Founders Los Angeles

10/03/2017

“There’s a certain drive to make good use of being alive. From a young age, I understood the math of life early; you actually don’t have a lot of time. You need to make use of your time.

What does ‘make use of’ mean? That’s different for each person. Doesn’t mean you have to be an entrepreneur, but for me it was something I wanted to do. Bite the bullet and find a way to do it early, or you may never do it. Trying things just take guts, and for some reason that’s the hardest part to muster. When do you do the math, the ‘trying path’ consistently wins. The more you take tries, the higher chance you have of succeeding.”

Co-Founder of www.Lumi.com | Packaging Simplified

10/03/2017

“I’ve learned that risk taking is a muscle. Starting out and learning and how to take the baby version of those is an important step. It’s human nature to plan and wait for when the circumstances are right, but the narratives we tell ourselves around waiting don’t usually work.”

Co-Founder of www.Lumi.com | Packaging Simplified

09/29/2017

“I grew up in the Detroit area. I moved out to LA when I was 19, I didn’t come out to California for a specific reason, but I knew I wanted to do something entrepreneurial.

It’s easy to look back on now, but at the time If I had gone to school, my parents would have financially back that choice. The things that were going through my mind were dramatic. These are the moments in life, you do a thing or don’t do a thing and it alters your path. I didn’t know how it would go, but I knew I didn’t like the idea of staying where I was. Taking the risk and not knowing what would happen, even though it can be terrible, was the right choice for me compared to the path of knowing what was predictable.”

-Co-Founder of www.Lumi.com | Packaging Simplified

08/21/2017

“The proudest moment for me is stepping into this. It’s simply saying ‘Yes’ even though I knew that I don’t have the means or resources to do it but I really believed that it was still possible. I walk into this space every day still thinking, ‘How do I have this space?’”

Founder of As We Dwell | www.aswedwell.com

08/18/2017

“I’ve been a teacher for 12 years. That was my strength, for sure. Never did I think that I would transition out of it when I was so invested into it.

But somewhere along the way, I ended up getting into a huge car accident. On November of 2014 coming back from Salvation Mountain, I missed a right turn on a two-way highway. So I pulled over to make a U-turn. There were no cars, in my memory and even in my friend’s memory. Even to this day we have no recollection of any cars being there. So when I pulled out, we were T-boned by a big rig going 63 MPH. I should have died. When you look at the wreckage, it’s very clear that a person should have not survived it.

That experience was life changing. I don’t ever live my life knowing that tomorrow exists, so I live my life believing today is it.”

Founder of As We Dwell | www.aswedwell.com

08/15/2017

“Not a lot of people are as bold and brash as me. I’m always the one in the family who likes starting things. I’m all about taking a vision and not feeling completely ready, which is the key to be an entrepreneur because you’re never 100% ready. It’s taking something and going ‘This is a great idea. When can we start?’”

Founder of Guided Good | A Foster Youth Travel Community Service Non-Profit

08/11/2017

“I moved all my stuff out of my apartment and put stuff in storage, raised $3,000, told everyone that I’m going to volunteer for 3 months in Nicaragua with no idea what I would do when I get back. I just knew that this was an investment.

‘What would my future self appreciate in what I invested now?’ That’s still the question that keeps me going when it’s hard as an entrepreneur. This is an investment for 10 years from now.”

Founder of Guided Good | A Foster Youth Travel Community Service Non-Profit

08/10/2017

“I toyed around with some questions, which were like ‘If I could do anything, what would I really want to do?’

To be honest, no career popped in my head. It was more of a passion or an interest. I knew for a long time that I really wanted to learn Spanish and spend some time in Central America and to immerse myself into the culture.”

Founder of Guided Good | A Foster Youth Travel Community Service Non-Profit

04/19/2017

“People reactions are my favorite things; it’s the most rewarding thing. You commit so much time, effort, and pride into whatever it is you’re making, and you’re not even sure people are going to use it or want it. I think it’s the best thing when people validate the concept and the idea.”

Founder of Fullcourt | www.fullcourt.io

Fullcourt is a social network for basketball players that play at local basketball courts and gyms, and a resource for them to coordinate these games.

04/19/2017

“There was no ah-ha moment. I’ve had the idea for 15 years. It’s about having the time, money, and resources to actually do what you want. I am very fortunate to have all of that. A lot of people don’t. Getting to actually execute on your dream… you can’t really ask for more.”

Founder of Fullcourt | www.fullcourt.io

Fullcourt is a social network for basketball players that play at local basketball courts and gyms, and a resource for them to coordinate these games.

04/19/2017

“It’s a problem many people have, and I’ve been waiting for someone else to solve it. I’ll just do it myself. It’s a conceited thing to say, but I feel like I am one of the most qualified people to do it because of my background. I think it’s going to make the world better. It’s bold to say that, but I genuinely feel that way. It’s a need that many people have, and if you can provide it to them, then why not?”

