, I don't think about it.  I just do what my calendar says and what my to-do list says, and use my scripts and my templates, and it worked.”Madelyn shared her system with friends and then one day she got a call from someone wanting to hire her as a career coach.  Someone told this person Madelyn helps people find jobs.  Madelyn did a career assessment for them and her business was born.Be sure to listen until the end to hear how Madelyn changed a woman's life by helping find a job walking distance from her home and her child's school.

#051 - Today we talk to Tyiesha Jones, Founder and Owner of Pulse Check 101, a mobile CPR, first aid, and fit testing company.  The mobile part is a BIG differentiator - they come to you and provide Cal OSHA compliance certification courses to a number of industries including healthcare, hospitality, construction, plus community members.   A lot of people are drawn to the convenience of them coming on site to you.“you're getting like this big nice private package of experienced instructors who come on site into your meeting room or hall and train all of your staff at one time versus sending them all out individually and waiting and hoping they come back with their new certificates.”She has 2 sets of ideal customers - 1) corporate customers who need large scale training for employees and 2) from a community standpoint it is nonprofits, parents, and teens with summer and babysitting jobs.Tyiesha has been working in healthcare for over 20 years, but has been reluctant to advance her career.  Her nurse and doctor colleagues saw something in her and urged her to pursue nursing school.She started her pre-reqs in 2019, and then the pandemic hit in 2020 and that brought everything to a stop.  Not only did her classes stop, but her son, a high school freshman at the time, went to online distance learning.  It was a lot to help him and manage what she was doing.“So I kind of put my pre-reqs on pause and my mentor, Dr. Nora Lisa Cooper, I love her, she wanted to keep me busy as she is every day in life.  So she directed me on the path of becoming a CPR instructor so that I can keep all of the nurses and the staff in the hospital up to code and compliance. And then she was like, oh yeah, you could probably just start a business behind it.  And I was like, DING!  And I just got that idea. She planted that seed, I watered it, and I've been running with it ever since.”Tyiesha stresses how important it is for everyone to know CPR.  It could be a loved one or a stranger.  You never know when you'll need it, but if you're trained, you can save someone's life.Be sure to listen until the end to hear Tyiesha's advice about being a master in your industry.

#050 - Today we visit with Rita Forte, Founder and Owner of The Olive Street Agency, a boutique B2B Marketing Organization founded in East Oakland in 2012.  Rita decided to take her learnings from marketing her DJ business over 10 years and help other entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.  The agency assists clients in several Marketing services that will help them tell their story and communicate with their clients.“Our purpose as a marketing agency is to help people and so when I think of helping folks and creating basically opportunity and hope for folks, that's how I look at what marketing does.”Olive Street offers four main services: 1) printing merch - tee shirts, hats, hoodies; 2) graphic design; 3) video content creation; and 4) social media management.  The company provides polos to flooring businesses, paraphernalia for schools, and marketing materials for politicians - they provided merch for 3 of the candidates in the recent Oakland mayoral race.Rita believes their differentiator is perspective and art.  You can go to sites like Fiverr to get cheap designs.  Olive Street is more than that - it is a strategic partner.  Rita's goal is to work with clients at an early stage to create memorable and lasting marketing campaigns.“And so it's just trying to get to those brands and those people before they say to us we already have our design, we just need you to print it.  No, we want to work with you along the process. We want to get together to design and come up with the concept, the strategy, and all of that.”Rita has great advice for other entrepreneurs like be ready for a lonely ride - you will spend a lot of time by yourself because you have to get stuff done when no one else is around.  AND “you're going to need money” - don't be afraid to do other hustles to fund your venture.  At one point she drove for Uber to make some extra cash.Be sure to listen until the end to hear Rita talk more about this lonely ride for entrepreneurs.

#049 - Today we visit with Earl Faust, Founder and President of Cirius Engineering, LLC., an electrical and lighting design firm started in Hayward.  Earl fell into this line of work by accident - he got an internship in college at a construction firm as a mechanical engineer but found electrical engineering.  Later, a former employer inspired him to be an entrepreneur.“What got me to start my own business as well as what I mentioned earlier to actually give me the push, I had an employer who said you should think about starting your own business. And she was putting me in positions where I was networking with other contractors.” Earl was focused on getting his business started in 2020 and thus did not experience much hardship during the pandemic.  He used 2020 as a networking year, attending as many pre-bid meetings as possible so when 2021 came, he was ready to go.“At the end of 21 is when I got one project and it was coming into 22. Earlier in 22, that's when we actually started on this one project, which was actually another affordable housing project down in San Jose. That was my actual very first project and then from there I got the Liberation Park project in Oakland.”Earl learned about the Liberation Park project from the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.  The Oakland Black Cultural Zone is building a 119 unit residential building at Liberation Park, near Eastmont Mall and next door will be a market hall.Be sure to listen until the end to Earl's plan to make Cirius Engineering an international company.

#048 - Today we visit with Maurice Brewster, Founder and CEO of Mosaic Global Transportation, a B2B limousine and ground transportation company that provides services for corporate clients.  Mosaic has 137 employees, 114 vehicles, and provides ground transportation services in over 440 cities worldwide.Maurice started out in 2002 with one vintage Rolls Royce.  He was the driver, the car cleaner, the janitor, the bookkeeper, the salesperson, and the customer service rep. He quickly grew to 13 vintage Rolls Royces, which was the largest fleet in the country at the time.  Mosaic was the go to Rolls Royce vendor for weddings, but Maurice made his first of four pivots when he realized that he could not scale the business.“for some crazy reason Anthony brides didn't want to get married on a Tuesday.  Now, personally, I think Tuesday's a beautiful day, but they didn't want to get married on Tuesday.  So what in essence happened was the cars just sat Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.  They were going out crazy on Saturdays and Sundays, but I couldn't scale the business, so we had to switch to a more garden variety ground transportation.”The FIRST pivot was picking up people at hotels in Palo Alto and transporting them to Stanford and around the Silicon Valley.  The SECOND pivot was becoming a seamless one stop shop national transportation company.  The THIRD pivot was to provide employee shuttle services.  And the FOURTH pivot is to become 100% electric by 2030.At the height of the pandemic, Maurice connected with FEMA and offered to transport essential workers for FREE.  To make this work, his employees had to agree to volunteer their time to drive these folks around - almost all of them did.  Maurice credits treating his employees as family and giving them opportunities as a differentiator in his business.“the differentiation with us has everything to do with how we treat our employees. If we have employees that are happy - you know the old saying, if you wake up every morning happy, you'll never work a day in your life.  That's kind of the philosophy that we have, that we're a business and we are here to make money, but we're also here, my wife and I, are also here in building this business to make opportunities for the employees that work for us.” Be sure to listen until the end to hear Maurice's advice on establishing banking relationships before you need the money.

