In 2014, after taking Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Business Planning Class taught by Paul Terry and a team of teachers, Andrine Smith opened The Re-Crafting Co, a crafter’s resource for quality recycled crafting materials supplies and tools in Alameda.
We celebrated Andrine’s business in this earlier blog post featuring Renaissance graduates who launched small businesses in 2014. Now, 8 years later, we are returning to those small business owners to ask them about their businesses, how they’ve been managing through the pandemic and what insights they’d like to share about small business ownership.
What inspired you to start your business? After practicing law in San Francisco for over 20 years, I wanted to start my own small business that would more closely align with my personal interests and values. After casting about for two years, I came up the idea of a consignment shop for recycled crafting supplies for knitting, sewing, paper crafts, needlework, beading, jewelry making, etc., which was the idea I brought to Renaissance in 2013.
Tell me about the first few years of getting your business off the ground. Since no one else that I could find had ever started a crafting supplies consignment shop, I had to figure out a lot on my own. Over time, I determined what products sold the best, what products made the most money, how to best use the space I had, and how to merchandise the products I accepted. That took some time, and although I had other sources of income, the first couple of years were lean. But at the same time other things happened. I surprised myself by the attractive and colorful shop I created, that customers consistently compliment me on and where I find myself enjoying my days. There also came overwhelming support from the community for the recycling aspect of the business.
Did the pandemic lead to operational changes for your business? During the shut-down, selling online with pick-up or delivery was not economically viable for a small resale business like mine. But once I was able to re-open after the shut-down, there were no major operational changes. People were looking for new crafting pastimes or expanding existing crafting while sheltering in place, and my in-store business actually increased! I knew from my business planning research that the reduced resale prices for crafting supplies would help make my business recession resistant but I never imagined it would turn out to be pandemic resistant.
Are there specific marketing or management strategies that work well for you? Social media is effective. Also, pre-pandemic, opening the shop on Wednesday evenings for an “Open Craft Night’ was popular and productive.
On a personal level, how have you been managing through these challenging times? My most effective coping mechanisms have been regular exercise and yoga, my own crafting projects and my own customers and craft community. Post pandemic shutdown, my little shop became not just a place to find great yarn, quilting fabric, etc. at low prices, but also a sort of drop in group therapy clinic where people could share and commiserate and find support and humor.
How is your business doing now? My business is doing well I believe. I find most of my consignors are as happy to find a way of recycling their stashes to other eager crafters as they are to receive some compensation for what they consign. I get thanked daily “for being here”, which is very gratifying. I discovered a community of extremely talented makers, inspired crafters, and generally fun people, who have become my friends, as well as, my customers. All of this has made my small shop possibly the most successful and rewarding of my several varied careers. Also, my shop is making money.
What does the future hold for your business? My experience indicates there is definitely a demand for this type business and there is no real competition that I am aware of. I have learned what it would take to make this venture truly financially successful but it would require, among other things, a larger space and hiring employees. At this stage in my life and with retirement coming soon, I do not have the ambition to take that on. I plan to enjoy my shop for another year or two while I look for someone younger who can take what I created to the next level.
In 2014, after taking Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Business Planning Class taught by Paul Terry and a team of teachers, Sean Patrick opened Calibur, an organic burger shop in the West Portal neighborhood of San Francisco.
We celebrated Sean’s business in this earlier blog post featuring Renaissance graduates who launched small businesses in 2014. Now, 8 years later, we are returning to some of those small business owners to ask them about their businesses, how they’ve been managing through the pandemic, and what insights they’d like to share about the real issues in starting and KEEPING a small business IN business!
What inspired you to start your business? A desire to be in charge/responsible for the decisions that will impact my work life and offer a product I am proud to represent. I have often considered the decision and wondered if it were correct or how it could have been done better. My thoughts on small business have definitely changed as I have learned a lot by being in business for 8 years. You have to be willing to adapt, try new things and accept the decisions that did not work out and move on. I don’t call them incorrect decisions, just decisions that didn’t work and led to a better overall product or service. This can be a difficult balancing act with your original desires and goals.
Did the pandemic lead to operational changes? Dramatically. We used to have 35 seats and now we have a purely “to-go” model with only a parklet for seating. This has changed our business model immensely. We are significantly more efficient now, both in quality and speed of service. We are more focused on one business model instead of melding two (in house and to go). For our location this was difficult with such a small kitchen and tiny staging area. We would probably not have committed to a “to-go” only menu if the pandemic had not pushed us (…and to be fair, may not have been successful if the pandemic had not pushed consumers to be more accepting of it). We did close for 11 weeks in early 2020, without knowing if we would be able to reopen ever again. This was an extremely scary time, with our entire life savings invested and potentially nothing to show for it. We were lucky to get a PPP loan, and this enabled us to confidently reopen, with our new format and rehire ALL our employees (except two that moved out of the city). We were also lucky to be in a super supportive neighborhood that made a conscious effort to support their local businesses. We could just have easily opened our concept in an area like downtown and PPP money would not have saved us.
Are there specific marketing strategies you use that worked well? We work very well with our community and through our community get the word out about our business. We support other local businesses, we do joint promotions, we are a part of the local merchant association, we support local schools, and during the pandemic we helped with neighborhood relief programs. Having a business partner has been a great support factor. We are able to bounce ideas off each and having both come from a restaurant and catering background, as well as a combined 15 years restaurant sales and consulting experience, we had a wide network of help.
On a more personal level, how have you been managing through these challenging times? I have a deep appreciation for my home life and family. I am taking time to enjoy the now. Evening walks with the family have helped me stay grounded.
How is your business doing now? The business is doing well, utilizing the delivery programs customers are so keen to purchase through, but the apparent unstoppable increases in the cost of supplies and just doing business in general is becoming really scary. Our cost of goods in the last year has increased exponentially. In such a small margin field, it is difficult to absorb even small increases, and trying to incorporate increases on every item we purchase, compounded with new delivery fees, service charges and gas surcharges, it is hard to keep prices at our target point.
