Carol H. Williams, Michele Iversen, and Julie Castro Abrams at the Leadership Luncheon	Taking it to the Streets attendees listen in on one of the 13 seminars

Taking it to Streets: A Note from Karuna Jaggar

Graduate Patti Tang, Chic Moderne, assists a customer

Each year, my greatest pleasure attending the Women’s Initiative conference is catching up with clients, many of whom I haven’t seen in a year or more. This year on the way into the luncheon I bumped into a client I hadn’t seen in several years. When I asked about her business, she told me she is completely transforming her business and was excited to share that she is shifting from providing graphic design services to producing products with her designs. After years in business, she realized her heart is in producing tangible products rather than consulting for others. I was inspired to hear her story of following her heart and very pleased that the skills she learned when she came through the business plan course 5 years ago are still relevant to her business.

The Graduate Giving Award was presented to Susan Grant, Baja Nights

Another client who I actually see quite regularly was also in the process of transforming her business. She has produced beautiful handmade cards and books for years but is evolving her business from the self-described “crafts” pieces to fine art pieces. Again, I was impressed with her commitment to living her dream and her entrepreneurial drive. I was very pleased that she made several sales of her newer fine art pieces at the conference.

It is gratifying to see that Women’s Initiative continues to be a resource to alumnae years after they complete the program. And it is satisfying to see that clients who decide to change their businesses are not closing to pursue wage-employment but are transforming their businesses based on market trends and their own personal passions.

All photos by graduate Genevieve Shiffrar.

Graduate Rosa Badu-Badu shares her inspiring poem at a Women's Initiative graduation
Women's Initiative staff and community members who attended the Oakland-based Women's Initiative graduation on June 25, 2007 were given the gift of Rosa’s beautiful words. We’d like to share them with those who weren’t at the graduation:

Who am I
I’m black, I’m brown, I’m white, I’m olive, I’m tan

Who am I
I’m short, I’m skinny, I’m tall, I’m fat, I’m ugly, I’m pretty

Who am I
I’m poor, I’m rich, I live in West Oakland, I live in Piedmont, I live in Berkeley, I live in Dublin, I live in San Francisco

Who am I
I ride the bus, I ride BART, I just got a new car, I just got my Masters, I’m graduating from junior college—it took me six years, I just got my G.E.D

Who am I
I’m divorced, I’m married, I’m single, I just got out of jail, I lost my job, I don’t have a job

Who am I
I have a dream, I have a vision, I have a purpose, I was created for greatness, I have a destiny

Who am I
I’m one of many women that walked into Women's Initiative Simple Steps business course to fulfill my destiny.

I know who I am! Do you know who you are?

Opening your own business is never easy. It can be particularly difficult for low-income women with few business skills or connections. Moreover, in San Francisco where rents run high and space is limited, accumulating enough capital to cover new inventory, rent, and the security deposit while a business is just starting can be very challenging. To meet this need, Women’s Initiative for Self Employment successfully launched its First-Time Leaseholder Grant Program in San Francisco for its business management alumnae.

The first-time lease grants provide new opportunities for Women’s Initiative clients to acquire their own store-front retail space. San Francisco-based graduates receive a one-time grant up to $10,000 to cover the first three and last month’s rent and security deposit for commercial space in San Francisco. With the grant, during the first months of business our clients can focus their energies on improving their systems and services, and building their client-base.

This year, eight women received Leaseholder Grants and successfully took an exciting in step in creating a lasting, profitable business they can call their own. Our clients all took big risks to realize their dreams of being an independent business owner. Here are some of their stories.

Melissa Elia is using her leaseholder grant to pay the first few months rent on a new SOMA/ Bayview neighborhood office-space for Mayssa Perfume, the fragrance that’s been her passion since 1999. Melissa has been selling Mayssa out of her apartment for close to a decade. With her leaseholder grant, she now has the necessary space to store her fragrance and her files. Receiving the grant meant Melissa could “take back” her studio apartment. Without a central office space, she was forced to run her business from her home, making her life and apartment very cluttered. “I was running out of room for everything,” Melissa said.

Antonia Velasquez used her grant to pay for the first few months of rent at Salon Isabella Number 2, her salon located at 4724 Mission St. in San Francisco, which opened on September 13, 2007. When she first came to the U.S., she opened a salon with her husband. However, she began to feel like she was working for her husband, rather than as a full partner in the business. She and her husband have since parted ways, and she is excited to start her own salon where she’s answerable to only herself. After finding the right location for her salon, Antonia spent most of her savings on extensive remodeling. Without the grant, Antonia would have had to work nights, either cleaning houses or doing odd jobs, to raise the money to pay the salon’s rent. Working nights was something she particular dreaded as she would have to find childcare for her three children. Receiving the leaseholder grant has given Antonia the ability to spend the crucial first weeks focusing on building her client-base and taking care of her family.

Carmen Rios used the money from her leaseholder grant to pay the first few months rent at Rose Nails and Beauty, located at 1380 Valencia St. in San Francisco’s Mission District. She opened her salon on August 31, 2007 and has been giving high quality manicures, pedicures, and acrylic treatments since. If Carmen did not receive the grant, she believes that she would have had to close her business. Carmen’s mother was very sick, and for a while, much of the money Carmen made from her salon went towards her mother’s medical care. Fortunately, her mother is better now, but Carmen would not have been able to cover medical bills, pay her rent, and the salon’s operation expenses. The grant helped her at a critical time, and allowed her to stay open.

In June, when Margarita Gomez opened D-Maddy’s, a crafts and party favor store, she turned a 10-year hobby into a business. She used her grant from Women’s Initiative to pay for the first three months rent for her location at 3414 22nd St. in the Mission Neighborhood of San Francisco. Margarita considers it a miracle that she received her grant when she did. She had been eyeing 22nd and Guerrero as the ideal location for D-Maddy’s for close to a year. Deciding that she would only get one opportunity like this, Margarita signed a lease right away, before she had finished her Women's Initiative training or received her leaseholder grant. Fortunately, she received loan funding in time to make her first month’s rent.

We have awarded all the available grants for 2007! Women’s Initiative’s Leaseholder Grant program has successfully enabled our clients to start their exciting new lives as leaseholders. However, many of our clients in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area need similar help. Women’s Initiative hopes to expand its program so more of our clients can realize their dreams of business ownership.

      - Jesse Ducker