In September, Renaissance held our Small Business BIG IMPACT event, where we honored some outstanding entrepreneurs, including Karina Rivera, who was one of our Emerging Entrepreneurs of the Year.
Company:
Sal’s AutohausOwner(S):
Karina RiveraIndustry:
Auto repair shop, Services
About The Company
Karina Rivera, the dynamic presence behind Sal’s Autohaus, has been a beacon of excellence for Mercedes Benz repairs on Folsom Street for years. After acquiring this family-run establishment in 2016, she soon found herself navigating the myriad of challenges brought about by COVID-19. Emerging from the global pandemic, it’s evident that Karina isn’t just maintaining her business, but she’s pushing it to greater heights. Upholding a cherished legacy while consistently innovating is no small feat, and Karina exemplifies this balance.
In every entrepreneur’s story, there’s a pivotal moment when a simple need sparks a grand venture. For Michelle, this moment came riding the waves—a surfer in search of the perfect granola to sustain her passion for the ocean. What began as a quest for better nourishment transformed into the creation of her own granola brand, marrying the sustenance required by a surfer with the zest of an innovator. This was not just about curbing hunger; it was about seeding a business that would grow to embody the resilience, creativity, and sense of community at the heart of true entrepreneurship.
Throughout this blog, we’ll explore the significant steps that Michelle identifies as crucial in her journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur, offering insights that resonate with the core of business creation and growth.
Relearning to Lead
Imagine, if you will, a bustling kitchen where leadership is often operating in the fires of urgency. For Michelle, the transition from the authoritarian regimes of her culinary past to the empathetic and supportive leader she would become was as significant as any business decision she’s made. She reflects, “I came from bars and kitchens, and it wasn’t easy to unlearn some salty habits.” It’s a narrative that champions the idea that the most effective leaders are those who serve, not those who demand service.
Takeaway: True leadership evolves from self-awareness and the willingness to adapt. Entrepreneurs should embrace the journey of continuous personal development to inspire and elevate those around them.
Financial Savvy as the North Star
As she reflected on her journey until this point, Michelle shared a stark truth that had redirected her path: “Gwendolyn Wright, Managing Director of Renaissance’s Financing Resource Center, told me that we needed to make changes or we would go out of business.” This was her awakening to the critical role of financial acumen—a realization that would sharpen her focus and guide her decisions from that moment forward. In a sense, her company’s financials became the lighthouse guiding her through the murky waters of entrepreneurship. Takeaway: A strong grasp of financials is as important as the business idea itself. Entrepreneurs must prioritize financial literacy to navigate their business through both calm and stormy economic seas.
Michelle Pusateri delivers acceptance speech at the 2023 Renaissance Annual Event.
The Strength of a Team
In an impassioned acceptance speech at this year’s Small Business Big Impact Annual Event, Michelle, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Centers, 2023 Established Entrepreneur of the Year, declared, “Your team is everything.” This wasn’t mere rhetoric; it was her acknowledgment of a fundamental business truth—that the collective is the lifeblood of innovation and success.
Takeaway: The most successful business models are those built on the principles of collaboration and shared purpose. When a team thrives, so does the business.
Growth, but Not at Any Cost
Amidst the entrepreneurial waves, Michelle has surfed with a philosophy that marries risk with reflection. “You miss 100% of the waves you don’t send. A dear friend and big wave surfer, Bianca Valenti, said this to me one time,” she muses, advocating for the kind of calculated risks that define successful entrepreneurship. Yet, she cautions, “Do not grow at any cost.” Her growth strategy has always been tempered with the wisdom to wait for the right wave, ensuring that when her company takes off, it does so with purpose and sustainability at its core.
Takeaway: Strategic growth is the hallmark of savvy entrepreneurship. Focus on scaling your business mindfully, ensuring that each step forward is as deliberate as the first.
The Compass of Values
In navigating the challenges of growing her business, Michelle has led her company with a compass calibrated by values. “Make decisions based on your values, and if they don’t fall into those values, simply don’t do it!” This principle has served as her guiding star, ensuring that every move aligns with the mission and vision upon which her company was founded. Decision-making anchored in values steers a company’s true course, ensuring actions align with integrity and purpose.
Takeaway: Let your values guide your business decisions. For entrepreneurs, being true to your core beliefs is integral to building a brand that resonates with authenticity and longevity.
Empowerment Through Mentorship
Michelle’s commitment to lifting others as she climbs has fostered a culture of mentorship within her sphere. “Always shine the spotlight behind you to help other folks succeed,” she advises, illuminating the path for those who follow. Her mentorship is a testament to her belief in the interconnectedness of success—where helping others reach their potential is integral to the ecosystem of progress.
Takeaway: The act of mentoring is a powerful way to build a legacy and strengthen the entrepreneurial community. Entrepreneurs should seek to both provide and seek mentorship as a means of mutual growth.
Beyond Transactions: The Power of Relationships
In a landscape often dominated by the bottom line, Michelle stands out for her insistence on the importance of relationships. “Your relationships are not transactional; they are called relationships for a reason,” she asserts. It’s this philosophy that has created loyalty and trust around her brand, transforming customers into community.
