Living Every Kid’s Dream

Luis Abundis, San Francisco/Oakland, Nieves Cinco de Mayo

Like most of us, Luis loved ice cream as a child. However, unlike most of us, starting at 8 years old, Luis began making his very own ice cream with his uncle on their ranch in San Juan de Monte, Mexico. When Luis immigrated to Oakland at the age of 24, he worked hard and went to school to learn English, but that 8-year-old was never far from his mind. He bought what he needed for an ice cream cart, and on May 5th, 1991, he started selling ice cream for the first time at a Cinco de Mayo festival.

Luis sold ice cream from a cart for several years, then through a pizza restaurant, and even operated that Pied Piper of childhood- an ice cream truck complete with a bell to announce his arrival to eagerly awaiting children. More than 15 years after that ice-cream cart, he opened his first store location in Oakland’s Fruitvale Market, and named it in honor of that first day selling with his cart – Nieves Cinco de Mayo.

Ambitious, self-made, and with a sweet ice cream following, Luis sought out Centro in 2011 to help take his business to the next level. Centro’s unique structure pairs each entrepreneur with a dedicated MBA Advisor, creating an exciting learning dynamic and a mentorship relationship that often lasts well beyond the program. Once Luis joined Centro’s Business Growth Program, he took weekly classes for four months and gained valuable advice from his MBA Advisor, Christine Kwong. Luis learned how to control inventory, capitalize on internet marketing, and with Centro’s help developed a business plan that mapped out a strategy for the future.

Armed with the skills he learned from Centro’s core curriculum and a plan to grow his business, Luis was able to open a second location on Mission Street in San Francisco. His nephew and brother help him there, and he has expanded his flavor selection from just lemon and vanilla when he had his cart, to more than 30 flavors of ice cream and shaved ice snow cones that he changes seasonally. His favorite flavor, lime, is always on the menu. Flavors like rose petal, hibiscus, guava and cactus fruit, along with traditional favorites, are among many to try. And we have!

Luis has been able to realize a childhood dream of operating his own ice cream business, and, with Centro’s help, he has added a new location, created jobs for his family, and is confident in his businesses’ future. You can indulge your sweet tooth, and your inner 8-year-old, at Luis’ Nieves Cinco de Mayo locations at Oakland’s Fruitvale Public Market (3340 E 12th St, Ste 2), or on Mission Street in San Francisco (2590 Mission Street).

Taco Grill … Healthy, Tasty, Organic Mexican Food

Leticia Chavez, Fruitvale, Taco Grill

Taco Grill, located less than a block away from the Fruitvale Bart Station in the Fruitvale Public Market, is owned by Leticia Chavez, a highly motivated mother of three. Leticia began learning about the restaurant business as a teenager at her fatherʼs eatery, Helenaʼs, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. By nineteen she was running the entire restaurant. Raised with an entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic, upon moving to Oakland, California, Leticia opened her own skincare business which is now owned and operated by her sister.

For her second business, Leticia decided to return to her roots in the restaurant world, and in 2007 she opened Taco Grill. Her mission was to serve flavorful healthy Mexican food. Taco Grill proudly utilizes organic meat products from Niman Ranch and Rocky Free Range Chickens as well as many other organic ingredients to prepare their food. In doing so, Leticia hopes to show people that Latin food can be healthy and tasty too. Itʼs working. Her customers rave about her delicious tacos, burritos, and pozole.

In 2011, the Unity Council, which runs a small business incubator providing affordable space for Taco Grill and other small businesses in the Public Market brought in Centro Community Partners to teach and advise its business owners. Leticia was paired with MBA advisor and professional coach Jennifer Lin, who helped Leticia create a growth strategy and leadership development plan for her business. She then strategized with Leticia about her profit margins, avenues for promotion of Taco Grill, and ways to raise employee morale. Jennifer also offered Leticia support and guidance with her vision for expanding Taco Grill into the catering sector which has increased profits for the business.

Leticia is not only grateful for the strategic advice she received from Centro, but also for the emotional support. From Centro she learned about self-care through understanding leadership behavior, attitude, and performance- very important elements needed to operate her business successfully. She began to delegate more responsibility and created a manager position for one of her employees. This allowed herself to have short “descansos” (rests). Centroʼs support has really helped her to maintain faith and confidence in her business.

Leticia and Arturo at the 2012 Indie Awards

Before she worked with Centro Community Partners, Leticia was struggling with making the rent for Taco Grill each month, low credit, and low morale. With Centro’s advising and help, she has been able to make her rent, increase her profits, and her morale. She is proud that she can continue to offer her clientele delicious healthy Mexican food at a reasonable price, and they have rewarded her for her efforts. In 2012, she won the Indie Award in the Ripple Effect category where her customers voted her one of the best local businesses in Oakland out of 200 nominees.