Any advice you would give to others starting a business at this time? As far as giving advice, I would suggest that people spend more time talking to people in the field they want to work in. This sounds so simple, but is often the most overlooked, free and useful advice you can get. It is amazing how helpful people can be, and how much time they can save you by explaining why they do things a certain way. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, the worst thing that can happen is people say no.
Any specific products or services to promote for Calibur? Burgers, Fries & Milkshakes…. That’s what we do, and we do it well. Like Burgers…… Love Calibur!
In 2014, after taking Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Business Planning Class taught by Paul Terry and a team of teachers, Tim Lee opened Liquid Gold, a craft beer, wine and cider tap room and bottle shop located in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.
We celebrated Tim’s business many years back in this blog post featuring Renaissance graduates who launched small businesses in 2014. Now, 8 years later, we are returning to those small business owners to ask them about their businesses, how they’ve been managing through the pandemic and what insights they’d like to share about small business ownership.
What inspired you to start your business? I’ve always dreamed about running my own business and pursuing a career that I would love and truly enjoy. I believed in the idea that if you work in what you love, it won’t feel like work. I was also tired of working in mundane jobs that didn’t bring any job satisfaction.
Did the pandemic lead to operational changes? Yes, we had to take our inventory online. We created a web store and sold all of our products for pick-up or shipping. We built an outdoor parklet, which has helped as well. Since customers were not allowed to drink in store, we also shortened our store hours to cut costs.
Are there specific marketing or management strategies you used (and/or continue to use) that worked well? We used some social media advertising to promote pickup and shipping orders. Once the pandemic started, I relied on my staff to run the business in store and I worked from home. I wanted to keep my staff employed and I didn’t want to potentially expose my family to Covid. As a result of this, I’ve developed even more trust in my staff to keep things running smoothly while I’m not physically there anymore.
On a more personal level, how have you been managing through these challenging times? It’s been tough, especially with two young kids, but I’ve stayed positive and have become better with making the most of my work time at home.
How is your business doing now? My business is doing better, but still not back to pre-pandemic levels. I am optimistic about the future but not sure if/when business will be back to normal.
Any specific products or services you’d like to promote? Beer catering! We do occasional catering events at business offices, retail stores, parties, etc. You can learn more here: https://www.liquidgoldsf.com/beer-catering.
Any advice you would give to others starting a small business at this time? Follow your dreams and work hard. You can do it!
Is there anything else you’d like to share? We are celebrating our 8th anniversary on October 22nd! Please join us for a beer!
In 2014, after taking Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Business Planning Class taught by Paul Terry and a team of teachers, Steve Fox opened Urban Putt, an indoor miniature golf course and restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission district.
We celebrated Steve’s business many years back in this blog post featuring Renaissance graduates who launched small businesses in 2014. Now, 8 years later, we are returning to those small business owners to ask them about their businesses, how they’ve been managing through the pandemic and what insights they’d like to share about small business ownership.
What inspired you to start your business? At age 55, I had grown disenchanted with publishing (my career of 35 years, at the time), which seemed to be in steep decline. I realized I needed a change, maybe even a clean start, or I would end up bitter and depressed. For many years, my wife and I had hosted “bring-your-own-hole” mini-golf parties at our San Francisco house, and we saw how much people enjoyed them. I began daydreaming about the possibility of starting a mini-golf course in the city. With no clue how to even begin, I enrolled in your business startup class at Renaissance Entrepreneur Center, where I crystallized the idea and ultimately wrote a business plan. Keep in mind, I had no illusions about being an entrepreneur or a small business owner. I just knew I loved mini-golf and I drew joy from giving parties as happy, engaged people milled about. That was the germ of the idea.
Since you started your business, have your thoughts about small business ownership changed? In retrospect, I was incredibly naïve about what such a venture would require. I had expertise in management and hiring but lacked virtually any other relevant skills. Over the last eight years of running Urban Putt, I’ve had to develop expertise in raising money (a very big deal, as it turns out), financial management, food service, and the endless minutiae of being the boss of your own business. On any given day, one might have to deal with insurance, corporate taxes, arbitrary city regulations, plumbing leaks, business licenses, marketing and advertising, responding to bad reviews on Yelp, neighborhood power outages, questionable employee behavior, drunks, tech issues, menu changes, point-of-sale system SNAFUs, payroll issues, credit card fraud, 3 AM calls from the Fire Department (blessedly always a false alarm so far), broken minigolf holes, P&Ls and balance sheets, and more. There are many sleepless nights.
Given all that business ownership entails, is it worth it? Even given all of that, I would still recommend owning a small business for anyone with the stomach for it. The rewards of self-determination are manifest. Sadly, the job is often more reactive as opposed to proactive, even if you try to plan everything out. My best advice for others would be to start small, and grow into it.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? The pandemic was punishing, and nearly closed the business for good. In San Francisco, we were forced to close for more than a year (starting in March 2020). We had also opened Urban Putt Denver in September 2019, and that was closed for about six months before reopening. We had to lay off employees and tighten our belts. If we had not gotten PPP loans for both businesses, we wouldn’t have made it back.
How have you managed re-opening? What operational changes have you implemented? Once we reopened, business was greatly reduced, with occupancy restrictions, nervous customers, and the collapse of corporate parties, a big source of our revenue.
Faced with lower sales, we reopened with a reduced staff. Then as business started coming back, we learned that we could get by with smaller payroll. In truth, we wanted to hire more folks, but we literally could not find qualified people to work. This enforced discipline ended up making us reevaluate our staffing needs.
We also changed many elements of our service model. For instance, instead of providing table service, customers place orders at the bar and then food runners bring their orders out to them. We also experimented with different reservation models. For the first year or so, reservations simply guaranteed entry into the building, since we were primarily concerned with crowding and exposure during COVID. We have more recently returned to accepting dinner reservations and are re-instituting limited table service. The key is to test, learn, and implement based on metrics.
Similarly, we have pared down our menu to make it easier to get food out the door with a reduced kitchen staff. And we are making a greater effort to use many of the same ingredients in multiple dishes, again for cost and time savings. Because of our tighter margins, we are examining and revising menus much more frequently, and looking closely at costs. At the philosophical level, we want to make sure the ingredients are of high quality, since that is critical to our brand; we would rather remove an item than go with cheaper ingredients that would compromise the product.