#047 - Today we are talking to Aaron Stewart, the owner and Head Chef of MexiQ, an Oakland Mexican BBQ establishment that blends the flavors of his East Oakland Black and Hispanic childhood neighborhood.  Chef Aaron's career went somewhat in reverse.  He just happened to get a job at a restaurant working for a fine dining chef where he got trained on see and repeat - 1) show you how to do something, 2) tell you what to do, and 3) repeat that process again.He got his first break working at a fast-paced restaurant, under a highly trained celebrity chef and ultimately became Sous Chef.  Then, Aaron decided to go to culinary school at Laney and that is where everything changed.“I walked in being a little big headed because I had been cooking in restaurants for a couple years now. You know, I'm fine dining all these things and then to get in there and everything kind of slowed down.  It kind of sucked in the beginning, but it kind of humbled me because I was a see and repeat chef at that time.”Culinary school gave Aaron the idea to start his own business - he was tired of working for others. He worked on the menu for 2 years.  But his fiance, Leida, gave him the courage.  He may still be working on that menu had she not told him to stop BS'ing and just get out there. “I don't know what you're waiting on? You got the menu, what are you waiting on? And she is a business owner herself, so it was like, you know, she's coming from experience.”He started doing pop-ups in his parents driveway.  He was blown away by the reception - he was extremely proud of the mix of people from East Oakland to Walnut Creek sitting in his driveway enjoying his food and talking.  He especially loves how those relationships have blossomed.“this is somebody who just walked into my driveway to buy some food and now I'm at their kids' birthday parties and stuff.  Just things you wouldn't imagine, the people you meet, that's probably what I'm most proud of.”Be sure to listen until the end to hear how one guy came to the popup and told him his rice was better than his grandma's, then came back the following week with his grandma.

#046 - Today we are talking to Lori Watkins, the Founder and CEO of The Lord's Helper Boutique.  Lori did not grow up a religious person - she found it as an adult.  Impressed with her fellow worshipers' fashion, Lori researched how she could secure similar garments for herself.  She was shocked when she learned the price.  After discovering how much worshipers were being overcharged, she decided to do something about it - she became the curator of stylish church fashion at a reasonable price.“And I was really disappointed at what the cost of clothing really is and how consumers, especially in the Black community, well, I'm not gonna just say the Black community, but the urban areas in Oakland and surrounding areas - how we don't get none of the savings.  So my thought was, I hate to see people going to worship and spending all this money on things they don't have to and they are just going to worship.  So I said, hmm…. this just didn't feel right.”She started an annual fashion show, Dressing to Worship the King, and hundreds flocked to it.  She got support from local musical artists, pastors and sponsorships from local businesses.  Then the pandemic hit and the immediate shutdown to in-person events crushed her business."Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, that was the biggest setback ever. I didn't get one sale, everything shut down. So did my business.  We shut down in 2020 and I think that was the biggest scare for everyone.  I remember I was fearful myself - 2020 went by, but then 21 came and there were no more conventions to go to."Lori was able to get a deal to bring her first fashion show back in ‘21 - outdoors at Preservation Park.  She is so grateful to all the support she receives from volunteer help and customers.  She is especially grateful to the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.“one of the things the African American Chamber of Commerce does is they connect you and networking with groups that help you.  That's amazing in itself.  That you can connect with sources that will help your business, that will guide you to the next right thing.”Be Sure to listen until the end to hear Lori talk about how she assembled her team.

#045 - Today we visit with Randolph Belle from RBA Creative.  RBA Creative is a storefront in the Laurel District that Randolph opened with his wife Erica in 2017.  It serves several purposes - a gallery, a photography studio, and a co-working space for creative businesses.  This is not their first rodeo - Randolph has had several spaces around Oakland going back to the early 90s when he first brought his airbrush business across the bridge from San Francisco.The primary business is the art gallery.  They have six member artists, all Black women - that's just kind of how it worked out. They don't curate the work, they encourage the artists to promote their own businesses.  RBA Creative supports the artists' ability to run a gallery out of the space, without the expense of maintaining a gallery.“We've got a whole wall that rolls and uncovers a space that is a photography studio.  And so those folks are typically doing portraiture work, editorial work, fashion work. We've done some music and video work. But again, it's a way for these creative professionals to have a home base, without the expense of procuring their own facility.”RBA Creative hosts a monthly exhibit on each 2nd Saturday where the community is invited in to view the artwork and visit with the artists.  The Laurel merchant district hosts “Live in the Laurel” on each 3rd Saturday, giving artists a shot at high foot traffic.  The artists also have the ability to host solo events if they want to organize something and tell their collectors to come on a particular day, just centered around themselves.  RBA creative works to increase traffic not only in their own gallery, but in the neighborhood at large as well.“we're really just trying to get activity, one activity in the space, but two, activity in the neighborhood because it is a merchant district and you know, all cities need thriving merchant districts and small businesses.”Be Sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Randolph's wise business tips for new entrepreneurs - one piece of advice is “just go for it and don't look back because if you look back, you will certainly see what is chasing you.”

#044 - Today we are talking with Nelson German who runs two beautiful establishments here in Oakland - alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa.  Nelson also starred on Season 18 of Top Chef on Bravo - we even got into what that experience was like.Nelson calls alaMar Kitchen & Bar, located at 100 Grand Ave, his “1st baby”.  It is a family friendly seafood restaurant where the 90s hip hop beats flow.  He saw a niche - there were not many seafood restaurants around here other than big ones and the ones that were here, were closing.  He got the inspiration for seafood and the name while vacationing in Mexico.“It is a place that represents the neighborhood, really represents the community.  When you're there 90s hip hop is in the background, beautiful lighting, really cool diverse crowd, just a place you feel like home.  That was my intention with the place. And the menu really reflects my journey as a chef - from my childhood favorites to things I've learned along the way”.Sobre Mesa, located at 1618 Franklin St., is a beautiful cocktail bar that opened 9 days before the COVID shutdown.  It is an Afro Latin cocktail bar - you have to be 21, so leave the kids at home.  Sobre Mesa is super sexy and serves tapas and great drinks, making it great for a date night.  Nelson wanted a place to bring all of his roots together.“I am Dominican in nationality, so really representing the Afro Latino Diaspora - we are Black people who speak Spanish so really represent that and represent how beautiful the African Diaspora is.”When Nelson first got the call for Top Chef, he thought it was fake.  Good thing he returned the call.  Season 18 had the most Black chefs and was the most diverse season EVER!  They started filming in the fall of 2020 at the height of the pandemic. He describes the experience as amazing, but he was nervous like being a line chef again - it was hard and grueling.“I wanted to win, but what you do after coming out of Top Chef is what is most important.”Be Sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Nelson's story about being on Top Chef during the pandemic.