Stop by Taco Grill today and try it for yourself! Make sure to ask about catering options.

Largest Kiva Zip Loan Ever: AйDa Piroshki Will Soon Open in Haight-Ashbury

We first met Anna at a workshop held by La Cocina and were taken by her amazing energy and, eventually, her delicious piroshki. We invited her to join Centro’s Entrepreneurship Readiness Program and have been truly impressed with her professional growth.

Her goal is to one day bring her piroshkis to all the neighborhoods of San Francisco, and she is well on her way. Anna opened her first AйDa Piroshki kiosk in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood in 2011. After Centro’s program, she received a Kiva Zip loan for $5,000 to help her purchase a vehicle to expand her catering business. Seeing AйDa Piroshki grow, develop loyal customers, and have happy employees has been a joy to Centro’s team and an inspiration to budding entrepreneurs.

With a deeper understanding of management, over the last year, Anna has been able to prove that her vision can become a reality. She has now refined her processes to a point where AйDa Piroshki can exist in multiple locations and be well run.

AйDa Piroshki’s Expansion and $25,000 Kiva Zip Loan

Anna is now expanding her business and opening a kiosk station in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Today, She has just launched her second Kiva Zip loan – for $25,000 – to help with the opening of her second location. In partnership, La Cocina and Centro are endorsing Anna for this loan. La Cocina is an organization that helps cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their businesses by providing the resources and support they need. Anna first enrolled in La Cocina’s program in 2010 and then continued on with Centro’s program in 2011. She has continuously worked closely with both organizations throughout the launch and growth of her business.

Our Joint Endorsement with La Cocina

Anna has a wonderful working relationship with both organizations. Along with opening her second location, the loan will allow her to hire additional employees. She was on time with all of her monthly repayments with her previous Kiva Zip loan and was great at communicating with her lenders.

After working with Anna for the last two years, we can attest to the quality of her food, passion, and work ethic. La Cocina and Centro fully endorse Anna for this Kiva Zip loan. We can’t wait to see Anna bring her tasty piroshkis to all the neighborhoods of San Francisco.

If you are in the City, stop by AйDa Piroshki and have a piroshki and meet Anna!

See Anna’s profile on Kiva Zip and support her with a loan of $25* or more >>
* Any amount you lend her by June 21st – using the link above – will be multiplied by 3!

Kiva Zip

Kiva Zip loans allow entrepreneurs to access capital through crowdsourcing at 0% interest. To learn more about Kiva and Kiva Zip loans, please visit: zip.kiva.org

Update 6/21/13:

After just two weeks, we have already reached over 50% of Anna’s Kiva Zip loan. It’s wonderful to see such an active and giving community, and the conversation between Anna and her lenders has been great to follow.

Update 7/17/13:

Anna’s $25,000 Kiva Zip loan has been funded! Roughly 500 people have lent to Anna from the joint communities of Kiva, La Cocina and Centro, not to mention all of her loyal supporters. We’re looking forward to Anna’s Haight Street opening soon!

Update 2/19/14:

AйDa Piroshki’s second location is now up and running at Second Act!
Stop by and pick-up a delicious piroshki if you’re in the neighborhood:

• 1727 Haight Street (between Shrader Street and Cole Street)

Join us and participate in Anna’s loan today!

Neo Cocoa Truffles Are No Trifle

Christine Doerr, Sunnyvale, Neo Cocoa

Christine began in the chocolate industry at “Cocolat,” a small chocolate shop located near Stanford University, which inspired her to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After working as a pastry chef for several years, she decided to explore a BFA in graphic design at San Jose State University, after which she ultimately circled back to her original chocolate making obsession.

Christine returned to chocolate with a new vision to start her own business, Neo Cocoa, and turned to La Cocina’s entrepreneur training program for professional guidance. Having learned basic business management skills at La Cocina, she turned to Centro for its advanced business development classes and the unique, hands-on mentoring she could receive from her own Centro MBA Advisor, Carly Perera. Christine and Carly worked together to find innovative strategies to help Neo Cocoa thrive and developed a strong bond and long-lasting friendship. Centro also helped Christine secure a business development loan from OBDC Small Business Finance to help launch and develop her new business.

After a great deal of hard work buttressed by the unique training, mentoring, and support that Centro provided, Neo Cocoa has clearly arrived. Neo Cocoa has revolutionized the American style of truffle by bringing back the European trend of shell-less truffles, with an uncompromising mission of using only high-quality, local ingredients. This dedication to her local community, and her exquisite chocolates, have made Neo Cocoa a Bay Area phenomenon that is poised to expand even further.

Christine’s sweet success has been praised in the San Francisco Chronicle, 7×7 Magazine, and Dessert Professional – which named Neo Cocoa one of the “Top Ten Chocolatiers in North America.” Neo Cocoa also recently won top awards at the 2012 SF International Chocolate Salon, such as “Best Truffle”, “Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience”, and “Most Likely Addiction”. With degrees in both design and culinary arts, it is no wonder that Christine describes herself as an artist with chocolate as her medium.

