Support Small Businesses!

Supporting small businesses acknowledges the tremendous risks, hard work, and challenges that the people in our community have towards a passions of theirs! You are supporting the dreams of others as you stumble and purchase their unique and heartfelt products. The following are small businesses that you should all definitely check out!

"Every Small Purchase Makes A Big Difference" 

LA COCINA DE MAMITAY

1. What is the name of your small business and what does it consist of?

Our business name is “Mamitay: Peruvian Cuisine”. We started the business in October in the midst of the pandemic which has taught us to be very fluid with our definition of our business. Primarily, we are a food vendor which means we are available to vend at events like farmers’ markets, pop-up shops, and others as well as offering catering services. Most recently, we also adopted a virtual kitchen model which meant folks could order food online via instagram (@LaCocinaDeMamitay) at the beginning of the week and we’d deliver a ready-to-eat meal over the weekend to their home.

2. What served as the catalyst to inspire your small business?

My mom studied culinary arts at LA Trade Tech back in 2014. When she graduated, I was still young and my sister was a baby so rather than risk a lot to begin a business, she continued to work in other jobs that were more financially stable. During the pandemic, she lost one of her jobs and the other cut her hours so we were put into a difficult position. I pushed her to start her business she’d been dreaming of now that there was little to lose and a large social platform to begin with.

3. What are some challenges of a small business during the pandemic?

The hardest part of being a food vendor has definitely been the lack of events. Because of COVID guidelines, events have come to a halt (which we totally understand and support). This has made us turn to other things such as the virtual kitchen model as I previously mentioned. Thankfully, my mom and I are both fully vaccinated and are excited to get back to events safely.

4. As a small business, what is the support you search for in your following? (e.g reposting, following base, etc).

Following, liking, commenting and reposting certainly goes a long way but the most important thing we’ve found is simply telling your friends and family about us. Word of mouth doesn’t get enough credit and you won’t believe the amount of customers we’ve had who tell us they found out about us through their mom, friend, tia, or even just instagram mutual who posted and tagged us.

5. What advice do you have to people who are starting off a small business?

Starting a business, especially in a pandemic, is scary. It’s a lot of work that shouldn’t be underestimated and the growth is not necessarily exponential but that’s okay. All of the negatives I just mentioned are completely pale in comparison to receiving your first order, first review, or even just working for hours only to realize that all of your work is for you and by you. We would tell people to stop being afraid and to go for it: be smart about managing money, stay in touch with your customer base, and be authentic.

6. What items do you recommend from your shop to potential buyers?

We’re wrapping up our virtual kitchen series now because everything is opening back up & we’re excited to begin booking events as the community continues to get vaccinated. We’re going to continue the virtual kitchen for the next couple of weeks to close it out & if people are local, we highly suggest they order. It’s an affordable (and safe) alternative to eating out and we deliver hot food to your door. Our favorite items on the menu are two Peruvian classics: Lomo Saltado (Wok-fried beef entree) & Alfajores (Dulce de Leche cookies). If you’re not in the area or unable to catch our virtual kitchen, we hope to see you at an event!

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AMY'S SWEET DELICIAS

1. What is the name of your small business and what does it consist of?

My small baking business is called Amy’s Sweet Delicias. Amy’s Sweet Delicias consists of my name since it’s personalized to me working towards my dreams of potentially having my own business one day. Also, my mom is from El Salvador and I was born in Los Angeles; I decided to include an English and Spanish word to the name of my business so that I can represent both my American and Hispanic roots. My name and slogan really captivate what I wanted to portray in my desserts when my supporters bought them: to be sweet in a delightful way but delicious of course!

2. What served as the catalyst to inspire your small business?

Growing up, life was really hard for my mom; she worked multiple jobs to provide the best life possible for my siblings and I. These jobs consisted of my mom baking and cooking a lot. I remember one day I went to work with my mom and was finally able to see her bake. Seeing her baking and decorating desserts, made me notice how happy it made her. She really enjoyed baking and it was very therapeutic to her. The creativity, love, and dedication that she put towards the desserts she made, brought a smile to her face knowing that people loved them. Baking was an escape towards everything that life put her through. That was the day I realized that baking made my mom happy and the 7 year old me wanted to be happy as well. I decided to stop buying cake boxes from my local store and began doing my own thing, homemade sweet delicias. My mom and her story really inspired me to continue the passion and love that I now have for baking. I realized that I could turn my love for baking into something bigger. I decided to start my own small business during the pandemic, feeling the freedom to pursue my passions. Now, I am officially running my small business; it has been nothing but fun and successful for the past three months. It has always been my mom's dream to bake for others, but she has never had the support and love she wished to have. Having the opportunity to have my small business really showcases the work she has put into helping me work towards my goals. She is fulfilling the dreams she had as a child at the same time; it's a beautiful blessing to both of us. If it wasn’t for my mom or god, my business wouldn't exist. I knew this was the perfect time and my call to action to shine and show others my talent.