#043 - Today we are talking with Mario Benjamin & Chaz Hubbard of  Hella Coastal, Oakland's only Black-owned brewery - and 1 of ONLY 60 Black-owned breweries in the entire country. They started brewing in the backyard as part of the dad's club at their kids' elementary school.  The dads would come together and that sparked Mario's and Chaz's competitive nature.  Everyone liked their brews and that gave them the confidence to take it to the next level.  From the beginning, they knew they wanted to do something different.“And then we realized that on a larger scope of things is that we will essentially be trailblazing, to bring our liquid to the table. Instead of sitting at the round table, we wanted to create a table for ourselves so that other people can be part of this movement.”Community is very important to Mario & Chaz.  They were able to get their business off the ground by collaborating with others. With no facility of their own, they partnered with Aram Cretan at Federation Brewery (Episode 20).  This allowed them to avoid the high upfront costs that serve as a barrier to entry.  In addition to the financial benefits, collaborating with other breweries allows them to learn from more established brewers.“Whenever we did collabs, still currently to this day, we're picking their brains, you know, we're asking them questions, we're asking how they do this, why they do this, what would they change about their brewery if they can build it again.”Mario & Chaz are very grateful to everyone who has helped them and are passionate about doing the same for those coming behind them.  They are sharing resources with other aspiring brewers as much as they can to make sure they are not reinventing the wheel.  They want the newbies to do it faster and even better than them.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear why it is so important to make friends with and collaborate with your industry peers.

#042 - Today we are talking to Matt Day, the owner and operator of Planter Day, a mission-driven plant shop located in Rockridge that is dedicated to destigmatizing mental health and promoting mental health resources.  Matt decided to pick some weeds one day after visiting his mom in the hospital while she battled cancer. The pain and grief from her passing in October 2018 left Matt unable to work and get through his day-to-day duties.  He found solace in gardening, however.  He and his partner Yumi landscaped their yard and grew flowers and vegetables. Digging his hands into the soil proved therapeutic and he wanted to share that power of healing with others.“Our primary purpose is for the business is the use of horticultural therapy to help people heal because that's what plants have done for us - really help us heal through personal traumas through the pandemic.”Planter Day is located on College Ave in Rockridge.  It is more than just a plant store.  The shop serves as a community hub for meetings where independent vendors, artists, and chefs can share their products with the community during weekend pop-ups.  They also host after hours events - comedy shows, workshops, poetry meetings, etc…  They even had a movie and a Covered California commercial filmed there.Matt is driven by community over profit.  He is well aware that he needs profit to keep the lights on and the doors open, but he wants to have a wider impact on the community.  They are proud to be a mission driven organization.  They donate a portion of all of their sales proceeds to the Oakland based Crisis Support Services of Alameda County.  When I asked him about success, he said…..“Success is in the eye of the beholder.  For us, money is not a metric of success.  What is more meaningful is that we 1) can provide sustainable income for employees - we have 2 people on payroll right now 2) donate to charity - local charities that provide healing for our community - Yumi and I were both raised in the East Bay and 3) providing a platform for other small local businesses to sell their goods at to no cost to them - we like to open up our space and 4)  have a wider impact on the community.” Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear Matt's story about how help starts at home.

#041 - Today we visit with Chef Tirzah Love, a food entrepreneur who created Soul Box, which is a membership offering one-of-a-kind cooking experiences.  Members receive a monthly curated box with a recipe and minimally perishable goods from local Black owned, minority-owned, LGBTQ, and Woman owned food companies that are needed to make that recipe.  The box also includes access to a video of Tirzah preparing the dish, a DJ curated playlist, and conversation cards.So it's a full experience meant to be shared with four people, and the purpose of it is community and just sharing a meal around the table, getting to know each other, just being together. I think that that's really missing these days. And I thought that Soul Box was a great way to encourage people to do that.The conversation cards are a major selling point because it forces meaningful conversations with participants.  You have a table of grandparents, parents, and children asking questions that have never been asked before.  They all have to put their phones away and focus on each other and ask each other questions.As a Bay Area native, Tirzah enjoys celebrating and sharing what makes the Bay Area special.  She strives to partner with companies from different cultures to curate recipes using their products that highlight the diversity of the Bay area.  She especially loves using her businesses to share these local brands and in turn giving support to the local economy.“And it also supports our local economy. You know, there's so many food brands that people don't know about because they're not sold in grocery stores. So it feels really good to me to be able to highlight those brands.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear how Tirzah wants to turn Soul Box into an international brand.

#040 - Today we visit with Chef Daphani Hightower, the owner and operator of The Cake & Sugar Company.  Chef Daphani has an incredible story and continues to persevere in the face of adversity.  She lost her son's father to COVID and was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer in 2022.  The cancer diagnosis has inspired her to forge ahead to create a legacy for her children.She started cooking for her then husband, an ex football player, to help him lose 300 pounds over 10 months.  While cooking one day, she decided to try to make her own candy and cupcakes.  She found a love for baking and decided to go to culinary school.  She found that most Bay Area bakers were making the same tired desserts.  Dissatisfied with the status quo, she decided to experiment with flavors and that is where she found her niche.“Everybody's making a banana pudding, but we here at the Cake and Sugar Company, we have 30 flavors of banana pudding. So you're not running up on us with just a regular flavor. We have Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, German Chocolate, Peach Cobbler, Banana Pudding. You know, we have so many different flavors. I just want it to be different. And so we've made, cinnamon roll peach cobbler”.Peach Cobbler cupcakes are her top seller so she includes them in her $50 box, which includes a half dozen cupcakes and a host of cookies she sells via social media.  She posts and within an hour - she's sold out.  It's not a subscription so you have to be ready when she posts.Chef Daphani started in Oakland, then moved to Hayward for lower rent.  She recently found a larger space in Oakland so she is coming back to expand her business.  Being an Oakland based business is very important to her:“...you can't be in Oakland without being about community.  You will fail. You have to be here, you have to show up. Whether it's you showing up for Oakland kids, whether you showing up for your school, your kids' school, after school program. However it looks, if you live here, you work here, you're here, you need to participate . So that is what is definitely important to me”.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear how he delivered cupcakes to Damon Wayans backstage after one of his shows.