We have also started looking more closely at different metrics to keep track of how we are doing. I’ve been paying attention to Gross Profit after Prime Costs (GPPC), which is a percentage that shows how we are doing with costs we can control. Of course, I also look at Net Operating Income (NOI) and costs of goods. The main lesson I took away from COVID is that you need to examine all your procedures regularly. Just because you’ve always done something one way doesn’t make it right.
On a personal level, how have you been managing through these challenging times? I would love to be more Zen, but it is simply not in my nature. To deal with the stress over the last several years, I have started walking to work every day, about 90 minutes roundtrip, while listening to audio books. It’s a great way to stay collected and take your mind off the day-to-day. This also has the added benefit of allowing me to catch up on great works of fiction that I should have read back in college. How could a former English major never have read Moby Dick?
Any specific products or services to promote? I want customers to eat, drink, play mini-golf and encounter the joy that is Urban Putt San Francisco. I would certainly also like for more local companies to throw their parties at Urban Putt. Daytime team-building events and evening buyouts, when partygoers have the place entirely to themselves, are a fabulous way to bring the staff together. Inquiries start at https://www.urbanputt.com/events-san-francisco/
After a trip to Ethiopia to visit family, Xiomara Rose-Tedla’s father brought back a leather messenger bag as a gift for Xiomara. That bag and the interest it received from friends and strangers alike led to Xiomara and her father, Dagne Tedla, to found UnoEth in 2015. UnoEth, which means ‘one Ethiopia,’ partners with artisans and small business owners in Addis Ababa to produce handmade leather handbags, totes, backpacks, duffels and accessories. All UnoEth goods can be purchased online or in person by appointment at UnoEth’s studio in Oakland, CA.
An interview with Xiomara Rosa-Tedla, co-owner of UnoEth
What was your experience with entrepreneurship before launching UnoEth? I have a degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing, which led to a career in Advertising, Marketing and Merchandising. This background gave me the foundation and knowledge on how to start a business. My inspiration, though, is my mother, who has been an entrepreneur for many years. Watching her grow her law firm inspired me in so many ways to launch my own business. She is an incredible role model and sounding board. I love that being a business owner allows me to design my own life. I am able to create my own schedule and set the pace for my growing brand.
In launching your business, what kind of support did you get from immediate family members? In the beginning, our immediate family members were our biggest supporters in so many ways. They were the first to purchase our merchandise, offer their own areas of expertise in legal, marketing, tech support, etc., and they helped promote our business to their personal networks. Word of mouth spread like a wildfire and helped us grow our brand without costing us a dime.
How has being a young Black woman impacted your experience as a small business owner? There are definitely challenges that I repeatedly faced in launching and growing our business. One of the main obstacles is in finding funding to grow our brand. Statistically, Black women receive the lowest amounts of funding compared to any other gender or race.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? When the pandemic first hit, we were almost at a standstill in terms of sales. Fifty percent of our business came from pop-up, in-person events across the country and all of our major events were canceled until the foreseeable future. Online sales were slow as well because we were out of stock in our best-selling styles. We were waiting to receive product from Ethiopia but due to the pandemic, all cargo shipments were on hold for several months. Things turned for the better after a surge of support for Black-owned and small businesses in late May-June 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. We received a huge lift in sales and press, which carried on throughout the year. 2020 and 2021 turned out to be our biggest sales years yet.
How has your business had to change in order to survive and grow? Since we were not able to sell in-person, we had to pivot and focus on driving sales online. We increased our advertising spending on different platforms and saw a lot of success in our efforts. I am happy to report that we are now doing well. Business is up and we are so grateful to be healthy during this global pandemic.
What advice do you have for other small family business owners? When we first launched UnoEth, my father and I had to learn how to communicate as business partners, which is totally different than our regular father-daughter dynamic and required a lot of patience. Understanding our different working styles and how to effectively communicate was essential to creating a seamless working dynamic.
What advice do you have for other young, Black, female small business owners? Create a strong business plan. This will create a solid foundation and a roadmap to success.
What excites you most about the future of your business? What excites me the most is duplicating our business model and working with more artisans all over the world. It gives me great joy to witness our partners’ businesses grow and to see our customers enjoy and wear the products that we create.
Any specific products to promote? Our Telak Messenger bag is our first original style that sparked the idea of launching our brand and is still today’s best seller. It inspired us to create our line of handmade, leather handbags, backpacks, wallets and more. Check out our entire line at unoeth.com.
This interview was originally conducted for the USF Gellert Family Business Resources Center’s blog.
As we begin a new year, we want to acknowledge and feature the resilience of small family-owned businesses in our community throughout the pandemic these past two years.
Operating a small business has always been difficult in the San Francisco Bay Area. Staying in business for many years, or even decades, with consistent success and profitability is a constant struggle in one of the most expensive places in the country.
When the pandemic hit, small family-owned businesses in our community faced so many hurdles. Food establishments were forced to offer only take-out/delivery and build expensive outdoor areas to serve their customers (that may now need to be removed). Retail stores had to restrict access and protect customers and workers with plexiglass shields, masks, and social distancing. Many service businesses had to adjust to working from home instead of the office, with Zoom becoming the most essential business tool. Business owners and their employees (and their families) had to juggle work with childcare and home-schooling responsibilities. Increased social isolation had both physical and mental affects.
Now we are dealing with supply chain problems and many businesses are having a very hard time finding and/or keeping employees. The pandemic and its cascading affects continue.
Yet through it all, small family-owned businesses have shown incredible resilience. They have demonstrated their ability to adjust, to flex and to recover. They have responded effectively to new economic conditions and tapped into their family foundations to leverage their strengths, build on lessons learned and stay in business.
