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…
The folks over at Inuit put together a guide for military servicemembers and their families hoping to start a small business. In this guide they cover: Business plans Paperwork & permits Finding financing Additional resources specifically for veterans and their families Tips for finding customers Hiring employees Tips for keeping the business going while…
This article originally appeared on NerdWallet and is shared with with permission. By Heather Castle, CFP Learn more about Heather on NerdWallet’s Ask an Advisor As entrepreneurs, many small-business owners are comfortable taking risks. But their business is often their biggest asset, as well as the largest source of their household’s income, which means it’s especially important…
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…
We believe in the power of small businesses to uplift neighborhoods because of how community-oriented our small business clients are. If your small business is looking for a nonprofit to partner with to support Oakland, we want to introduce you to Upward Roots: Upward Roots (UR) is on a mission to provide each and…
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…
Many of our small business clients have goals to grow their business’ profits and also operate sustainably and create good jobs for their employees. The American Sustainable Business Council is a network of businesses and business associations that have committed themselves to the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit. As a member, small…
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…
