Townrootz

#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.