#039 - Today, David Benton joins us.  David is an Oakland Baker and the owner and operator of Sugar Sweet Bakery.  David started cooking as a child.  As an adult, he hosted dinner parties where friends came over - they really liked the food.  At the constant urging of one of those friends he decided to give culinary school a chance.  He went in thinking he would be chef, but he fell in love with the art of baking and never looked back.“I allowed my imagination to go a little more further than say if I were to just making croissants or something.  I started playing with those kind of things. I started doing them, I started getting more bold with what I was trying to do things that were a little more eye-catching and stuff.  And so that's kind of like how that started. It started just from those little bit of classes, but in those classes I excelled and people noticed and they liked it. And I really liked it. And then by the end of the school year came, I knew I didn't want to be a chef.”Baking tasty cakes and cookies is one thing, getting a business open is something entirely different.  David admits that he struggles to call himself a business person. He is a creative person, but he's had to learn how to run a business.After getting a bank loan, he thought he'd be open in 3 months, but 3 months turned into 2 years.  Every step of the way, something else would come up.  And before he knew it, he was broke - he ran through all of his money.  The bank called and asked him to account for the money.  After producing all the receipts, bank statements, and tax returns, they offered him another loan, which is what allowed him to finally open.Berekleyside wrote an article about his troubles and that led to even more publicity.  His phone was ringing off the hook.  He wasn't ready for it - he only had 1 employee and all of a sudden the lines were out the door.David's secret to success is he bakes “old fashioned” items that remind people of their past - things their grandmother's used to make.  He doesn't use anything out of a box or out of a can.  One of the best compliments came from a customer during a wedding cake tasting.“He was about to get married and he wanted a coconut cake. And so I made the coconut cake for him. And our coconut cake has coconut milk in it and his coconut extract and you know, I love to flavor it up. Well, believe it or not, this man started crying because he said the coconut cake tasted like something his grandmother made when he was a little boy.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear how his business doubled during COVID

#038 - Today we visit with Charles Farrier, the owner and operator of Crumble & Whisk, an Oakland Patisserie, specializing in cheesecakes.  Charles' love for baking was inspired by his father.  As a young boy he was drawn to the kitchen to watch his father work.Though he went to culinary school he was working in an office job in 2013.  There, a co-worker challenged him to a cheesecake bake-off.  Oddly rough, the co-worker knew he went ot culinary school.  The office loved it and one of them even offered to help him with the business aspects of launching his dream.He soon joined La Cocina, a nonprofit that helps food entrepreneurs of color and women cultivate their food business by providing affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance and access to market opportunities."La Cocina is an organization that helps people of color - people that don't know how to run a business, don't have any knowledge. And so they helped me, gave me the groundwork of basically figuring out what kind of license you need, how to do a patent and trademark, what kind name, what kind of name that really fits for the brand that you're doing for.”Charles really hustled to get his business off the ground.  He started by walking up and down MacArthur Blvd, selling to barber and beauty shop customers.  At first they did not know what to make of him, but once they tried it, they were hooked. He later graduated to selling at farmers markets and during the pandemic, he added to-go meals to accompany his desserts.On being an Oakland based business, Charles says…“For me to be a Black-owned business - well, first of all, I'm giving back to my community. I'm also starting where I started from, for me, as a Black-owned business. I feel like I give inspiration to all the young black boys to show them that they can do it, they can.”Charles' secret power is he offers unique flavors - flavors you can't find anywhere else. Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear about his best seller - Beet & Berry Cheesecake!

#037 - Today we visit with Melissa Myers, the owner and operator of The Good Hop, a craft beer and bottle shop.  The Good Hop features 16 California focused beers on draft and more than 450 beers from independent breweries.  Melissa was a professional brewmaster in Philadelphia when she decided to move west. “I wanted to get out here. California was the innovative area, was creating these styles, taking twists on styles.”After working at a few breweries in the East Bay, Melissa decided it was time to break out on her own.  She pitched her idea to investors and lined up a very sizable amount of committed money, but it was 2008 and the economy crashed and every one of those investors filed for bankruptcy.  She took this time to immerse herself in a business course - she knew how to brew, but knew nothing about business.Over this time, the number of breweries exploded from 1,800 to 4,000 so Melissa changed course and decided to open the bar and bottle shop instead.“so it was just super, super saturated. Maybe it wasn't the best time to try and push that, to try and open a brewery. It's still in my heart though. Now it's my retirement plan."After 8 ½ years, the Good Hop has become a pillar of the East Bay craft beer community - she is very proud of her staff.  She has become an integral part of the neighborhood, including engaging with the unhoused.  Melissa loves being an Oakland based business." I love Oakland, I opened it here in Oakland because I love the soul of Oakland. It's very different and diverse."Be sure to listen to until the end to hear her talk about the most popular type of beer purchased at the bottle shop.

#036 - Today we speak with Liam O'Donoghue, the host and producer of the East Bay Yesterday Podcast.  Liam explores the stories of culture, politics and nature from Oakland, Berkeley and other towns throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties.  It was named the “The Best Podcast about the East Bay” in 2017 by the East Bay Express.  Liam says he started the podcast to share the great untold stories he heard from residents.“every time I talked to people who lived around Oakland or lived around the East Bay for a long time, I realized they had really good stories - stories that I hadn't known about before. They told me, and I felt like stories that most people probably weren't aware of and I felt like someone needed to collect those stories and share them and celebrate them”.Liam is a trained journalist and his work has appeared in outlets such as KQED, Oaklandside, Berkeleyside, Mother Jones, Salon, East Bay Express, 99% Invisible, The Kitchen Sisters, and the syndicated NPR program Snap Judgement.  He intentionally decided to go with audio vs print medium to share these stories because the show is really about the guests and he wanted their voices to be the main thing driving the narrative.The podcast got picked up by KPFA and Liam now writes a monthly column for SF Gate.  Liam has given many presentations on local history at libraries, schools and bookstores and throughout the Bay Area, but he is most proud of the inclusion of his content by schools.“one of the things I'm most proud of is that it's actually being used in a lot of curriculums now by local teachers everywhere from the middle school level, up through the grad school level.  People who are looking for ways to get their students excited about local history are using the podcast and the radio show to get the kids excited about that. So that's been really rewarding to see that happen”.Be sure to listen to until the end to hear how the podcast has led to sold out boat tours on the bay.

