Growing up in Ireland, Claire had always had a strong bond to her native heritage. At the age of 12, she would help her mother bake treats using old family recipes in the kitchen of her home. Years later, Claire moved out of the country side and into the busy streets of San Francisco. One day, she decided to pull out her mothers old recipe book and began making her chocolate and butterscotch treats for her friends. Everybody loved her Irish treats and kept asking for more until one day Claire decided to sell her squares and Clairsquares was born!

You can find Clairsquares online on her website at www.clairesquares.com

Looking for a space to start your business? Maybe you’re trying to expand and open a second location. StorefrontSF.com is a brand new website that will help you accomplish just that. Thanks to the San Francisco Office of Economic Workforce and Development, you can search by square footage, neighborhood, and many more other key criteria searches. You can even see photos, read descriptions, and connect with brokers to learn more about the space.

Services Offered:

• Retail Space
• Technical Training
• Permit and Licensing Information
• Small Business Assistance
• San Francisco Property Information

For more information just visit www.storefrontsf.com.

MyTab Inc. is an online social travel gift card platform where you can save toward a dream vacation with the support of your friends and family. MyTab is a perfect gift for weddings/honeymoons, study & education abroad, holiday vacations, and so much more! MyTab is powered by Expedia.com and TravelStoreMaker.com which allows customers to have thousands of different flights and hotels to chose from. The best part is, there are no expiration dates and all funds are FDIC insured!

MyTab Inc. could have never been possible if it weren’t for it’s Founder and sole owner, Heddi Cundle. Heddi has over 19 years of PR and marketing experience in a wide array of industries from travel to  television, consumer retail, technology, and even music. Heddi created the concept for MyTab in 2005, however wasn’t launched until late 2011 after she conducted extensive research on the industry and technology needed for her business. MyTab currently has tons of useful features including gifting, saving, setting individual or group reminders, setting individual or group trips, and even connecting all of your updates through Facebook.

In 2013, Heddi approached Working Solutions asking for extra working capital. After helping her with her bookkeeping, Heddi was approved for $25,000 to use for licensing, marketing, hiring, and a patent application. Heddi has created 7 jobs through MyTab and continues to grow.

Alter Center is an alternative fitness center in San Francisco, dedicated to the natural pursuit of higher performance and consciousness.  Gym, studio, dojo, and community center, Alter Center integrates empowering physical activity, holistic training and vital support for modern life.  Alter Center was founded by a husband and wife team, Catherine (Alexis) and Adnan (Mark) Mian in 2005.  Mark and Alexis met in 1997 working at Club One.  After working in the personal fitness and wellness industry for years they both realize there is an art and science to health and wellness.  They felt like the health club system was flawed because it treats the body like a machine and the health club model isn’t a good model for people with an urban lifestyle.  Alexis and Mark started Alter Center in a small space geared toward private training, and have now grown into a 3,300 sq ft building that also allows for small group training sessions, massage treatments, and community events.  In the nearly 8 years since Mark and Alexis began Alter Center, they have been careful to grow the business slowing, refining their vision along the way.  They had been relying upon word of mouth to attract new members.  This has been slow going, but has allowed Alter Center to develop a clear culture that is very different from the typical gym or health club.

Alter Center applied for a $20,473 Working Solutions loan in 2005 and was approved.  The loan funds were used to purchase start-up equipment, supplies, furniture and working capital.  The loan was paid off in July 2010.

Recently, Alter Center has gained access to the 300 square feet space that was previously used by the landlord as a storage space.  Alter Center plans to convert that space into a wellness area with two treatment rooms for massage therapy and install a far-infrared sauna, a specialized sauna used as a detoxification and weight-loss tool in many clinical practices and spas.

