As summer temperatures rise and humidity sinks, California braces for wildfires. At the time of this writing, ten fires are active in several parts of the state. The County Fire, which affected Napa and Yolo counties, is the largest of the season so far with over 90,000 acres burned and is at 83% containment. Other
A few months ago we shared with you Prosperity Now’s 2018 Scorecard, which looked at economic and policy indicators by state and overall in the U.S. California is ranked 27th out of 50 states on outcomes such as financial assets and income, business ownership and jobs, housing, healthcare, and education. Our state adopted 27 out of
Before they started their business, Christopher McMichael and Maurion Gaines came together over their shared passion for music. In 2012 when Chris was working security and kept hitting ceilings as he tried to advance in his career, he decided to pursue his clothing line full time. “My clothing line had already had some success. I knew that for it to grow to the next level, I needed to open a store to better serve the business,” remembers Chris. At the same time, Maurion was doing well in his job as an electrician and wanted to invest some of the money he had saved into something he was passionate about. As Chris shared his desire to take his clothing line and expand into a retail store, Maurion knew it was the right time and opportunity he’d been looking for. Together they launched Threadz Culture + Fashion, a retail store featuring the best streetwear and urban clothing styles in Oakland. They offer custom, limited run pieces, enabling their customers to build a look that is truly unique.
July 5, 2018
June 28, 2018
Who are the Independent Entrepreneurs? In the summer of 1776, the Founding Fathers drafted a document that declared the 13 American Colonies would no longer live under the thumb of a system that wasn’t looking after their interests. These days, a similar search for independence is taking place in the labor force. Though different entities
June 17, 2018
With transition comes uncertainty, but also potential and opportunities. This year’s Annual Member Meeting focused on the changes and challenges our members and the wider microbusiness world have been facing for the past few years. From natural disasters to the impact of technology on the labor force, it is important to know how to adapt
May 31, 2018
When Simonida Cvejic came here from former Yugoslavia in 1996, she never thought she’d find herself wanting to start her own business. She had a job in the financial industry when, in 2004, she became a single parent. She realized she would have to make some changes in her life to accommodate her new situation. “I was looking for some way that I could be more available to my kids and have a flexible schedule and the ability to generate income,” she says. She was scared of the uncertainty until her mother said something that made her look at things from a new perspective. “Now you can do anything because you’re not tied to anything,” her mother said. So Simonida shook her fears and got to work.