When very small businesses succeed, they create jobs, they build their neighborhoods and communities, and transform lives so that California can thrive.
Annually CAMEO members serve about 21,000 very small businesses with training, technical assistance, and loans. These firms – largely start-ups with less than five employees – support/create 37,000 jobs for California’s economy.
When very small businesses succeed, they create jobs, they build their neighborhoods and communities so that California can thrive.
Find success stories based on the following categories:
Men | Women | Regions | Veterans | Immigrants | Minorities | Green Micro-Businesses | Faces of Entrepreneurship
2019 Faces of Entrepreneurship Winners
Ricardo Rocha, RVS Technology Group
When owner Ricardo Rocha was a teenager, he dreamt that he became a business owner. Years later, after immigrating from Mexico and working in the fields, he made his dream come true by opening a small computer service shop in Watsonville. Through El Pajaro CDC’s Business Incubator Program, RVS Technologies grew into a full-service provider that employs 12 people and works with small and mid-sized businesses.
Calvin Andrews, Lena’s Soul Food
Lena’s Soul Food has become a pillar in its community of East Oakland. Not only does owner Calvin Andrews employ dozens of people, including formerly incarcerated folks, but he also gives back by giving away unsold food to locals in need, many of whom are unhoused. Calvin is a client of Main Street Launch and one of CAMEO’s 2019 Faces of Entrepreneurship Award winners!
Our Latest Success Stories
- Xiomara Rosa-Tedla & Dagne Tedla, UnoEth
After a trip to Ethiopia to visit family, Dagne Tedla brought a leather messenger bag as a gift for his daughter Xiomara. After countless compliments and inquiries from friends and strangers about the bag, Dagne suggested the two should start a business. Initially, Xiomara resisted as she was focusing on her corporate career and busy ... - Lashawnda Scaccianoce, Delight Your Senses
Lashawnda Scaccianoce has been passionate about food and feeding people since she was young. In fact, she was only 11 years old when she had her first catering “job”. As a mother of 5 children, she has always participated in her community. She has served on school PTOs and volunteered with various community-based organizations, including ... - Mina Wilcox, Art Mina
Mina Wilcox comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Her grandfather was a printmaker, and her parents ran a restaurant in Japan. So, with her husband’s encouragement of her artistic abilities, and despite the challenges of having English as her second language, she decided to open her own business in 2014. Art Mina features her beautiful hand-printed artwork ...
More Stories
- Tana Harris, Harris HoistingTana Harris had been in the construction industry for nearly 20 years when she started thinking about starting her own business. In 2013, she attended Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s introductory business class. What started as just an idea came to fruition as Harris Hoisting, the only African-American woman owned hoisting company in the city of San ...
- Wanda Blake, Wanda’s CookingWanda Blake’s cooking apprenticeship started in her mother’s kitchen. It then continued in the kitchens of great aunts, aunties, grandmas, and cousins. In 1981, Wanda attended City College of San Francisco to study hotel and restaurant management. In 2015, she launched Wanda’s Cooking.
- Reina Morales & Agustin Gomez, Tingo’s PlumbingDespite the language barrier, Reina Morales and Agustin Gomez have been able to bring their business to success with the help of the New Women’s Business Center.
- Gladys Mondragón, Sunshine OrganicsGladys Mondragon is co-owner of Sunshine Organics farm in Watsonville. With the help of Tania Zuniga from Kitchen Table Advisors, she has been able to expand production and bring stability to her business.
- Lorenzo Rota, Volare Aerial ImagingLorenzo Rota recently graduated from West Business Development Center’s Startup Mendocino program. He provides specialized drone services for agriculture and construction.