Here are six local family business owners’ stories…
Sethi Couture was founded in 2012 in San Francisco by sisters Pratima and Prerna Sethi as a wholesale business. They opened their first brick and mortar location in 2017. Raised by parents who are purveyors of rare and unusual diamonds, they were surrounded by exquisite stones at an early age. Growing up in California, the sisters took many trips to India to visit their grandmothers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The combination of California’s nature inspired motifs and intricate details of Indian architecture can be seen throughout their jewelry collection.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? The pandemic really impacted our momentum. We were in growth trajectory and suddenly everything halted. Our wholesale business which was dependent on tradeshows and travel took a big hit. Ultimately, we were unsure on how things would play out, but it forced us to be creative. We quickly pivoted to a digital presence and creating more digital content. We shifted our focus to ecommerce and our social media channels. We also found new ways to connect with our clients and created customized delivery services so that people could continue to celebrate special occasions with meaningful jewelry. Fortunately, although we had some soft sales in the beginning, we were able to quickly recover by the end of 2020. 2021 was an exceptional year for us!
How has being a family-owned business affected how you’ve navigated through the pandemic so far? Being a family-owned business gives us the freedom to prioritize what we value. By this I mean ensuring that we invest in social causes important to us and making sure our teams and their families are taken care of during this challenging time. My sister and business partner has two young children and navigating through remote learning during the pandemic was challenging at first while running a business. We were able to lean on each other, however, and figure out efficient ways to manage our work while minimizing the impact the new normal had on her family. We also ensured our team could prioritized their well-being and their families during a challenging time for all families.
How are you, your family and your business doing now? Our business is doing well right now and in part it is because we learned how to work more efficiently and focus on priorities.We have learned so much in the last two years from our community and each other. By having to look at our business more closely and identify strengths and weaknesses, we have been able to invest in the right areas and be more intentional in our growth plan. Things are going well!
Any specific products you would like to promote? Our stacking rings are the most meaningful expression of our brand. Whether it is a sentimental reminder of a milestone in your life or a way to celebrate your personal journey, each Sethi Couture band tells a story of the past, the present, and the future that can be cherished every day. See our complete online store at sethicouture.com.
After decades working in food retail, Janet Tarlov and her husband Richard started their own business together in 2006 — a 7,000 square-foot, full-service grocery store in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco. When they first opened, they had no idea that the Great Recession would hit a few months later. From the start, they have had to get creative with their business processes and the products that they offered to keep feeding local families and paying their staff.In 2020 when Covid-19 hit San Francisco, they had to rally again. Janet and Richard, like so many small retail business owners, had to navigate confusing rules and regulations, keep their staff and customers safe, deal with supply chain issues, and continue to serve their customers through all the uncertainty.Through it all, Canyon Market has survived and continues to thrive. The business now employs 85 people, 33 of whom have worked for the business for five years or longer.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Since we are an essential business, we experienced the same chaos that other grocery stores did. Our entire inventory turned over several times in a very short period and we scrambled to get more of anything we could. The safety of staff and vulnerable patrons was our chief concern, requiring us to adapt quickly and continuously for the first few months. Communication was a huge challenge, but we were able to lean in to the trust we had built with our staff and the Glen Park community in order to get through it together as a team.
How has being a family-owned business affected how you have navigated through the pandemic so far? Richard and I were able to be present for our staff by working every day for the first few months–me in the morning and him in the evening. Our young adult children were unexpectedly home from college and were able to help out some once summer came. The happy upside was that the store was no longer busy with commuters coming home late from work, so we were able to close an hour early and sit down for a home cooked family meal every evening.
How are you, your family and your business doing now? We see the additional stress that our peers experience with continuing business interruptions and/or the isolation of having to work from home and we feel quite fortunate. Our kids continue their growing-up journey with one launched in his career and the other back on campus. The business is still adapting week-by-week, but a new normal has slowly begun to establish itself.
What advice do you have for other family-owned business, particularly when the co-owners are spouses? Wow! That is a big question! Fortunately, Richard and I had worked together for many years before we opened our store, so we knew that we could rely on one another to be supportive and honest. I would say that it is imperative to make time for family activities however you can. In our case, that meant family bike rides to school most mornings, since we rarely had weekend family time–we cherish those memories. In the store, it is really important that our professional relationship and vision are very clearly communicated to our staff and that our commitment to their success is obvious to them. Yes, Richard and I are a team, but our team includes everyone in the business.
Any specific products/services you would like to promote? The pandemic has prompted us to launch several online ordering programs at canyonmarket.com for groceries, catering and holiday menus that are available for curbside pick-up or home delivery.
Barrios Painting provides professional residential and commercial painting services to homeowners, businesses, designers, developers, and contractors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founder Clodulfo Barrios established the company in 1999 after working for many painting and remodeling companies. Clodulfo slowly grew the business to about 20 employees, with his son Edgar working with him every Saturday and every summer starting at age 15. In 2011 Edgar became a licensed contractor and joined the family business as a co-owner.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? At first, we did not feel the impact. We had just started painting a new 40-unit building on Market and Gough Street and a Victorian house in Pacific Heights. Both jobs were big enough to have our teams work separately. We could avoid close contact for months. However, I began to notice that I was receiving less and less calls for estimates. I reached out to many clients but a lot of projects got put on hold or fell through all together. We felt the impact the most at the beginning of 2021 when we had almost no work for an entire month.
How has being a family-owned business affected how you’ve navigated through the pandemic so far? The pandemic has made us appreciate one another more knowing that something like Covid could end our lives in a blink of an eye. My father got very sick with the virus and we almost lost him. I am so thankful that he has recovered and I can continue to work with him and learn from him.
How are you and your business doing now? Our family is doing a lot better. Our business is starting to pick up again and we are receiving more phone calls and have signed more contracts. It is almost like pre-Covid days. However, now we are dealing with supply chain issues, including paint and supply shortages, delays, and increased material costs of 20-30%.
Any specific services to promote? We are mainly a full interior, exterior and custom cabinet painting company. We also do small remodels for clients including wood floor refinishing, adding/removing walls, drywall, siding and trim. We like to plan these jobs in combination with painting when possible. Learn more about our services on our website, and give us a call for a free estimate: 415-424-2470.
