OCIE SBDC Appoints New Leadership The Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (OCIE SBDC) is pleased to announce the appointment of three new center directors within the network. OCIE SBDC welcomes SBDC Caravan SBDC Director Bradley Chargualaf, SBDC Finance Center Director Sylvia Pizarroso, and LaunchPad SBDC Director John Wiet. OCIE SBDC Network Director Mike Daniel speaks to the value and experience of these individuals: “Bradley Chargualaf, Sylvia Pizarroso, and John Wiet will add an amazing amount of depth and expertise to our network. All three of these new ..read more

Bark’n Beauty Spaw Grand Opening Shelby Hernandez was working as a dog groomer and was often disappointed in the cleanliness and level of care available to her community. She always dreamed of opening her own grooming business but didn’t know where to start. With the support of her husband and mother, Shelby decided to bring Bark’n Beauty Spaw to life as a mobile dog grooming provider. “We thought it would be super helpful to have business consulting. We were looking to start our first business, and we needed help with everything,” says Shelby. After Shelby’s husband recommended the Orange ..read more

The Face Company Grand Opening Owners and founders Polina and Anton Nikolaev traveled from Boston, Massachusetts to Orange County to open a business. Anton quit his job, they packed up the car, and they decided to go for it. With Anton’s background in business and Polina’s extensive experience as a dermatologist, they put their skills together and founded The Face Company (FACECO) in Costa Mesa. Once they arrived in Orange County, the pair reached out to the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (OCIE SBDC) for help and met with OCIE SBDC business consultants ..read more

On June 6, the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (OCIE SBDC) hosted the 2024 Southern California Contracting Conference in Riverside, Calif. More than 400 attendees participated in networking with 25 agencies and departments, 12 breakout sessions, and over 100 matchmaking opportunities.  The event commenced with an introduction by OCIE SBDC Director Mike Daniel and Chief Operating Officer Katrina Smith, County of Riverside Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington, U.S. General Services Administration Regional Administrator Sukhee Kang and California O ..read more

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On April 25, 2024, the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network held four events in Irvine, Calif., each catered to serve a specific community. With more than 300 attendees, the day intersected clients, business owners, community members, lenders, government representatives, and partners to provide new opportunities, resources, and connections. Kicking off the morning, the SBDC Marketing Center presented Accelerate Growth: Marketing Strategies for the Digital Age. Center Director Roger Lloyd, in conjunction with consultants Gisele Haman and Rachel Svoboda, shared a ..read more

By Aleesia Benkey Dr. Sana Shakil-Ansari has always dreamed of opening her own optometry practice to provide comprehensive eye care, expanding beyond basic vision care. She was recommended to the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (OCIE SBDC) and met with business consultant Hang Harper.  Hang helped Sana develop a complete financial plan and analysis for her business. The two collaborated by exploring new opportunities and mapping a path toward success. With the OCIE SBDC behind her, Sana began to build her own optometry practice, Visionaire Optometry S ..read more

A delegation of prominent leaders and business professionals  from Orange County and the Inland Empire, California, recently concluded a successful trade mission to South Korea, organized by the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (OCIE SBDC). The mission, aimed at fostering economic partnerships and exploring opportunities for collaboration, facilitated a vibrant exchange between the two regions. “The trade mission was a great opportunity for the OCIE SBDC to expose our local business owners to opportunities in other countries.  We look forward to c ..read more

By Aleesia Benkey The Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network (OCIE SBDC) runs the SBDC Eats Program to provide support to local food entrepreneurs and business owners in the community. The SBDC Eats program celebrated the graduation of its most recent cohort on March 1, 2024. During the program, participants are aligned with one of our food consultants for personalized assistance and to discuss how to move forward toward launching their business. SBDC Business Consultant Greg Bell speaks to the success of the program: “All of our clients have been absolutely focu ..read more

By Aleesia Benkey Giselle Palomo Garcia founded three ice cream businesses in Michoacán, Mexico. She designed and developed specialized ice cream makers to perfect her recipes, and she made everything from scratch. Giselle knew she wanted to bring her business to the United States; she made that ambition a reality with the help of her brother, Octavio Giselle and Octavio knew starting a business in the U.S. would be hard, but the duo partnered up and got to work on Givo Ice Cream. Not sure where to start, Octavio found the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network ..read more