#035 - Today we are speaking with Natalie Brown from Natty Cakes - a locally sourced bakery.  Natalie specializes in buttercream cakes perfect for all milestone events.  Weddings are her entry point, but then she becomes entrenched in her clients' lives.“So it's amazing. I get to be a part of people's lives, usually starting at the wedding, which is so cool and so grand.  And typically there's a bond that's formed over that. And then I get to celebrate when it's their partner's birthday, when they have a baby. And so it's definitely a lot more personal than I would've ever imagined running a business would be”.Natalie always wanted to be a baker - her first job was at a bakery. Instead of going to culinary school, she studied business at SF State and baked wedding cakes on the side.  She started Natty Cakes fresh out of college 10 years ago though she did not envision what it would become.She thought she wanted a regular local corporate clientele and she was on her way to doing just that, but then the pandemic hit.  She was pregnant and she needed to scale back a little bit and she started to see a different vision for the business.  Now, she runs the business out of a live/work space in Emeryville with a certified kitchen.  Her husband works a 9-5, but dives into the business on nights and weekends.“…so moving the business into my home kind of changed a lot. It really allowed me to focus back on the aspects that I have a lot of passion for.”“There is something really special about re-centering myself around the business and making sure that it's headed in the direction that I want versus a direction that it's just being pulled.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear about Natalie's appearance on a TV baking competition show.

#033- Today we are speaking with Erin Coburn from Minimo Wine Bar and Shop in Jack London.  Minimo focuses on small production, natural wines and ciders. You may have the same questions we had - what is natural wine?“And natural wine for us means that the farming side has to be organic or biodynamically farmed, so no chemicals in the vineyards at all. And then on the winemaking side, no unnecessary additions or subtraction and the key component there is the fermentation has to be native or wild fermentation. There can't be cultured yeast and there is minimal amounts of sulfur or none at all. Whereas just by comparison, most conventional wines can have probably up to 40 to 50 different things that you can put in the winemaking process.”The wines you find at Minimo are not your usual suspects. In fact, Erin thinks there is not a single Merlot or a Zinfandel in the shop.  It's a lot of off the beaten path vineyards and regions and grapes and varietals.  There are wines from Morocco, the Canary Islands, Slovenia and Serbia. The California wines come from Contra Costa, Lodi, and Mendocino.“if you came to us looking for a Napa Valley Chardonnay, you would probably walk out with a ferment from Hungary. So it's really to get people to explore new things.”There is no signage on purpose.  You have to start a conversation, which allows them to find out what you like or what you don't like, and then they make recommendations.Since Minimo is classified as a grocery business, it did not have to shut down during the pandemic.  The business survived by delivering wine and hosting virtual events.  Erin loves being an Oakland business and is grateful for the support from the local community.“My gratitude goes to the tremendous support, not only of our customers, but of Oakland and other small businesses. I mean, it's an amazing network of people who champion one another and share resources freely and are really about making sure that we all succeed together.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to find out why Minimo sells cider and NOT beer.

#033- Today we speak with Thomas Lee from First Place For Youth.  First Place For Youth, headquartered in downtown Oakland, serves transition age foster youth - ages 16-25 in five Bay Area Counties, plus Los Angeles County.  First Place for Youth provides vocational and life skills so these youth can problem solve and live through the seasons of life.  The organization's goal is to….“change the child welfare system into a child well being system where we are making sure in the most simplest terms that every young person who is aging out of foster care has a fighting chance to be able to go out and achieve their own hopes and dreams.”  The organization was founded in 1993 by Amy Lemley and Deanne Pearn, 2 graduate students attending Cal's Goldman School of Public Policy.  They were struck by how many foster youth found themselves in poverty and homeless after aging out. Each youth receives a team of 3 dedicated professionals that wrap themselves around them.Thomas tells us there are 3 things we miss when it comes to foster youth:#1 Foster youth experience foster care through no fault of their own;#2 Majority of youth who experience foster care do so because of neglect, not abuse; AND#3 California has the most foster youth in the countryOn the importance of First Place For Youth in Oakland, Thomas says…"Our office is right there on 17th and Broadway.  Oakland is the hub for all of our work…”“….as we continue to be one of the most innovative cutting edge organizations, there is no better place than in Oakland.  That is alway where some of the best innovative ideas that come out of California start, they begin there.  This helps us stay really connected to the heartbeat and essence of what California is and how to make change in a substantive way across, so it benefits everyone throughout the state.”Be sure to stick around ‘til the end to hear Thomas discuss how social and support networks lower the need for social systems.

#032- Today we speak with Ari Takata-Vasquez with Viscera Studio.  Viscera Studio is an Oakland based full service design and photography studio.  Ari works with entrepreneurs to create all the visual things they might need - branding and identity to website and strategy to product photography to videography.Viscera Studio started by accident - it sprung out of Ari's brick and mortar shop (Viscera), launched 2014.  Viscera designs 3D printed jewelry and curates a collection of USA-made clothing, accessories, and home goods.People kept complimenting her creative work and inquired who did it.  The answer was always “ME”!  So, she started doing freelance work in 2017.  What started as a part time hustle for her full time hustle became its own thriving business. I asked Ari why it is important for her to be an Oakland based business:“I love Oakland.  It is a place that is rich with creativity.  We are a relationship first business.  That is my personality and partly the way things work in Oakland.  It is The Town, right?  You know a lot of other people.  Your ability to move in the city is really based on relationships and people vouching for you.  It is such a tightly networked place.  It is such a great fit for the way we do business.”Once the pandemic hit, more people decided they wanted and needed to start their own business. Plus, people who already had their own business decided they needed more of an online presence.  Her business took off.Be sure to stick around ‘til the end to hear Ari's advice on assembling a great team!

#031- Today we speak with Kathryn Tomajan and Robin Sloan from Fat Gold Olive Oil.  Launched in 2017, Fat Gold is an Oakland based small batch producer of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  They source really interesting olives from all over the state, turning them into unique special olive oils.“We like to think of it as an urban olive oil company, tying agriculture to the cities was a really important part of our origin story”.After working in the food industry for a while, Kathryn went to Italy to attend a masters program focused on food production in 2011 - she calls it the “Hogwarts of Food”.  That is where she fell in love and obsessed with olive oil.“I remember very vividly tasting olive oil with a very well known high end and fancy producer in Tuscany Italy and he was teaching my masters degree class about olive oil and the first one he had us try - we all kind of shook our heads and said - yeah that tastes like the olive oil I know.  He's like ‘that's rancid.  It's completely spoiled.  Let's teach you about olive oil.'  I thought of myself as a Foodie.  I thought I knew my stuff.  I learned I knew absolutely nothing about this product.” They remain inspired by the food production in West Oakland, Emeryville, and West Berkeley.  Instead of pretending to be in Italy or Napa, Robin says they embrace the industrial, practical and straightforward sensibilities of Oakland and the East Bay.  They like to invite people in and remain accessible.Be sure to listen to the whole interview - Kathryn and Robin tell us how to identify real extra virgin olive oil that is grown, harvested, and produced in California on our grocery shelves.