Deborah founded the Feldenkrais Center for Movement & Awareness in 1988 with Julie Casson Rubin to offer Feldenkrais lessons, classes and workshops to adults and children. Cliff Smyth joined the business in 1996 when he relocated from Melbourne, Australia. Deborah and Cliff have operated the business together since 1996. They are married with 2 adult children.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? It was a very stressful time. We could no longer offer in-person classes and workshops or see clients for individual Feldenkrais sessions. We didn’t know when or if we would be able to re-open safely. Our rent was high and all of our subcontracted staff left due to Covid. We weren’t sure if we should try to stay open, move to a smaller space or close the Center. In August 2020, we closed the Center in Glen Park and scrambled to move our teaching online. We put our equipment in a storage space and I sublet a treatment room at Noe Integrative Health at 1199 Sanchez Street to continue working part-time with vaccinated clients. Now all my Feldenkrais teaching is on Zoom. As of December 2021 I no longer have an in-person practice. Cliff decided to stop in-person work and only teach online, too. He also increased his teaching hours at Saybrook University. We re-branded to Feldenkrais Movement & Awareness, dropping the word ‘Center’ from the business.
How has being a family-owned business affected how you’ve navigated through the pandemic so far? We had so many discussions during walks in the park about income streams, how to pivot our business model and manage the change to online work. We made agreements about who would do what to move everything online. We both took on tasks we didn’t like to do, for example, I improved my computer skills to find the appropriate software programs and learn to use them, and I consulted with other online business owners. Cliff managed the website updates and newsletter emails.
How are you and your business doing now? We loved our little Center and so did our students and clients. It was a special place, comfortable, and set up just the way we liked. It felt like a place for healing to happen. It was traumatic at first to make so many decisions and changes, not only for us, but for our students as well. Now we are all online, using Zoom, and it’s going smoothly and is satisfying, although quite different. I developed a successful collaboration with a burgeoning online Feldenkrais program. Since August 2020, I have developed 6 self-paced Feldenkrais learning courses that are hosted on www.movementandcreativity.com. These courses are very popular, and through this affiliation, I have increased my national and international student following. Cliff is a full-time professor at Saybrook University in the Department of Mind-Body Medicine teaching online. He also teaches a weekly Zoom Feldenkrais class.
Any specific services to promote? Yes, you can go to our website to sign up for an online class and access our free recorded classes and guided meditations. Then you can visit my page on the Movement and Creativity website to learn about my courses for pain, pelvic floor issues and more. You can also find me on YouTube (search: deborah bowes pelvic floor)!
Gwen Kaplan Ace Mailing Years in business: 43 years
Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Ace Mailing is a full-service direct marketing company offering list acquisition, database creation, management and maintenance, creative services, graphic design, printing, email and postal mail services, fulfillment, and warehousing. Ace Mailing’s clients range from large businesses and the federal government to small firms and non-profits. Gwen and her mother, Royce Dyer, started the business in 1977 and they were soon joined by Gwen’s husband, Steve, a graphic designer. Their sons Miles and Matt grew up with the business, working at Ace Mailing during the summers and after school. After graduating from college, they both joined the business full-time and now co-manage the building with Gwen. Ace is widely recognized in the community for its humanitarian efforts in creating jobs for disadvantaged people and for its commitment to economic development programs.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Ace Mailing was considered an “official essential business” and remained in full operation during the pandemic. We continued to work with many of our existing clients and also attract new clients during the pandemic, as businesses needed to fully communicate by all media opportunities.
How has being a family-owned business affected how you’ve navigated through the pandemic so far? We look at our business as a three-legged stool. We each contribute our strengths to the business. Matt excels at graphics, printing, marketing, and sales. Miles excels at IT, business management, marketing, and sales. My sweet spot is sales, marketing and government and client relations. We each have our specialty areas and overlapping skill areas so that we can support each other. And all three of us can operate the machines! This is how we can be competent and results-oriented for our clients. The business has always been a team effort and that has continued throughout the pandemic.
How are you and your business doing now? Ace is doing well and we are on target with our business goals this year. We continue to stay very involved with Mission District merchant organizations and the Chamber of Commerce. We are proud to have been located in the Mission since 1983 and on the vibrant 16th Street corridor since 1986. Our hearts are in San Francisco and our deep roots are in the Mission! Our commitment is stronger than ever to create quality, sustainable jobs for our employees and support the community around us.
Any specific services to promote? We are list specialists and list brokers for postal and email marketing. Our goal is to drive traffic to your website and foot traffic to your location. For more information about our services, check out our website. To reach us directly, call me at 415-863-4223!
Aunt Ann’s is a family-owned referral agency that specializes in matching professional childcare, household, and estate staff with families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The business began with Denise’s grandmother in 1958, transitioned to her mother and father, and then Denise, who became the third-generation owner 1982. Denise works closely with her sister, Sue, to manage the office, employees, and placements.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Prior to the pandemic shutdown, our office upgraded all the technology that we use for our business. These upgrades made it possible to immediately pivot from a brick and mortar office to all of us working remotely from home once stay-at-home orders went into effect. Our landlord reduced our office rent by 50% and we received two PPP loans (both forgiven), which gave us a financial buffer.
How has being a family-owned business affected how you’ve navigated through the pandemic so far? Being a family-owned business hasn’t made much of a difference to how we’ve worked during the pandemic, as our business values and core beliefs remain unchanged. We put people ahead of profit in what we do. This was reflected in our business practices before the pandemic and during the pandemic. We treat all our office employees as if they are family and support each of them in their personal and professional lives. I created a financial compensation structure that generously rewards performance.
This is the 40th year that I have worked in the family business. Working with family – my sister Sue, my mom Sophie, and my dad Tom – has been and continues to be the best experience of my working career. I came to the family business after a prior career in customer service, marketing, and human resources. I brought my professional skills to the family business and was able to create a marketing and business plan for business growth. My family members supported my vision and allowed me to take the company in a new direction. It has been a gift to have the opportunity to own and guide a generational business for so many years.
How are you and your business doing now? There has been a huge demand for our services during the pandemic. Many people were looking for cooks, nannies, and housekeepers. Families sought nanny educators for learning pods and there was a high demand for nannies so that children could be cared for at home instead of going to day care. We also experienced a large growth in our estate management services with chefs and estate managers in demand due to all the venture capitalists and tech entrepreneurs in the SF Bay Area. We are enjoying better work-life balance now that we are all working from home. My personal stress has decreased 100%! We will finalize our decision to continue working remotely in 2022 and we still have the option to return to brick and mortar. The pandemic has given us an opportunity to expand our business. Without it, we may not have had the same level of growth. 2021 was our best year yet!