Featured MBA Advisor: Séphora Pierre-Louis

Can you please tell us about your academic and professional background?

I am currently getting my MBA at Mills College in Oakland with a concentration in nonprofit and marketing. I already have a bachelor degree in Management from Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti and a Master’s degree in Project Management from Quisqueya University of Haiti. My career has been involved in both the profit and nonprofit sectors and I’ve been working in the fields of Management, Sales, and Marketing for more than 14 years. I’m mostly concerned with innovation in business, entrepreneurship, communication, and leadership.

I’ve also been a board and active member of Partners of the Americas (Haiti – New Jersey Chapter) for more than 6 years, which is a grassroots network that seeks to connect volunteers, institutions, and communities to serve and change lives. I am a Distinguished Toastmaster as well, which has allowed me to start many Toastmaster Clubs in Haiti. I have been the Area Governor of Caribbean District 81, and my clubs and area were actually granted the Distinguished President award, the highest honors that Toastmasters offers based on their excellence in accomplishments of a set of goals through innovative strategies.

Why did you decide to join Centro as an MBA Advisor?

When I saw Centro’s presentation at Mills College I was impressed by the work they were doing in the community. Moreover, their approach closely relates to my business plan, which focuses on launching my own nonprofit organization in my home country to assist entrepreneurs with small to medium-sized businesses. I felt a connection and wanted to get the experience of working with an entrepreneur myself so I could understand what it really implies, and eventually transfer this experience to my own project.

Which businesses/entrepreneurs did you advise?

At her first workshop, Eden poured oil in Séphora’s ears to demonstrate one of her treatments

My entrepreneur was Eden Tosch, a clinical practitioner of Classical Indian Healthcare (CIH or Classical Ayurveda). Her business, Eden Ayurveda, is a sole proprietorship that provides in-depth consultations that guide a wide range of Ayurvedic healing tools.

Can you tell us about a challenge that you faced?

The first challenge I faced was time pressure. Personally, I have the capacity of processing and recording information quickly and I had to adjust this behavior to my entrepreneur’s so we could work in symbiosis and achieve more. I also had to figure out the most efficient communication and leadership skills, such as asking my entrepreneur the right questions that would allow me to get the answers I needed to advise her in the most efficient way.

What did you learn during Centro’s program?

During the program I learned that being a coach is a very challenging duty that requires a good understanding of one’s self. I learned that a coach needs to be firm on goals but flexible on means to achieve those goals. Goals are the best way to stay focused and make sure that every step and action taken is done according to the goals that were set by the entrepreneur.

How has Centro impacted your career trajectory?

Damanbir Singh (MBA Advisor), Eden Tosch (Entrepreneur), and Séphora Pierre-Louis

Centro has given me the experience I need to implement an international program where I will be able to use these effective tools in my country to train small to medium size business entrepreneurs. I won’t need to re-invent the wheels but can adapt and reapply these tools somewhere else for a broader impact.

What are you up to now?

Updated April 2013: I am working on a research project with Women’s Initiative, which ties to a marketing research for my own business plan. The first step for me is to get qualitative and quantitative data on nonprofit organizations that are doing similar activities in the US, specifically in Oakland, California, so that I can learn about the best practices and failures, as well as how I can partner up with organizations for future programs in Haiti.

Featured MBA and Senior Advisor: Eugene Oh

Can you please tell us about your academic and professional background?

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California (UC), Berkeley and worked at Genentech for five years. I then obtained my MBA from Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and joined a cleantech startup doing product marketing.

Why did you decide to join Centro as an MBA Advisor?

I’ve always wanted to give back to the community but struggled with how exactly to do so. Centro offered me the perfect way to use what I was learning in business school for those who needed it to start their businesses.

Which businesses/entrepreneurs did you advise?

Over the last two years, I’ve advised three entrepreneurs who wanted to start or grow the following businesses:

• A children’s bookstore

• An organic pet food brand
  

• Malaysian food cuisine

Can you tell us about a challenge that you faced?

With every team you will have to learn how to work with people from completely different backgrounds to be successful. This can be a challenge but incredibly valuable in one’s professional and personal life. You learn a lot about patience, humility, perspective, yourself and others!

How has Centro impacted your career trajectory?

I think companies these days are looking for candidates that are well-rounded and are giving back to the community in some way. When interviewing for my current position with my manager, I learned that she worked with the city on women’s advocacy. When I shared about my volunteer work with Centro, we were able to relate to each other on a deeper level which helped me land the job.

What are you up to now?

I am currently a product marketing manager with a company named View. We just launched our product, an energy-efficient tintable glass, and hope to make a big splash in the architectural green building industry.