#030 - Today we speak with David Peters from the award winning Black Liberation Walking Tour.  Dave leads guests on a 2 hour 10 stop walking tour through the Hoover-Foster West Oakland neighborhood along the San Pablo corridor.  Audio has been recorded by longtime residents so you get a first hand history.   The tour has been recognized by Conde Nast as one of the “6 Standout Black History Tours in the U.S., From California to Charleston”.The idea came to life when neighborhood elders were telling stories that captivated both longtime residents and newcomers alike.  Dave knew he had to not only capture and preserve this rich history, but find a way to share it with others.  He says the tour…."celebrates artistic, cultural, and heritage sites in this neighborhood that spans over 100 years- things, people, and events that Black folks did right here." The tour highlights the neighborhood's rich history, which served as one of the early stops for African Americans escaping the Jim Crow South to find better opportunities in the west.  In the early 1960s it birthed The Black Panther Party and the tour includes the Panther's first breakfast program site.  It also includes the home of Delilah Beasley, the first African-American woman to be published regularly in a major American metropolitan newspaper. Out of his own nostalgia, Dave wanted to create a sense of community and belonging."I wanted to create belonging in my neighborhood, particularly for longtime residents.  What if we start to think about and celebrate 100 years of Black history in this neighborhood as a way to encourage people to stay here?  There is a place for us where we could have stories and a culture and places that reflect who we are and who we want to be and what we've done." He does guided tours once per month.  You can find the schedule by clicking on the Eventbrite link below.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear how Dave thinks the Oakland A's Howard Terminal project can help the neighborhood and serve as a model for future projects in similar communities across the country.

#029 - Today we speak with Carolyn Johnson from the Black Cultural Zone.  The Black Cultural Zone represents a geographic area that runs from High Street in East Oakland to the San Leandro border and from the hills to the water.  It is a collaboration of Black led and Black owned businesses and organizations.Since 2014, the East Oakland Black Cultural Zone Collaborative Partners has worked with a coalition of residents, government agencies, churches, and grassroots organizing and community groups to help keep Black folks in East Oakland.It operates the Black Cultural Zone Hubs which include Liberation Park, which is located at the intersection of 73rd Ave, MacArthur Blvd, and Foothill Blvd (Eastmont Mall).  They have turned an underutilized city owned vacant lot where people used to fight dogs and roosters into a thriving community asset that includes:Akoma Market - Certified Farmers Market on 1st and 3rd SundaysSlamming Sunday Skate - the only outdoor wooden skating rink in Northern CaliforniaOutdoor movies - Friday nights in the summerFo'Show Friday - Food Trucks and skating “It has been abandoned and owned by the city for over 15 years.”“This is a 1.2 acre space. It was available.  We went to the city to license it and to operate and create a cultural hub there, which is temporary.  We're also going to be doing affordable housing and building a permanent market hall there in about 2 years.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about the displacement of small Black owned businesses in East Oakland and how the Black Cultural Zone is  responding.

#028 - Today's episode is the second in a 2 part series on home solar. I went solar with a back-up battery in 2021 and am SO GLAD I did.  I got a small check back from PG&E after my 1st year.  I want to introduce you to 2 of the solar professionals I met on my journey - Mark Lauer and Joe Molale.If you're starting from ground zero like I was, it probably feels a little overwhelming.  I get asked a lot about my panels and my experience.  I want to share with you the guys that educated me the most.  We focus on many of the questions I had plus the ones I saw on Nextdoor.  My hope is to save you time in your process by sharing the issues that I found most important on my journey.Both Mark and Joe were extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient.  Most importantly, they continued to work with me and educate me with no certainty of a sale.Today's discussion is with Joe.  Joe works for West Coast Solar.  I actually bought my system from him.  Joe says the top 5 reasons his customers go solar are:1 Save Money2 Helps the Environment3 Rising PG&E rates4 Increase the value of your home5 Taking control of your future energy costsWith respect to picking a company, Joe says,“I tell people with solar, it's not like cable television, you can't just switch companies.  You are stuck with them for, for life. If the panels go out and they're outta business, guess what, you're on your own….”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how buying solar from Joe helps build water wells in India and Africa.

#027 - Today's episode is the first in a 2 part series on home solar. I went solar with a back-up battery in 2021 and am SO GLAD I did.  I got a small check back from PG&E after my 1st year.  I want to introduce you to 2 of the solar professionals I met on my journey - Mark Lauer and Joe Molale.If you're starting from ground zero like I was, it probably feels a little overwhelming.  I get asked a lot about my panels and my experience.  I want to share with you the guys that educated me the most.  We focus on many of the questions I had plus the ones I saw on Nextdoor.  My hope is to save you time in your process by sharing the issues that I found most important on my journey.Both Mark and Joe were extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient.  Most importantly, they continued to work with me and educate me with no certainty of a sale. Today's discussion is with Mark.  Mark's company is Solar by Mark.  He is a solar consultant and represents a few solar contractors. Mark says the top 5 reasons his customers go solar are:1 Save Money2 Save the Environment3 Energy Independence4 Energy Expansion in the Future5 Increasing Property ValueWith respect to cost savings, Mark says,“… the way to think about that is, is not what their utility bill is on any given month, but it's what does electricity costs add up to over years that they're living in the home….”“I look at what are they gonna spend over six or seven years on electricity from the utility.  Well, normally they're gonna spend about the same amount of money they would spend to buy solar. So after that point, they're saving money every month, they've eliminated their bill.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how the Pandemic has impacted the demand for solar.

