About Me

My Business Owner experience started during the time of the 2008 Home Market Crash; I was doing administration work at a hair salon/spa in West Hollywood, CA. My hours were gradually cut, and I was eventually let go. My mother had started a taco catering service for her friends at church. I asked her if I could advertise her service online and, in a few weeks, we had multiple booked parties. My first business was in the food catering sector. We catered many graduations, birthdays, weddings and company lunches. We even catered a campaign party for a candidate that ran and won for the Mayor of Malibu, CA. The constant challenge with this business was to be disciplined in spending only on expenses effecting cash flow and not on growing the business. It was difficult to turn down parties that were out of our service area and that exceeded our limited number of guests. The bigger and distant parties were going to require us to invest in new equipment and to allocate more money for staff. We first had to build a team and system for the local, small to medium size parties, before looking to expand our services. Marketing this business was very easy. I started with Google AdWords and quickly it turned into referrals. We got very lucky in Malibu; from one party that found us online, came many referrals. One year later my sister took over and I focused on the spray tanning business that I had started during this time.

My second business was in the beauty business sector. Through my network, I have had the privilege to have a high-end spray tan clientele with some celebrity clients. The challenge with this business has been that it’s very easy for anyone to enter. In California, there isn’t a license required and anyone with a couple of hundred dollars can start. Also, this business was affected by the “work from home” movement during and after COVID. This caused waves of profitable and unprofitable years as businesses entered and exited, and as people moved in and out of Los Angeles. The spray tan businesses that have survived the waves are those who exercised more than one income stream and expanded outside of their area with little to no extra overhead. They’re doing both mobile and salon service, work with spray tanners outside of their area, set-up teaching courses and sold retail. The key to marketing this business is to consistently be active on social media, attend in person events, stay in-touch with existing clients and staying in-touch with beauticians that refer clients.

I started my third business in 2019, right before the pandemic. I opened a gift basket shop online. The baskets were made up of green juices placed inside a wooden crate, with a flower arrangement and card. We serviced the Los Angeles County. Most of the orders were B2B. It was a lot of fun to create this business, but if I did a redo, I would have not chosen to work with raw foods. Too many small costs that add-up and the delicacy of the juices was a lot of pressure in making sure they were made fresh and kept at safe temperatures. Most of my orders came from my google business listings. I did some social media advertisement campaigns, but the google searches outperformed.

Now, in my Business Investor career, my Business Partners and I are looking to acquire businesses or partner with likeminded Business Owners. Rapport is important to me. It is an honor and privilege to be entrusted with a Business Owners prized possession; to be responsible in seeing that the business continues to provide good service to its clients and workers continue to have a healthy environment to work in. At the moment, my Business Partners and I are looking for an accounting/tax preparation firm in the Los Angeles and Chicago area. I am working with Business Investor Partners that are either working professionals in their sector or have experience in operating businesses in different sectors.

Outside of work, I am 39 and unmarried but very much involved in the lives of my niece and nephew. They are the reason I strive to become the best version of myself. I realized that I can’t talk them into living happy and productive lives. I have to become the person I want them to be and live the life I would like for them to live.