Takeaway: Relationships are the true currency of business, and creating authentic connections is the foundation that lasting success is built on. It’s through these genuine interactions that trust is forged and loyalty is earned.
What started as a quest for the ideal granola has unfolded into a broader mission for Michelle. Her entrepreneurial narrative is a mosaic of tenacity, insight, and heart, reminiscent of the ethos that Renaissance nurtures within its community of entrepreneurs. It’s a journey that underscores a profound truth: building a business is about more than commerce; it’s about fostering a community, nurturing a culture of empowerment, and leaving a legacy that reaches far beyond the bottom line. Michelle’s story is championed at Renaissance as a testament to the power of a vision that begins with the individual and cascades into the collective, embodying the very spirit of entrepreneurship itself.
Wooden Table Baking Co. is an Oakland-based, certified LGBT Business Enterprise (LTGBTBE) bakery, dedicated to crafting the finest Argentinian treats. They make alfajores, conitosand bonbons from scratch with high quality, all-natural ingredients.
Wooden Table Baking sought counseling from two of the Bay Area’s Women’s Business Centers along the way. Andreas [Ozzuna, Owner and Head Baker] took classes at Women’s Initiative, and her wife Citabria Ozzuna, Director of Marketing, later took classes at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center.
At Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, Citabria took the Business Planning class where she wrote a comprehensive business plan. Paul Terry, a counselor and teacher at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, was a particularly supportive mentor.
The 1½-year-old club/surf shop founded by couple Rel Lavizzo-Mourey and Julie Cox, markets itself as a kind of base camp for out-of-town day visitors looking for a place to shower and clean up post-beach, and then linger to enjoy the funky, low-key atmosphere of the club’s enclosed patio.
Located in a strip mall just a five-minute walk from Linda Mar Beach, Traveler’s California coastal boho decor is a little Big Sur in the ’70s with a dash of cool Mexican folk art. Among the items for sale in the shop are Oaxacan painted skulls, handcrafted dream catchers, locally produced surf and beach items, and men’s and women’s apparel from Uroko, Of Earth and Salt as well as Lavizzo-Mourey’s clothing label Silver Lining Bespoke.
[Paula Tejeda], founder of the Chile Lindo project, [is] preparing for one of her most ambitious productions: the first edition of “Chilean Cinema in San Francisco”.
It all started [when she opened her] empanadaria in San Francisco in 1995. Paula is from a Chilean family, born in New York and raised between both countries, and grew up with a wide knowledge of both cultures.
As the store acquired fame in the cosmopolitan city, Paula shaped the other edge of her enterprise, promoting concerts, generating networks through her newsletter, promoting cycles and conferences linked to Chilean creativity.
[The chefs] devoured cookbooks from the 1950s and 1960s, acknowledging that most of the dishes don’t immediately excite but finding inspiration in how home cooks were beginning to embrace the idea of global cuisine.
The mid-century dinner party might seem like an odd source of inspiration for a restaurant, what with the era’s famously gravity-defying Jell-O salads and oh-so-American tuna casseroles.
Owners Seth and Jenni Bregman bought Michelin-approved Michel Bistro last year with the intention of eventually transforming the neighborhood French restaurant into Bardo Lounge & Supper Club, a 1960s living room-esque lounge.
The [bar] menu emphasizes spirit-forward cocktails using house-made tinctures and syrups as well as foraged garnishes, all served from eclectic — often gold-embellished — vintage glassware.
Reina knew that she had great party-organizing skills but had never taken the leap to turn her hobby into a career.
“A friend from the neighborhood where I grew up (in Bayview) told me about a Women’s Entrepreneurship program starting up at the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, and that with my talent it would be a great idea for me to come check it out,” Reina explains.
She enrolled in the classes in hopes of making her dream a reality. Now, two years later, Reina is founder and CEO of PartyHapps.
A Filipino-American food truck serving comfort food with thoughtful, healthy options. Much of Sarap Shop‘s menu is vegan, with options like tofu sisig alongside more traditional pork belly adobo.
Soul food, Filipino fare, and dumplings will all appear when it opens in 2019
Another sweet Bayview vendor, Yvonne Hines with Yvonne’s Southern Sweets makes southern sweets like pecan brittle, old school butter cookies, miniature lemon pies, and sweet potato and pecan pies.
Known for her craby cake po’boys and Lousiana-inspired dishes at her Bayview restaurant, Boug Creole Deli, chef Tiffany Carter is bringing her style of soul food to the big time.
Soul food, Filipino fare, and dumplings will all appear when it opens in 2019
Given the number of scooters Scoot is allowed to deploy, the company chose a relatively concentrated area in which to deploy them, Keating told me. Another consideration for location deployment came down to the number of hills in the area since “it’s not really a San Francisco hill-climbing machine,” as well as ensuring it’s serving an area that’s traditionally under served. And that’s how it landed on the Bayview, where Scoot hosted a media event on Friday.
“Part of the reason we’re here is that we teamed up with this group called the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center,” Keating said. Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, which has been around for 33 years, helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.
“The thought is we want to hire from the communities that we operate in,” Keating said. “And so we wanted to basically make some connections down here and let folks here know that if they want to work on electric vehicles and be part of that kind of green economy that we’re hiring.”