#026 - Today we talk with Nik Dehejia, CEO of the Oakland Zoo, which is celebrating its Centennial Anniversary in 2022.  The zoo started in June of 1922 at the corner of 19th and Harrison at what is today called Snow Park.“Imagine in 1922, two lions being brought back into the City of Oakland and out there.  Henry Snow was the founder of the Oakland Zoo and established a museum and a zoo in 1922.”The location moved to Joaquin Miller Park in the 1920s and to its current location in the 500 acre Knowland Park in the 1930s.  The 100 acre zoo campus is home to over 850 species. What sets the Oakland Zoo apart from other zoos is that they really value that the animals have enough space to live in a natural habitat.  They need to live their best life in this space.  They will have less species so they can have more space.“Animals need to have adequate space.  Their habitats have to be complex.  They have to be large.  They have to have choice & control on how they move around.” The Oakland Zoo gets over 1 million visitors every year from all over Northern California.  Their robust school programs account for about 25% of that.  Their educational programs include camps for kids, small ambassador animals that go out to schools, and field trips where school groups come into the zoo.  They even purchased a bus that brings school groups to the zoo.Nik shares with us the diverse backgrounds of the zoo employees and that the zoo is proud to be one of the largest employers of local youth.“Many young adults are getting their first or second job at the Oakland Zoo.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how the zoo' community really stepped up to help the zoo emerge from the Pandemic shutdown bigger and stronger than ever.

#025 - Today we talk with Ariana Mabley, East Oakland native and owner of Esscents of Flowers, a floral design company, which she started as a side hustle pop up business while still working a full time career.  Ariana wears MANY hats -  wife, mother, chauffeur AND entrepreneur.  She credits the tremendous support from friends, family as well as the team at the Uptima Business Bootcamp for helping her business succeed, but she credits her grandfather for planting the gardening seed in her… “It is something I used to do with my grandfather - who has since passed.  But it was because of his love for nurturing the ground, growing things from the ground that even allows me to be where I am today.  He showed me how to garden.  And that was one of our favorite pastimes.”Every other Saturday she would pop up in front of cafes, bike shops, and other small Oakland and San Leandro businesses.  That led to a contract with a wedding venue.  It took off organically so in the summer of 2019 she decided to go full time.  And then the Pandemic happened.“All of my events were canceled.  I had to figure it out really quickly. There goes the art of the pivot - being able to think just super quickly about how you're going to steer this business that you created.  From there I worked with some small farms that are local to the Bay Area and I started offering delivery services throughout the week because what I realized is that people wanted to stay connected to one another but they couldn't physically be with one another. And so I was like I can still provide flowers, it just has to be a different way.”This is truly a family business. Ariana married her high school sweetheart and they have 2 boys. Everyone pitches in when needed.  You can find her E of F Studio at 329 17th St. - Downtown Oakland.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about Ariana's amazing support system that keeps her thriving.

#024 - Today we talk with Berkeley native and Oakland wine entrepreneur and Black Vines founder Fern Stroud.  Fern founded Black Vines to celebrate black history while focusing on black future. Black Vines focuses on the future of wine, the future of art, the future of jazz, the future of culinary experiences while featuring black owned companies.“we want to create community and do our part in the building, maintaining and sustainability of a black economic ecosystem”Community is so important to Fern.  She grew up going to musical and cultural festivals in the East Bay and that is what she set out to recreate.  Wine was not the primary focal point, but it quickly became the conduit.  When she stumbled across the Association of African American Vintners, she knew it was a perfect pairing and she was on to something.“to bring those elements together, the art, the food, the wine, the jazz.  We also wanted to patronize black owned spaces and so we were the first to go to every black serving gallery or black owned gallery and activate the space with this experience.”Fern knows a long time successful business cannot be built on mere transactions - relationships are important to her.  She is most proud of the deep relationships she has developed that have benefited both Black Vines and the wine makers alike. “we have built some of the most amazing business relationships with our partners that anyone could ever dream of and that is probably the most beneficial thing - just the community in itself”.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about Black Vines future plans and events.

#023 - Today we talk with San Francisco native and longtime Oakland resident and wine entrepreneur Paula Harrell of P Harrell Wines.  Paula's love for wine and wine culture began while studying abroad in Spain while in college.  Paula had no formal education in wine making.  For 15 years it was a fun little hobby - she would blend other peoples' wines.  After sharing her concoctions with her wine connoisseur uncle, he told her to make her own wine.“And so that was when I thought, oh my God, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make my own wine. So to your question, I'm very involved because I don't want anybody deciding what my wine is going to taste like. So I'm choosing where the grapes are coming from. I'm spending time during harvest and crush.”After learning about custom crush, she knew she did not need to make the large capital investment required to buy a winery, but she could remain in control of the taste and quality of her wine.  So, in 2015 P Harrell Wines was born.Paula enjoys being an Oakland based wine company - doing events all around the Bay Area.  She loves opening peoples eyes and answering their questions and helping them through their own wine journey.  Many people are surprised to find wine businesses beyond the wine country.  Paula says…"I think now it's a really great time to be in the wine business and be in Oakland and be in an urban area because, this has really taken off, like people are really interested in that and being able to have it local."The key takeaways from my discussion with Paula are:#1  Being a wine connoisseur and indulging in wine culture for fun is very glamorous - making wine and running the business is a lot of work#2 She loves events - sharing her wine knowledge with others#3 Figuring out the sales and marketing channels early on was important#4 The names of her wines pay homage to her family legacyBe sure to stick around until the end to hear how Paula is mentoring young people of color in the wine business.

#022 - Today we talk with Oakland Laurel District resident and restaurateur James Whitehead of Fist of Flour.  James has loved pizza his entire life - it is his favorite food.  He loves pizza so much he even scopes out the pizza scene whenever he travels to new cities.When James arrived in Oakland 26 years ago, he realized East Oakland was yearning for better pizza options.  He started messing around at home, making pizzas in his own kitchen and using friends and family as taste testers.  After a couple of years a friend hit him with the same question so many food entrepreneurs get…“wow, this is pretty good pizza. Did you ever think about selling it?”At that moment, James was comfortable with his day gig and was not ready to give it up.  Then one day while delivering proofs to a client in downtown Oakland, James noticed a guy on the street at the Old Oakland Farmers Market with a wood-fired pizza oven on a trailer."And I was like, huh, pretty interesting. So I sat and watched him for a good half an hour and I was like, just counting the dollars as he was making pizzas. And it was like, wow, okay. So maybe this is something I could do. I was immediately like, yes, this will be my next thing. This is what I'm going to do.”In 2014, James noticed a pizza place up for sale at 4166 MacArthur Blvd.  He approached the owner for his asking price.  When he said $10k for all the equipment, James brought a check the next day.  He went from having only a handful of people and very low overhead to a physical location and a growing team.  He is very proud to 1) pay a living wage to his employees and 2) serve people in the neighborhood.“I think everybody that I employ lives in Oakland and most of them live within a couple miles of the restaurant.  I've always tried to hire Oakland people and, you know, and support the city that I've lived in for so long.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear what you should do if you see his pizza oven trailer hauling down the freeway.