Any specific services to promote? We are not a job listing service. We meet our candidates and our clients and take the time to match the employer’s needs to the candidate’s needs. Our process includes an extensive application, personal interview, employment eligibility verification, confirmed references and independent background checks. Our focus is on long-term placements but we also help with temporary and on-call hires. Visit our website to learn more about our services and see a complete list of domestic, childcare, estate and private office positions we staff.
Resilience is the ability to adjust, to flex, to recover. To encounter a barrier and find a way around it or through it. For me, the approach to a challenge starts with a “beginner’s mind”. This approach can help us see a new possibility or a lesson learned.
I have been continually inspired by the resilient small businesses in our community who have faced countless barriers throughout this pandemic. Though many small businesses have been forced to close, many have found ways to pivot, survive and even thrive. They adjusted, learned and have stayed in business!
Read on to learn about some of the amazing small business owners in our community who are surviving and thriving.
Please support them this holiday season and beyond!
Melissa started working as a brewer in 1996 and from the moment she brewed her first barrel she was hooked. In 2013 she opened The Good Hop, a craft beer bar and bottle shop in Oakland that specializes in independent breweries with a focus on California. Brewing beer, selling beer and talking about beer is Melissa’s passion!
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? We closed per state mandate. It took me 4 days to create an online store and turn my in-person beer bar into an online beer bottle/can shop. I had to let all of my employees go (some had been with me for 5 years) and my regulars struggled for a place to go to process what had happened to their world. Normally bar folks would go to their local bar to find support about what is happening to them and the world around them. It felt like the bottom dropped out and we were basically forced to build a whole new business.
How are you and your business doing now? We are still recovering. It has been a long 20 months. All data from the day before, the same day the week before, the same month the year before, the holiday last year; all that data can’t be used for present day. Supply chains both for finding employees and receiving products are constantly shifting. BUT we are still open! So that should say it all. We did everything we could to keep and build a community online that usually happens organically and in person. Community, both patrons and local breweries, have come out to support us and in turn we have become much stronger in our community, for our patrons and with the small businesses of Oakland and the craft beer industry.
Any specific products/services to promote? Holiday Beer Boxes! We offer 5 different options and each box is specifically curated by me for a fantastic 12 beer experience. Each can is individually wrapped and no beer is ever repeated from the years before. The Holiday Beer Boxes are gift wrapped and ready to be given to someone special or it’s a great gift to oneself to enjoy this holiday season. Follow this link to see all 5 Holiday Beer Box options. Or visit in person! 2421 Telegraph Ave, Oakland.
Gillian founded Black Jet Baking Co. in 2010 as a wholesale operation, delivering cookies and Pops (handmade Pop Tarts) to coffee shops and offices all around the city of San Francisco. In 2017 she opened a retail location in Bernal Heights where you can find a wide variety of delicious baked goods.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Before the pandemic hit, our business was 50/50 wholesale/retail. When the pandemic hit, we completely lost 80% of our wholesale business.
How are you and your business doing now? We are hanging in there! The retail side of our business is growing as we added different products post pandemic that have proved to be very popular. We have added more staff and are currently in the swing of making tons of holiday pies!
Any specific products to promote? We just got some great merchandise in stock for the holidays – tees and sweatshirts! And always pies and cakes! Visit us at 833 Cortland Street, SF.
Carol is a force of nature! She operates two small businesses to fulfill her passion for helping people tell their stories (a video production company) and making delicious, beautiful products (a new chocolate shop). Her newest enterprise, Kokak Chocolates, is an Asian, LBGTQ, woman-owned business that takes pride in using fair trade heirloom chocolate and producing all of their chocolates in micro-batches in an open kitchen at the shop. Carol’s chocolates are made from a rare cacao variety called Nacional and feature unique, tropical flavors.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Client purchase orders for my video production company were cancelled for three months and we could not bill any projects. We were also on the verge of opening our first retail store for our chocolate shop which had been in construction for almost a year. We opened in June 2020 with hardly a soul in sight on the streets. It was tough but it pushed us to promote online and introduce shipping within three months after we opened. It helped drive customers and we actually had a great holiday season.
How are you and your business doing now? My video production company is doing very well and has a steady stream of projects. My chocolate shop is growing its customer base each year.
Any specific products/services to promote? Kokak Chocolates aims to be a unique gift for friends and families. We also offer customization options for gift wrapping and also do custom truffle designs to make the most impactful gifts for corporate gifting and events. Visit our shop in the Castro (3901 – 18th Street, SF) or go online to order.
The Animal House is a pet shop on Fillmore Street in the Lower Haight neighborhood in San Francisco that offers a wide variety of products. Megan believes in treating pets like family members and has gone all out to merchandise her small retail location with everything you need, and she can offer help in every aspect of pet ownership.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? We were designated an essential business, which was very scary in itself. It forced me to get my online shop up and running for curbside pickup. We reduced hours and kept at-risk employees out of the shop. People reacted to the stay-at-home orders by getting pets, which was great for my business.
How are you and your business doing now?It is actually doing better now than before Covid!
Any specific products/services to promote?It’s a great time for pet sweaters and coats! We have plenty of options to keep your pet warm and dry. Come on by! 157 Fillmore Street, SF.
Atava is an experienced herbalist and teacher who founded a school dedicated to the study of herbal, folk and indigenous medicine. The school is committed to being a learning community centered on people of color for the study of herbal medicine and honoring the diverse cultural healing traditions of the Bay Area.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? At first we lost a lot of students who didn’t want to make the transition to Zoom classes. However, over time our numbers of students increased because we were now able to attract students from around the country and the world. Plus, in a virtual space we could increase the class size, which had been limited by the size of our classroom. As a clinical herbalist, I was able to transition all of my clients to an online platform.
