Founders Los Angeles

Peer into the minds of entrepreneurs

[foundersla]

“There’s a certain drive to make good use of being alive. From a young age, I understood the math of life early; you actually don’t have a lot of time. You need to make use of your time.

What does ‘make use of’ mean? That’s different for each person. Doesn’t mean you have to be an entrepreneur, but for me it was something I wanted to do. Bite the bullet and find a way to do it early, or you may never do it. Trying things just take guts, and for some reason that’s the hardest part to muster. When do you do the math, the ‘trying path’ consistently wins. The more you take tries, the higher chance you have of succeeding.”

Co-Founder of Lumi.com | Packaging Simplified

[foundersla]

“I’ve learned that risk taking is a muscle. Starting out and learning and how to take the baby version of those is an important step. It’s human nature to plan and wait for when the circumstances are right, but the narratives we tell ourselves around waiting don’t usually work.”

Co-Founder of Lumi.com | Packaging Simplified

[foundersla]

“I grew up in the Detroit area. I moved out to LA when I was 19, I didn’t come out to California for a specific reason, but I knew I wanted to do something entrepreneurial.

It’s easy to look back on now, but at the time If I had gone to school, my parents would have financially back that choice. The things that were going through my mind were dramatic. These are the moments in life, you do a thing or don’t do a thing and it alters your path. I didn’t know how it would go, but I knew I didn’t like the idea of staying where I was. Taking the risk and not knowing what would happen, even though it can be terrible, was the right choice for me compared to the path of knowing what was predictable.”

-Co-Founder of Lumi.com | Packaging Simplified

[foundersla]

“The proudest moment for me is stepping into this. It’s simply saying ‘Yes’ even though I knew that I don’t have the means or resources to do it but I really believed that it was still possible. I walk into this space every day still thinking, ‘How do I have this space?’”

Founder of As We Dwell | www.aswedwell.com

[foundersla]

“I’ve been a teacher for 12 years. That was my strength, for sure. Never did I think that I would transition out of it when I was so invested into it.

But somewhere along the way, I ended up getting into a huge car accident. On November of 2014 coming back from Salvation Mountain, I missed a right turn on a two-way highway. So I pulled over to make a U-turn. There were no cars, in my memory and even in my friend’s memory. Even to this day we have no recollection of any cars being there. So when I pulled out, we were T-boned by a big rig going 63 MPH. I should have died. When you look at the wreckage, it’s very clear that a person should have not survived it.

That experience was life changing. I don’t ever live my life knowing that tomorrow exists, so I live my life believing today is it.”

Founder of As We Dwell | www.aswedwell.com

[foundersla]

“Not a lot of people are as bold and brash as me. I’m always the one in the family who likes starting things. I’m all about taking a vision and not feeling completely ready, which is the key to be an entrepreneur because you’re never 100% ready. It’s taking something and going ‘This is a great idea. When can we start?’”

Founder of Guided Good

Guided Good is a Foster Youth Travel Community Service Non-Profit

[foundersla]

“I moved all my stuff out of my apartment and put stuff in storage, raised $3,000, told everyone that I’m going to volunteer for 3 months in Nicaragua with no idea what I would do when I get back. I just knew that this was an investment.

‘What would my future self appreciate in what I invested now?’ That’s still the question that keeps me going when it’s hard as an entrepreneur. This is an investment for 10 years from now.”

Founder of Guided Good

Guided Good is a Foster Youth Travel Community Service Non-Profit

[foundersla]

“I toyed around with some questions, which were like ‘If I could do anything, what would I really want to do?’

To be honest, no career popped in my head. It was more of a passion or an interest. I knew for a long time that I really wanted to learn Spanish and spend some time in Central America and to immerse myself into the culture”

Founder of Guided Good

Guided Good is a Foster Youth Travel Community Service Non-Profit

[foundersla]

“If you’re doing something and a bump in the road comes up, you can look at it like, ‘I don’t want to deal with it. Why do I deserve this?”’ Or you can be like, ‘This is great! This is a challenge and I’m going to see what I can make of it.’ I’m going to honor it, respect that it’s in my life, trust in the universe and go with it. Instead of seeing them as bad things that have happened to you, flip them into life learning lessons and learn to grow from them. That’s what life's about. It’s a lot of mind work. The bumps in the road will never go away.”