#021 - Today we talk with Oakland native, resident and entrepreneur Nicole Felix Borders of Pound Bizness.  Pound Bizness is literally a labor of love.  Nicole's husband Reggie made 4 pound cakes from a family recipe for Nicole's mom to take to the church fish fry.  When she came home with a dozen orders, Nicole said…“how you got us a dozen orders when we're not even a business.”More and more people were requesting their cakes and Pound Bizness was on the verge of a number of corporate opportunities before the pandemic brought everything to a halt. There were several moments where they thought they were done, but didn't realize they were just beginning because what happened next was epic!Dave Clark from KTVU Channel 2 News posted on social media that he was looking for a recommendation for a brick and mortar shop to purchase a pound cake.  People replied with “try Pound Bizness”.  Nicole's mom told her to ignore the brick and mortar part and send Dave a cake.  So, she did - she sent a cake to Dave at the KTVU station AND Dave posted it on his page…..“slowly slicing into it and enticing his followers.  And everybody just had to have what Dave Clark had. And so we had customers from Oakland to Discovery Bay to Fairfield and everything. And that just really opened up a new channel for us.” Everyone thinks Nicole is the baker, but Reggie actually brought the recipe via his Aunt Ira - Nicole added the flavor.  They relish in demystifying the assumptions around traditional roles.  Pound Bizness has grown to 13 different cake flavors which mostly come from customer suggestions.  You can find their cakes at local farmers markets and on their website.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear how the “love ingredient” makes it all work.

#020 - Today we talk with Oakland resident and entrepreneur Aram Cretan of Federation Brewing, a producer of award winning craft beer.  Aram created Federation with his childhood friend and then roped in his retired “banker” dad to keep the books. What started as a home brewing project over 10 years ago grew into brewing for friends' weddings.  I asked Aram when he thought he had business:“You start to realize that you have the germ of a business here when all of a sudden you're spending every weekend on something.  That's not, you know, more than a hobby, but less than a profession.”Before the pandemic, Federation was selling kegs to restaurants and pints to customers in their Jack London tasting room.  When the pandemic hit, they lost 95% of their business.  The pandemic required Federation to pivot to a manufacturing and canning business, selling through distributors - a much different business.  The result was they grew 3x."When COVID started, we were just driving our kegs around Alameda and Contra Costa. That's what we were doing. We were a little East Bay brewery.  Now you can get our beer in cans from Paso Robles up to Redding.  We signed on with two distributors. We produced three times more beer by volume in 2021 than we did in 2020.” You can visit the brewery and tasting room at 420 3rd St. in the heart of Oakland's Jack London Square district.  This is NOT your neighborhood sports bar, however.  When you visit, be prepared to put your phone away and engage with other patrons.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear how Federation's mascot “Keg Bot” is fighting to keep the Town safe for independent beers. 

#019 - Today we talked to Brady Bellis from Oakland's Rocky's Market. The original store is located in the Oakmore neighborhood (440 Leimert Blvd, Oakland). Rocky's is more than a local independent grocery store, it is a community fixture. "we know so many people on a first name basis”.AND“we provide a lot of local food and we've worked with farmers to bring produce in and try to maintain that feel of being a neighborhood place and we generally get that feedback from our customers that that's why they shop there because they like the people that work there”.Brady and his Oakland native partner Corinne Kinczel bought the Oakmore store in 2016 from the original owner, Rocky, who tried to rescue the store from a series of unsuccessful ownerships.  They opened a 2nd store in the new Brooklyn Basin development (288 9th Avenue, Oakland) at the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020.  Brady credits Corrine's Oakland roots for the company's success.“Corrine is a native Oakland person and she's lived here basically her whole life and she's very dialed into the community and so she was the one who had the vision of making it more than just a grocery store”.The pandemic boosted their business by about 50% overnight and for a while they were running at 250%.  It leveled off, however, but today they are performing beyond their pre-pandemic levels.  They used safety protocols as a competitive advantage.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear how Brady and Corrine's first date set them on this entrepreneurial course.

#018 - Today we talk to Imani Glove from The Lemonade Bar.  The Lemonade Bar specializes in fresh squeezed lemonade and organic handcrafted frozen lemonades.  She and her husband Cedric started off with a hot dog cart, but the business did not do so well.  When they incorporated fresh squeezed lemonade, the business took off.  The lemonade began outselling the hotdogs, so they ditched the dogs and The Lemonade Bar was formed.In reflecting on her journey, Imani shares:“I just knew that we could take this to the top. The feedback from the community is they are telling us that we have something that they want and they come and they purchase at the farmer's markets and fairs and festivals. So I knew we were onto something.”After the pandemic hit, The Lemonade Bar embraced partnering with like minded businesses to get through it.  When some shied away from being out in public during the pandemic, they ran towards it.  They said yes to what a lot of other folks said no to.Be sure to stick around ‘til the end to hear about their Kiva campaign.

#017 - Today we talked to Maria Fernandez from Red Bay Coffee Roaster. Red Bay was founded in 2014 by Keba Konte, a renowned artist and successful food entrepreneur with deep roots in the Bay Area specialty coffee and hospitality industry.In reflecting on why Keba started Red Bay, Maria said:“I think what really resonated with him as far as the coffee business is that there was an opportunity to open up.  When you look at some of the old cafes, people gather to be creative and there's artists and activists and this whole wonderful community and place to feel included.”Before the Pandemic, Red Bay's office coffee program was about 60% of their business.  Those accounts stopped ordering within a couple of days.  What came next was a pivot to e-commerce.  Once they were selected for Oprah's Favorite Things, business took off.

#016 - Today we talk to Tina Wolfe and David Dranitzke from Much Better Butter.  Tina has been roasting seeds for some time.  After working through nut allergies in her kids' classrooms, she began experimenting on sunflower seed spreads and Much Better Butter was born.  In talking about their target customer, they say....“It's been interesting to see that it's actually quite a range of people. I always thought it was going to be moms as our target audience, but we're finding vegans are really excited about our two flavors.”“we really thought it was moms and dads of elementary and younger kids who needed a peanut-free school.  AND while that definitely is a good part of our customer base and our market, what we found during the farmer's markets and going out and tasting when we could and talking to people about it, it is really a wide variety of people.” Tina launched the business in January 2020, just before the pandemic forced us all into lock down.  Listen to the episode to hear what happened next and how they had to pivot.