Founder of Fullcourt | www.fullcourt.io

Fullcourt is a social network for basketball players that play at local basketball courts and gyms, and a resource for them to coordinate these games.

02/04/2017

"If you’re doing something and a bump in the road comes up, you can look at it like, ‘I don’t want to deal with it. Why do I deserve this?’ Or you can be like, ‘This is great! This is a challenge and I’m going to see what I can make of it.’ I’m going to honor it, respect that it’s in my life, trust in the universe and go with it. Instead of seeing them as bad things that have happened to you, flip them into life learning lessons and learn to grow from them. That’s what life's about. It’s a lot of mind work. The bumps in the road will never go away."

Founder of Sister Inmate (Carlee Santarelli)

02/03/2017

"Not everything works out for me-- I get a ton of noes. I don’t see everything as failure. I thought that door was supposed to be open, and the universe is telling me that’s not the door to go through."

Founder of Sister Inmate (Carlee Santarelli)

02/03/2017

"I love the fashion world, but it’s very materialistic and there’s a side to it that I don’t like as well. And so, when I finally reached out to the Sheriff’s department to say ‘This is who I am. This is my story. I want to volunteer. Give me a toothbrush and I’ll clean in the jail cell-- I don’t care, I just want to help. I don’t know how but please let me come help’.

They normally don’t just let individuals come in and volunteer but they said ‘We have an orientation. It’s an all day thing. Come. We’ll sit with you and figure out how you can contribute.’

So I go to this orientation and it’s basically an orientation that teaches you how to be a teacher. And I’m sitting there going like ‘I was the girl in class that would never raise my hand to answer a question. Back then I’d get so nervous if I had to talk in front of somebody’

So now I’m thinking ‘What the heck am I doing here?’

It took me about two years to come to the acceptance of that’s what I was going to do. And again, life will put you in situations where you eventually realize why you’re there."

Founder of Sister Inmate (Carlee Santarelli)

02/02/2017

"The other day I had a dream that I was in an airport. When you’re in an airport, that represents coming and going-- a transitional phase. That’s where I am in life. I’m still working part-time in the business management world, and I know that Sister Inmate is where I want to go, but I’m still figuring it out. For me, it was a message to myself that I’m on the right path. You don’t necessarily have to figure out the ‘how’ if you keep knocking on doors and opportunities. If you keep doing the work, it kind of reveals itself sometimes."

Founder of Sister Inmate (Carlee Santarelli)

01/13/2017

"Find out what you care about. Know what your definition of success is. Have people you can count on."

Founder of Food Tribe

01/13/2017

"Being a founder is all about maintaining a vision. Being an entrepreneur is lonely and difficult-- not everyone understands what you are dealing with. But as long as you have the capacity to understand that there is an end goal in sight, then it’s only a matter of time until you get there."

Founder of Food Tribe

01/13/2017

"Food for me is an escape. It’s something that brought me a lot of joy. I feel that if people had access to really good food, it can make an impact and a big difference in their life. There’s joy, beauty, and art in food. Being able to share that with people is what my company is all about."

Founder of Food Tribe

01/13/2017

"I wanted to be a politician, but politics is very frustrating to me because you have a lot of people saying they will get stuff done, but when push comes to shove, they don’t. I decided the best way to have an impact, in any meaningful way is from a business perspective-- to make sure my business invested in the community."

Founder of Food Tribe

12/13/2016

"Being an entrepreneur in Los Angeles can be tough because there are so many laws, taxes, crazy permits and things you wouldn’t have to get like at my previous shop in Oregon. On the other hand, it’s a great sense of accomplishment because this isn’t the easiest city to start a company. Being able to have a little sacred space in a busy neighborhood is an amazing feeling. It’s best of both worlds—you have your sacred space and you have the awesome chaos of the outside world."

Founder of Prelude & Dawn

12/12/2016

"I wish the entire country was comprised of small businesses and not these crazy corporations. A big reason why I love owning a shop is that it’s simple; it’s how capitalism is meant to be. I find this sweater that’s been sitting on the shelf forever. It’s all dirty and has loose threads. No one wants it, but I see potential in it. I buy it, take it home, clean it, cut all the loose threads, and the next thing you know, there’s an amazing cute sweater. I put on the rack and I sell it. To me, that’s so simple."

Founder of Prelude & Dawn

05/13/2016

"For some reason, people say they love working with couples."

Founders of Hunter & Fox (www.hunternfox.com)

05/13/2016

"I would've told myself to not be afraid. I was afraid that my illustrations weren’t good enough. My confidence at the time, for every kid out of high school wasn't very good. I would've told myself to keep doing what you want to do because practice helps your confidence. Be sure to show people."