-Founder of Sister Inmate | http://www.sisterinmate.com/

SISTER INMATE is a Los Angeles-Based non-profit that supports the victims affected by incarceration; not by choice, but by affiliation.

[foundersla]

“Not everything works out for me-- I get a ton of noes. I don’t see everything as failure. I thought that door was suppose to be open, and the universe is telling me that’s not the door to go through.”

-Founder of Sister Inmate | http://www.sisterinmate.com/

SISTER INMATE is a Los Angeles-Based non-profit that supports the victims affected by incarceration; not by choice, but by affiliation.

[foundersla]

“I love the fashion world, but it’s very materialistic and there’s a side to it that I don’t like as well. And so, when I finally reached out to the Sheriff’s department to say ‘This is who I am. This is my story. I want to volunteer. Give me a toothbrush and I’ll clean in the jail cell - I don’t care, I just want to help. I don’t know how but please let me come help.’”

-Founder of Sister Inmate | http://www.sisterinmate.com/

SISTER INMATE is a Los Angeles-Based non-profit that supports the victims affected by incarceration; not by choice, but by affiliation.

[foundersla]

"The other day I had a dream that I was in an airport. When you’re in an airport, that represents coming and going– a transitional phase. That’s where I am in life. I’m still working part-time in the business management world, and I know that Sister Inmate is where I want to go, but I’m still figuring it out. For me, it was a message to myself that I’m on the right path. You don’t necessarily have to figure out the ‘how’ if you keep knocking on doors and opportunities. If you keep doing the work, it kind of reveals itself sometimes.”

-Founder of Sister Inmate | http://www.sisterinmate.com/

SISTER INMATE is a Los Angeles-Based non-profit that supports the victims affected by incarceration; not by choice, but by affiliation.

[foundersla]

“People reactions are my favorite things; it’s the most rewarding thing. You commit so much time, effort, and pride into whatever it is you’re making, and you’re not even sure people are going to use it or want it. I think it’s the best thing when people validate the concept and the idea.”

Founder of Fullcourt | www.fullcourt.io

Fullcourt is a social network for basketball players that play at local basketball courts and gyms, and a resource for them to coordinate these games.

[foundersla]

“There was no ah-ha moment. I’ve had the idea for 15 years. It’s about having the time, money, and resources to actually do what you want. I am very fortunate to have all of that. A lot of people don’t. Getting to actually execute on your dream… you can’t really ask for more.”

Founder of Fullcourt | www.fullcourt.io

Fullcourt is a social network for basketball players that play at local basketball courts and gyms, and a resource for them to coordinate these games.

[foundersla]

“It’s a problem many people have, and I’ve been waiting for someone else to solve it. I’ll just do it myself. It’s a conceited thing to say, but I feel like I am one of the most qualified people to do it because of my background. I think it’s going to make the world better. It’s bold to say that, but I genuinely feel that way. It’s a need that many people have, and if you can provide it to them, then why not?”

Founder of Fullcourt | www.fullcourt.io

Fullcourt is a social network for basketball players that play at local basketball courts and gyms, and a resource for them to coordinate these games.

[foundersla]

"Find out what you care about. Know what your definition of success is. Have people you can count on."

Founder of Food Tribe -

Food Tribe is an in development restaurant review platform committed to ending hunger. Crowdsourced user reviews and recommendations of  Los Angeles area restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, eateries and more. http://www.foodtribeusa.co/

[foundersla]

"Being a founder is all about maintaining a vision. Being an entrepreneur is lonely and difficult-- not everyone understands what you are dealing with. But as long as you have the capacity to understand that there is an end goal in sight, then it’s only a matter of time until you get there."

Founder of Food Tribe -

Food Tribe is an in development restaurant review platform committed to ending hunger. Crowdsourced user reviews and recommendations of  Los Angeles area restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, eateries and more. http://www.foodtribeusa.co/