L.A. stories of inspiration and success

L.A. stories of inspiration and success


Exterior of the Tabula Rasa North Hollywood Arts District shop
Cheers to New Beginnings

Zach Negin is the owner of Tabula Rasa, a wine bar located at 5125 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Zach reached out to the West Valley BusinessSource Center (BSC) in the summer of 2021 for assistance with an expansion loan for a second location.

After the success of Tabula Rasa’s Hollywood location, Zach had found a spot in

LA:RISE participant Zachary during his commercial kitchen internship at the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Liberation Cafe
Social Enterprise Solutions to Help At-Risk Individuals Join the Workforce

Zachary moved to Los Angeles from out-of-state seeking new opportunities; however, he experienced homelessness while trying to adapt to his new surroundings, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic did not help his goals and plans.

Fortunately, he sought support services at the Los Angeles

Jessica Rosales, owner of J & M Auto Body in San Fernando Valley, a rare woman owned body shop
Jessica Rosales has been an inspiration to several women entrepreneurs for launching her own body shop, J & M Auto Body, which has been in operation in North Hollywood since January 2018.

At the peak of the pandemic, Jessica’s business was not considered essential. She was forced to

LifeLOQ was created through participation in the LA Blue Accelerator program by Braid Theory - powering blue economy entrepreneurs
LA area incubator and accelerator programs contribute to the City's innovation landscape by supporting the creation and growth of start-ups. One of these incubators includes the Blue+ Ocean Accelerator powered by Braid Theory, which supports start-up businesses in the Blue Economy, including companies focused on port efficiencies, aquaculture and fisheries, ocean observation, water and energy, and other sustainable ocean solutions. The Blue Economy refers to an economic system or sector that seeks to conserve marine and freshwater environments while using them in a sustainable way to develop economic growth.

Tired of seeing workers get injured due to outdated safety technology

The Canoga Park WorkSource Center 2022 Fall Community Job Fair attracted hundreds of job seekers for the over 40 employers offering jobs
In partnership with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and the Canoga Park WorkSource Center (WSC), the EWDD Employer Services Unit recently held a hugely successful job fair attended by more than 220 job seekers and more than 40 employers.

“I couldn’t let the week go by without expressing my

Lerida Mojica, owner of NY Cake Pops, displays a fresh batch of multi-colored cake pops
With guidance from the Pico-Union/Westlake BusinessSource Center (BSC), East-coast based NY Cake Pops has expanded its presence from New York City into the Los Angeles Area.

NY Cake Pops is owned by Lerida Mojica and Robert Rodriguez. Lerida first came to the US from Mexico in 2003 and met her husband, Robert, in the same year. She first began making

(left to right) Local LA entrepreneurial teens Axel and Sincere started their own Snowie! franchise - a Hawaiian shaved ice business
While most teens are buying iPads and the latest mobile phones, 18-year-old Axel Osnaya and 17-year-old Sincere Lathers have spent the last two years saving and investing in their shaved ice business, Snowie! Snowie is a Hawaiian-style ice shaving business that serves snow cones in flavors such as lemon-lime, piña colada, and strawberry.

The friends met in the Young Entrepreneur Program at the Southeast YouthSource Center in

(left to right) ChargerHelp! co-founders, CEO Kameale Terry and CWO Evette Ellis
ChargerHelp! co-founders Kameale Terry, Chief Executive Officer, and Evette Ellis, Chief Workforce Officer, are on a mission to fix broken charging stations. They've developed a technology-driven solution to improve reliability and customer confidence in electric vehicle (EV) charging. A Disadvantaged (DBE) and Women-Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (WMBE), ChargerHelp! blossomed after Kameale's

Boyle Heights native Justin Rios wearing a Columbia University sweatshirt and holding a Columbia pennant
Boyle Heights native Justin Rios participated in a virtual Hire LA's Youth internship at the Boyle Heights Technology YouthSource Center (YSC). Justin said that the internship helped him discover his passion for computer science.

The placement also gave him the confidence to successfully apply for and participate in two prestigious opportunities:

LA:RISE participant Michaela
Michaela was recently promoted to Job Coach at Goodwill of Southern California – a testament to her success in the LA:RISE program and a stepping stone toward her goal of building a career in social work.

Before enrolling in LA:RISE, Michaela was facing

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