3. What are some challenges of a small business during the pandemic?

Some challenges I came across during the pandemic are gaining comfortability and trust towards my customers. I wanted to make sure people were comfortable with purchasing and trusting what they were buying due to the covid 19 guidelines. Another challenge I faced was meeting new faces, which meant getting out of my comfort zone and showing a good first impression towards my customer service. I would also say that I personally faced and lost a bit of motivation because of the lack of knowledge I had towards working a job. I had to face how much my mom was able to budget to start my business and make profits from there. I live in a pretty small to decent size house, so we started slowly growing big and stocking up on inventory. A huge problem became the amount of storage we needed, causing us to have a small period of time to work in a semi tight space. We were able to overcome challenges over time, but this truly showcases that anything is possible and to not give up.

4. As a small business, what is the support you search for in your following? (e.g reposting, following base, etc).

I truly believe that people can support me in any way shape or form! Anything is appreciated: following me, reposting my sweets, liking, commenting, literally the list is endless. My main platform is Instagram. I see and know it all, so anything counts! I don’t have a preference whatsoever as long they are vulnerable and truthful is what matters.

5. What advice do you have to people who are starting off a small business?

Some advice I have for any small business out there is that big things often have small beginnings. You need to be able to trust the process because there will be times where you will have huge sales and not that doesn’t giving up, it means to continue hustling and reaching your goals. Being able to visualize your goals but slowly turning into a different direction really enhances the beauty of small growth to something huge. Not all things are meant to be; just go with the flow until you find what's the best fit for you. What truly matters is that the passion, dedication, and love that you have for what you do is not overshadowed by what others think. At the end of the day running a small business should make you happy. Always cherish and celebrate the small moments. Don’t ever sell yourself short. Have faith and believe in yourself as well.

6. What items do you recommend from your shop to potential buyers?

I would recommend all the sweets from my menu lol! Of course because they all have their uniqueness and twists to them, making them special and to die for. It honestly depends on my customers and what will satisfy their sweet cravings. This is why my menu consists of a bit of every dessert category. Also, I am willing to bake new goods that aren’t in my menu yet. I can eventually add them in the future. Don’t hesitate to ask me. I am willing to bake anything because practice makes perfect and who doesn’t love a yummy challenge! I would have to say that I would definitely recommend my cake pops because they have the perfect sweet balance and creamy texture. A lot of customers have mentioned it’s delightful at an affordable price and better than a starbucks cake pop. You have to try them for yourself. Literally, everything I bake is so good but I would have to mention that my cake pops have been the best and popular seller so far.

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SOLUNA JEWLERY

1. What is the name of your small business and what does it consist of?

My sister, Mariella Solano, and I own Soluna Jewelry (@soluna.co on IG). We have a selection of jewelry and accessories (earrings, necklaces, anklets, scrunchies, etc).

2. What served as the catalyst to inspire your small business?

Mariella started the small business during her first year at UCLA in order to cover college expenses. I entered the small business last year during the pandemic because I also entered my first year of college.

3. What are some challenges of a small business during the pandemic?

During the pandemic, it's been difficult to adequately market our products because we rely solely on virtual engagements.

4. As a small business, what is the support you search for in your following? (e.g reposting, following base, etc).

We really appreciate any type of engagement (reposts, bookmarks, likes, etc) with our social media.

5. What advice do you have to people who are starting off a small business?

To anyone who’s thinking about starting a small business, go for it! Rip off that band-aid! It can get stressful at times, but it’s so worth it. You can be your own boss and work according to your own schedule. It’s such a beautiful experience.

6. What items do you recommend from your shop to potential buyers?

Some of our best-sellers include our Butterfly Hoops, Initial Anklets, and Herringbone Chains!