In 2016 Main Street Launch and Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF) announced our partnership called PRO Oakland. Together, we are offering expert advising to small businesses (advising through Main Street Launch) and nonprofits (advising through NCCLF), entities poised to be impacted by the construction of the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT). This…
We are proud to call Oakland our hometown and to support the work residents and business owners do to revitalize our neighborhoods and increase the quality of services available for everyone. A number of our clients are starting and growing businesses in Oakland’s Laurel District. One event that happens in the Laurel is The…
Sean Sullivan has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community and the Oakland small business community for 15 years. He and his partner Richard Fuentes saw an opportunity to create a gathering place open seven days per week, specifically focused on serving LGBTQ people and Uptown. From that combination of passion and opportunity, The Port…
Daniel Hernandez knew early on that he would end up starting his own business. As an IT professional, he wanted to continue to learn and grow but faced limitations in a full-time IT support role. Now as a small business owner, Dan works with hundreds of companies and is constantly learning and adapting his business…
It’s one of our favorite weeks of the year: Oakland Restaurant Week! From January 19 through January 29, restaurants across town are offering lunch and dinner specials between $20 and $50 per person. We encourage you to take this opportunity to check out some of our clients’ restaurants: Nido Adesso Brotzeit…
It’s our favorite time of the year: Restaurant Week! San Francisco and Oakland’s restaurant weeks happen simultaneously this year, which means great eating on both sides of the Bay! San Francisco Restaurant Week kicks off January 18 and runs through January 29, 2017. You’ll find lunch prix-fixe menus at $15 and $25 and dinner…
When Willy Wang and Stacy Tang moved to the Bay Area, Willy had a job in San Francisco, and Stacy was trying to decide what career she wanted to pursue in the U.S. They found a supportive landlord and their current space at 412 22nd Street in Oakland. The space had previously been designed for…
When Dominick Scala was working from home, he could never find that “quite right” place in his neighborhood where he could work, eat, drink, and play. When he opened the doors to Cafe Underwood in August 2014 he realized his vision for a great neighborhood hang-out spot. “Dominick used his loan from Main Street…
As we move into 2017, many of us are thinking of ways we can improve our small businesses finances and personal finances. One tool to help you expand your capacity to access capital, grow your business, and achieve more financial success is to build up your credit score. Luckily, there are some easy-to-access tools to…
Alicia Falango launched Alicia K Designs in 2004, but she’d been working on events as a side gig for the previous two years as she worked full-time to support her passion project. Now, Alicia K Designs is a boutique full-service event design and production company, capable of developing and executing events of all sizes from…
