Earlier this year Rio Salado College partnered with Wells Fargo to offer small business owners a chance to win big. The Small Business Pitch contest was created for all Rio students who own a small business that's ready to grow. Applicants submitted videos pitching their business, sharing what they offer to the community, and describing how they would spend their award money. It was a very competitive contest, with many worthy submissions to choose from.
"I'm so inspired by the hard-working students and what they are achieving in their family, business and school life," said Dr. Lily Davidov, faculty chair for Accounting and Small Business. "I also want to thank Wells Fargo, MCCCD foundation, NACCE, and EEVF, as well as President (Kate) Smith, Vice President (Janelle) Elias, our amazing marketing department, and all my faculty chair friends and colleagues for continued support of our small business entrepreneurs."
Rio Salado is proud to announce the four winners (and one honorable mention) for this year’s Small Business Pitch contest.
First Place ($2,500): Angelique Pickett, Associate in Business, General
Angelique Pickett is the owner/operator of Party Like A Toddler, a business that provides “fun, safe, and engaging entertainment for children under 5.” Pickett was inspired to start her business after having her first child. When trying to organize a big first birthday party for her child, she found it difficult to find age-appropriate entertainment. She pointed out in her presentation that so many play rental companies use bounce houses as their main selling point, but bounce houses aren’t a safe form of play for toddlers. So Pickett founded Party Like A Toddler to specifically cater to babies and toddlers, offering mobile “soft play rentals” that she and her team are able to set up at the homes and/or businesses of clients.
She said she plans to spend her award money on purchasing a ball pit and enough crush proof jumbo pit balls to fill it.
Second Place ($1,500): Guadalupe Perez, Multiple MCCCD Enrollments
For Guadalupe Perez, the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention” couldn’t be more true. When her husband lost his construction job due to a foot injury, the Perez family had to scramble to find ways to pay the bills. While brainstorming ideas, Perez saw a TikTok video about a room decoration business in Florida. That seed of inspiration blossomed into her small business LV ROOMSS, which offers personalized decoration services to help couples celebrate special occasions. The company started off doing romantic room decorations full of balloons, candles, and rose petals, but LV ROOMSS has expanded to offer birthdays, proposals, anniversaries, and other celebrations as part of their decoration services.
Perez plans to use her award to purchase crafting supplies and a power generator to help her business build 4 ft. wood marquee letters.
Third Place ($1,000): Sasha A. Michaels, Associate in Arts
Living close to the border, Sasha A. Michaels saw an important need to address. Each year, millions of people cross over, people in need of language skills that they lack. She created Zero-Stress Languages to address this critical need. Her small business- a low overhead operation that sets up shop across the Valley- specializes in offering affordable and accessible English classes to immigrants. Zero-Stress Languages focuses on getting immigrants up to speed quickly on English, teaching them how to read, write, and speak the language. Michaels emphasizes the “close-knit family atmosphere” of her classes and how it puts learners at ease, which is one of the reasons why ZSL has grown so much off of word-of-mouth.
Michaels says she plans to use the reward money to make physical copies of their workbook and create flashcards.
Fourth Place ($500): Quanique Minor, CCL Small Business Management Lv. I
As certified nursing assistants, Quanique Minor and her daughter did well for themselves during the pandemic. Their skills helped them serve a community in need while earning them a good living. That changed as COVID-19 subsided and demand for their services declined. With that decline in demand came a steep decline in their pay, leaving the Minors to pivot into a new line of work: Menage Cleaning Experts. Menage is a personalized cleaning business built to cater to homeowners of all kinds: apartment renters, homeowners, and/or Airbnb hosts. In addition to doing standard cleaning they also do deep move-in/move-out cleans. Starting their business with just one $100 vacuum and some Sam’s Club cleaning supplies, the Minors have built a thriving small business that reflects their “commitment to improving the lives of our clients through cleanliness.”
Minor said she plans to spend their award money on new cleaning equipment (including a streamer).
Honorable Mention ($300): Sarah Ihori, AAS Addictions and Substance Use Disorders
For Sarah Ihori, one good deed begets a business. Ihori pet-sitted for her friends, and did such a good job attentively caring for their dogs that their friends suggested she check out Rover.com. Ihori started dog-walking and pet-sitting as a side hustle, but grew to love the work so much she’s making moves now to make it her full-time business. One of the ways she’s distinguished herself from other pet services is in offering 24-hour care for pets. She can do drop-ins, walks, overnight stays, and longer stays. Her philosophy is centered around changing HER schedule to fit the schedule of the pets she’s sitting. She believes strongly in preserving the comfort and routines of the pets she’s watching because animals crave consistency and she wants to give both them and their owners peace of mind.
Ihori said she wants to invest her money into her education by taking pet CPR and pet first aid training.
Article by Austin Brietta