Gillian Shaw moved to San Francisco to pursue her dream of being able to do what she loves for a living and that was to making awesome pastries in the funnest way possible. Gillian mastered her craft at the California Culinary Academy and completed its baking and Pastries program. Soon after she was appointed lead pastry chef for Moose’s Restaurant, Liberty Bakery and Brown Sugar Kitchen before starting her own business. In 2010, Gillian decided to open Black Jet Bakery where she decided to wholesale her baked goods to local coffee shops such as Ritual Coffee Roasters and Matching Half Cafe, and even eventually picked up corporate clients such as The Gap, Pixar, and Square. In August 2011, BJB opened its first retail kiosk in the Ferry Building in San Francisco and recently moved to a much larger kiosk in the Ferry Building which provides higher visibility. In the summer of 2013, Gillian plans to open a retail location in the San Francisco/Oakland area which will serve as a house for wholesale production and retail cafe all in one.

BJB requested a $30,000 loan from Working Solutions in 2013 for equipment for baking, website update, and assist in the move in cost of the new space in the Ferry Building. In addition to the $30,000 loan, BJB will also soon apply for $20,000 by mid-2013 which will be used for the set-up of her new retail location.

Check out Black Jet Bakery’s menu and location by visiting their site at : www.blackjetbakingco.com

The U.S. government is the world’s largest buyer of goods and services.  Government agencies buy just about every category of commodity and service available, from paper clips to janitorial services to vehicles used in space exploration.  In addition, government seeks to contract with small businesses in order to ensure that small business owners are thriving and given the opportunity in the country.  However, in order for small businesses to take advantage and have better chance to secure these types of contracts, most of them will need some type of certification to do so.  The process of certification can be cumbersome and time consuming.  R Mo LLC’s mission is to assist small businesses to secure certification and bidding on RFPs while business owners can focus on their business and generate revenue.

Links to License 123 are on the SFGov.org home page and the “Business” tab on the top of the page.  License 123 is also accessible through 311 and the Office of Small Business’ website. We would like to encourage your organization to help us spread the word about this useful tool through links on your website and announcements to your mailing list.  Our intent is to not only provide a better experience to potential business owners in San Francisco but also be a resource for any questions or interactions that your organization and staff may receive from your clients regarding starting a business.  License 123 can be translated into Spanish and Traditional Chinese with the Google Translate button located on the site. 

The suggested text with the hyperlink for your website and announcements is “License 123 – Find Out Which Permits & Licenses Your Business Needs” ( http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=6020 )

In addition to License 123, your clients can still receive customized, one-on-one assistance from the Office of Small.  Services are available by phone, walk-in, and by appointment, M-F, 8am-5pm, at City Hall, Room 110.  To schedule an appointment, please call 415-554-6134, or email, sbac@sfgov.org.  All services are available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish.

The Venture Greenhouse of Dominican University of California is a pioneering, early-stage business incubator providing an intensive acceleration process for growing companies that have the potential for significant environmental and social benefits. Located in San Rafael, California, the 5,000 sq. ft. “innovation engine” houses up to 12 companies at a time, with the goal of graduating companies within one year.

Services:

• Weekly coaching and training sessions
• Business planning
• Legal counsel
• Accounting and financial systems development
• Sales and marketing support
• Human resources planning
• Technical support
• Introductions to business and investor network
• Investor presentation preparation
• Access to capital

Ryan Farr and his wife, Cesalee, founded 4505 Meats in January of 2009. While working as a classically trained chef and heading a Michelin Star restaurant, Ryan developed his artisan butchery techniques and created unique ways of expressing his love for all things meaty. Ryan’s experience and voracious appetite are an ideal complement to Cesalee’s creativity, style, and overall vision for the company.

4505 Meats is a sustainable meat and food company that specializes in locally sourced, pasture-raised animals from small family farms. One of their main objectives is to revive a dying craft of whole animal butchery. This is important because it ensures the livelihood and income of craftsmen and small farms alike. They work with a variety of animals, including beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and duck. In addition to these protein sources, they have several relationships with vegetable and fruit farmers. Being able to work directly with farmers ensures that they are sourcing ingredients that were humanely raised in natural settings. Similarly, they now teach a variety of classes, operate at the Farmer’s Market, and produce fresh, handmade artisan products for local businesses and restaurants. Our growing vision will remain aligned with these ideals.

4505 Meats is located at 555 Fulton street #102 in San Francisco, and they can be reached at ryan@4505meats.com or visit www.4505MEATS.com.