Co-Founder of Hunter & Fox (hunternfox.com/)

05/13/2016

"People think our story is a little more unique because we are doing both working full-time and have our own business. People feel that they can’t do both. I always love telling people that you can! You just have to be open to not going out on the weekends or even weekdays. It’s one of those push and pull kind of things."

Founders of Hunter & Fox (http://hunternfox.com/)

05/08/2016

"I would say freedom on your terms. Financial freedom, freedom with your time, freedom on who you work with and how, freedom to create. Success to me means freedom."

Founder of Reflektion Design

05/08/2016

"I think about the alternative. If I don’t push. If I don’t work hard. If I don’t reply this email, or if I don’t put together this collection, what is the alternative? Unemployed. Eviction notice. Or, I go work another job and go through that hamster wheel again. When I think about that reality, it brings me back to this reality, and there’s no other choice."

Founder of Reflektion Design

05/08/2016

"I’m sick of having my fate in someone else’s hands. Why do I have to conform to someone else’s work environment? Taking a lunch break when they say to take your lunch break, for the amount of time to take your lunch break. Taking vacations when they say you’re allowed to take your vacation. This is not living. After being laid off a second time, I had to do some soul searching and think about what kind of lifestyle I want."

Founder of Reflektion Design

04/07/2016

“I’ve always been the youngest at everything I’ve done. I do think that with age, there are times that I have felt that I look young and I wonder if they will take us seriously. Our age doesn’t affect our drive, focus, and motivation.
The work that we produce isn’t limited by our age. We have very high driven work ethics ingrained in who we are. It hasn’t come into any inhibitions thus far.”

Founders of Aeline, product invented with the goal to make garment pattern making easier, efficient and more accurate for fashion designers.

04/07/2016

“From the idea, we are just hitting our 2 year anniversary. One and a half year in, we finally got our product. We believe in this so much, and we know that there is a need for it, that we want to see it through. We know that this is a great product and I am not willing to let it go for that sheer factor. It’s neither of our personalities to quit anything. Quitting has never crossed our minds.”

Founders of Aeline, product invented with the goal to make garment pattern making easier, efficient and more accurate for fashion designers.

04/06/2016

“We had an issue with our first manufacturer. After all the testing and the color finalizing, we got a sample of it to make sure that it was something we wanted to move forward with. Once we got the first five yards of the roll; it was done incorrectly. We denied it and suddenly the manufacturer decided that our disapproval was enough for them to not do business with us, which left us in a frantic because we needed it for an event at FIDM. We were starting to sell at one of their campus stores, and we found out a month before that we wouldn’t have our product. It took 15 months to get us to this point. We were devastated because we were expecting our production within four weeks, and we had to start all over from square one! We had to research new fabric vendors, new printing vendors, approve new fabrics, everything all over again.

Afterwards, we had to pick up the pieces and go. Being upset about it doesn’t do anything. We ended up taking pre-orders from students, and that was a good experience for us.

Now, our new manufacturer really hustled and understood our urgency; it ended up working out that the first one didn’t work. That’s when I felt like a business owner because this was our first really big hurdle.”

Founders of Aeline, product invented with the goal to make garment pattern making easier, efficient and more accurate for fashion designers.

04/06/2016

“Deciding to start the company and then going for it– that’s the proudest moment. It takes a lot to say that you’re going to do it. At that time, you don’t know what will happen. Good things are going to happen. Bad things are going to happen. We decided to commit to this and stuck with it.”

Founders of Aeline, product invented with the goal to make garment pattern making easier, efficient and more accurate for fashion designers.

02/23/2016

FOUNDERS LA PRESENTS: NEED DATING (Networking Event), Sponsored by Impact Hub LA

Join us this Wednesday for our second round of Need Dating presented by yours truly and hosted by Impact Hub Los Angeles. Come prepared with your one-minute pitches and a handful of business cards for an efficient evening of networking. You'll be partnered and will have a few minutes to meet the other person, tell them what services/skills you can offer, and swap business cards.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/founders-la-presents-need-dating-networking-event-sponsored-by-impact-hub-la-tickets-19468179850

Are you ready for another round of Need Dating? Come prepared with your one-minute pitches and a handful of business cards for an efficient evening of networking. You'll be partnered and will have a few minutes to meet the other person, tell them what services/skills you can offer, and swap business…

02/03/2016

"We come from different backgrounds, but we share the same passion of being happy with yourself. Let’s do something that makes us both happy. I love her because she’s a fighter; a woman warrior. She’s not one to say that I was born in this environment, or I just happened to fall into this job. It takes a very courageous soul to look inward, and to understand what you want for yourself."

Founder of LATIN POSH and Brooklyn Born Vintage | Stylists

http://foundersla.com/post/138684089350/latin-posh-brooklyn-born-vintage