How are you and your business doing now? Ancestral Apothecary School grew and expanded during the pandemic. The growth of the school has been both wonderful and overwhelming. Due to many changes in my own life, including a move to New Mexico, I am in the process of selling the school. I have a wonderful buyer who has been integral in the school community, who I trust to continue the legacy of the school. Starting in 2022 I will focus my work on seeing private clients as an herbalist, teaching, and selling my herbal product line.
Any specific products/services to promote? If you mention this newsletter, you will receive 20% off any of my healing services!
Next Highest Good is a professional organizing company specializing in zero waste and serving the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond with in-person and virtual organizing, moving and relocating services.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? We did some virtual organizing during the shelter in place order. In June, 2020 we were able to get back into people’s homes (masked, of course). We hit the ground running and haven’t stopped!
How are you and your business doing now? We are busier than ever! I am not sure if it is people working from home, word of mouth from 5 years in business, or our unique zero waste approach but we are fielding more inquiries and booking more jobs than ever before.
Any specific services to promote? We specialize in zero waste, which is finding a home for all the things our clients no longer want or need. We take loads of care to re-home, donate, upcycle, recycle, compost ++ and avoid landfill at all costs. (Mold is the only deal breaker!) You would be surprised at what we have been able to re-home for our clients. One person’s trash is another’s treasure could not be more alive for us.
Learn more about Lauren and her business in this recent interview.
Some of the most enjoyable moments during my years of teaching the Renaissance Business Planning Class were when past students came back to class to share their experiences and business advice. They would talk about their successes and also reveal their struggles and mistakes, and what they might have done differently. They would share how they improved their skills and their capacity to meet the business’ complexity, and also how it was a constant juggling act. Often, they stressed that “learning from doing” was a primary teacher. Their advice always had a profound impact on the students who were about to launch or expand enterprises of their own.
Here are some words of advice from small business owners (and past students) about tackling complex business issues, building on lessons learned and honing your management skills.
When Elizabeth Leu started Fiddlesticks, a children’s boutique in Hayes Valley, she thought she was prepared. She first worked for someone else and learned as much as she could about the retail business. Elizabeth also took the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center Business Planning class.
She started her business with a solid foundation of hands-on experience, working for others, and thoughtful planning. Yet she couldn’t prepare herself for what it would actually feel like when she was completely responsible for her own business and all its complexities.
“As a small business owner, you have to be the master of all in everything you do, and that’s not easy. You have to wear ALL the hats and ideally, they should all fit. I think management capacity is finding the correct fit with all those hats — and that’s hard! It takes a lot of time and experience to get them all to fit.”
Elizabeth’s advice for small business owners:
LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT EVERY ROLE IN YOUR BUSINESS.
“You may love only a few of those hats but you have to figure out, master and tolerate them all — at least in the beginning until you can outsource. Once you get strong enough to outsource, you still need to understand how it all works to keep a watchful eye on the whole operation.”
STAY POSITIVE AND JUST KEEP GOING.
“I have worked very hard to grow my business and I have had some significant setbacks. With every setback I can either choose to learn from it or become bitter and harbor frustrations. I have worked hard to learn from them. All of the setbacks were complex and difficult, especially because it was uncharted territory for me. But I learned and I am still learning. What is it they say, ‘two steps forward, one step back’? As long as you move forward, business complexity feels easier because you keep breaking it down, tackling it piece by piece.
When Heidi and her partner Nate opened The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen they already had general business expertise, people management skills and financial management experience but they were new to the restaurant industry and lacked specific industry skills. Heidi and Nate’s approach was to be honest with themselves about their own abilities and get help. “We took a cold hard look at what we did and did not know how to do, and then we recruited advisers who could teach us, or hired staff who already had the skills we lacked.”
Heidi and Nate took a similar approach when opening their second location. They had never run a multi-unit operation before. They sought consulting from other multi-unit operators, and hired general managers for each store who had come from multi-unit backgrounds. “We tasked the managers in the stores with the responsibility of ensuring consistency across the stores, not just within their own. For us, hiring managers who brought experiences and skills to the table that we did not have ourselves was crucial.” With the added complexity of two locations, Heidi and Nate decided to outsource their bookkeeping, too. “We hired a bookkeeper who had deep experience with multi-unit restaurants, which brought more expertise to our operation and freed up our time to handle other issues.”
Heidi’s advice for other small business owners:
BE BRUTALLY HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT AND WHAT YOU’RE NOT.
“For the things you are not good at, find a way to outsource them to someone who is good at them. This goes double for bookkeeping and accounting if you are in a high-volume, low-margin business.”
ASK FOR HELP.
“There are a lot of resources out there for growing business owners, including Renaissance, SBDC, ICA and most importantly, other business owners. People want to see you succeed and you’ll be surprised at how much they want to help.”
DON’T SKIP FINANCIAL FORECASTING.
“Many small business owners underestimate their financial management needs and make mistakes with finances when starting or expanding a business. The worst-case scenario is running out of cash, and sometimes growing can really chew up cash. You’re in a much stronger position to secure financing before you run out of cash rather than waiting until you’re down to the wire. Take the time to forecast cash flow, accounting for your growth needs, and start investigating funding options early rather than late.”
Claire Keane, owner of the artisan, handcrafted sweet treats company Clairesquares, says that her business skills did not match the complexity of her business when she started. She had a steep learning curve. But Claire gained the skills she needed by seeking out specific business knowledge and support and her daily experiences in business brought many lessons learned.
Claire’s key steps for developing core business skills:
Write a business plan.
Claire took the 14-week Business Planning Class at the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center and wrote a business plan. “To this day, I frequently remember key pointers from each class.”
Claire learned from others to increase her skills. “Whenever there was a workshop relevant to my lack of skills, I made sure to attend it. I was able to take tips from each training and apply it to my business immediately.”
Develop a support team.
Claire knew that she could not do it all alone. “It was very helpful to have a business mentor, new business friends with similar start-up business pains and other friends and family to lean on for advice to get me through the learning curve.”
Keep at it, even through failure.
Ultimately it has been Claire’s tenacity and her perseverance that has made her business a success. “No amount of workshops can prepare you for real world experience. In the end, I learned from trying, failing, and trying again.”
Check out these additional tips on balancing business skills with business complexity. What has worked for you and your business?
We frequently teach and meet with entrepreneurs who want to run sustainable and responsible businesses. For them, it’s not just about the bottom line but the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. How do we care for our employees? What kind of impact are we having on the environment? Can we build a good business that is also profitable?
Financial sustainability is a must for any small business’ survival and long-term success. But socially and environmentally responsible business practices are also essential if we want our businesses and communities to thrive.
What does “sustainability” mean for a small business?
It could mean…
• Offering employees great working conditions, paying competitive wages, and/or providing educational options and opportunities for advancement.
• Creating and/or selling products produced in ways that minimize harm to the environment and preserve resources.
• Sourcing materials locally and supporting local industries.
• Operating transparently – sharing data and treating competitors as colleagues.
• Giving back to the local community – donating profits to a charitable purpose, mentoring other small business owners, etc.
Sustainability has certainly become a buzzword in business. Yet when implemented in real ways, it not only benefits the wider community but can have positive benefits for your business directly – attracting new customers and committed employees and increasing efficiency and profit.
We asked some of our clients and colleagues about their sustainability practices. They shared their advice for other small business owners who want to incorporating sustainable practices into their businesses.
When jeweler Melissa Joy Manning started her business, Melissa Joy Manning Jewelry, in 1997 she wanted to create jobs for other artists: “I distinctly remember being told that I could never operate a business in such a competitive market with on-shore labor. Thankfully, I followed my heart and built a business around a local community. Now “American Made” is a driving marketing force in our industry and we lead the fashion industry in responsible practice.”
Sustainable practices are central to both jewelry production and packaging at Melissa Joy Manning. They use only 100% recycled metal sourced from a “green” certified US refiner, their precious stones follow the Kimberly Process, and they are buying more of their stones directly from mine owners to have true clarity on their gem chain of custody. Additionally all MJM packaging is recycled, jewelry pouches are made in the US from certified responsible felt, and MJM carbon offsets every box shipped to neutralize their carbon footprint.
For Melissa, though, the most important sustainable business practices relate to the reason why she went into business in the first place. All Melissa Joy Manning jewelry is hand made in her own studios in New York and Berkeley by artists earning a living working wage, with full benefits, competitive bonuses and retirement packages.
Melissa’s advice to other business owners: Start small!
“Make little changes that can be easily incorporated into your business practices. You can then add or change your practices to increase your sustainability. It can be incredibly intimidating to try and change everything at once. Starting small, however, leads to greater, more successful cumulative change that can be grown as the business can afford it. In the long run being responsible is not only more efficient and sustainable, it is cheaper and leads to greater profit and stronger ties to your market.”
Gwen Kaplan, CEO and founder of Ace Mailing, has been focused on sustainability since founding her direct mail business almost 40 years ago. When she was president of the Small Business Commission in the late 1980’s she started the Green Ribbon Panel which provided small businesses with sustainable or “green” solutions and recognized San Francisco green businesses. (This panel ultimately became the San Francisco Department of the Environment.) Ace Mailing was the first company in the US to sell recycled paper retail in bulk cartons for copy machines. Since 2007, Ace Mailing has been carbon neutral through TIST and the Institute for Environmental Innovation.
Gwen’s advice to other business owners: Evolve!
“Ace Mailing is continually living, breathing and changing to meet the needs of our clients.”. Sustainability requires strategic evolution of your business. Focus on your target market and meet their needs to achieve long-term sustainability.
Ultimately, it is important to remember that…
There are many ways to create a sustainable and responsible business. The sustainable practices that you decide to employ will be unique to your type of business and your style of doing business.
Instituting new business practices may not be easy or quick to implement. Changing how you operate takes commitment, and often time and money to get new ways of operating established.
Creating a more sustainable business is a process. As Mark Dwight, founder of Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco says in this Inc Magazine article, “Sustainability is a journey, not a destination.”
The first step is to just take a step! As Melissa says, choose one small way to improve your practices. Implement that practice into your business and see the results. (This is what business action planning is all about.) You will learn from it and build on it!
How is YOUR business embracing sustainable practices?
As we celebrate another year around the sun, I have been reflecting on what matters to me most and, in particular, the important relationships and mentors in my life. I have been thinking a lot about my late friend and PTA associate, CeCe Phillips.
CeCe Phillips
CeCe and I were born the same year, just a few weeks apart. Our closeness in age felt like a special bond. I often joked with her about how she was older than me. She would always reply, “ Now Paul, you don’t want to go there!”
I thought I was her best friend…at least that is how she made me feel. She was so supportive and always made it clear that she truly cared about me. We talked on the phone, exchanged e-mails, saw each other at business meetings, met for lunch or coffee, and often co-taught classes together. Many years later, when she was too sick to travel because of cancer, I would visit her. At the celebration of her life after she passed, it was clear that she had been a best friend to so many. She loved all of us and had a gift for treating everyone in her life as someone special.
CeCe was a great listener, a quality so important in a friend and mentor. She was curious about me, my family, and my small business. Every time we were together she asked good questions and gave me the space to answer. When giving advice, she was careful to say just enough and not more.
Paul and CeCe back in the day
CeCe was also quick to share with me how I was a support to her. I remember giving her advice once about what she could say in a speech to a small business group. Though she didn’t end up using any of my exact suggestions, she told me afterwards, “What you shared with me was in there. Your ideas helped me think through what I wanted to say. Without talking to you first, I might not have ever gotten there on my own.”
In the last weeks of her life, I called her every couple of days and we would talk while I did errands and she sat in her chemotherapy treatment. We chatted about family, business colleagues, and what we wanted to do next. (We were always planning our next big idea or business venture together.) We laughed together and shared stories. She continued to mentor and inspire me with her passion for life, even as life was ebbing from her.
Of the many lessons I learned from this remarkable woman, three stand out:
Listen closely and watch carefully when someone is talking to you.
Do whatever you can to empower and provide support to all the people around you.
If there is a choice between playing and working, always choose play.
It is hard to label many things in life as “perfect” but this may have been the perfect friendship. Thank you CeCe for being a wonderful friend, mentor and teacher. You continue to inspire!