Author: Lauren Taber

Blog, Client Success Stories

Priya Kumar Doesn’t Just Help Businesses Become Profitable: She Upgrades Their Money Mindset

When Priya Kumar talks about financial literacy, she isn’t just talking about making money—she is talking about true liberation and empowerment.  

Having grown up in Fiji, Kumar immigrated to the United States with her family when she was young. She watched her parents work diligently to create a comfortable, prosperous life for her and her siblings, and she saw how she could do the same: work a government job, climb the ranks, and retire with a 401(k). But while working as a business investigator for the Franchise Tax Board, Priya saw the alarming rate at which small businesses fail, and she noticed that the cause was often mismanaged revenue and insufficient planning for profit and growth. As a survivor of domestic violence, Priya had become an expert in financial literacy, investments, and the importance of having informed control over one’s income. She had come to understand that prosperity and security means more than just a steady corporate paycheck—and she knew she could make a difference for entrepreneurs by empowering them with the same financial management tools she had used to cultivate her own independence.

The Emotional Side of Money

Thus, during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pivot My Profit was born. Through consultations, workshops, classes and partnerships with nonprofits, Kumar is on a mission to demystify money and help entrepreneurs and fellow abuse survivors to overcome financial trauma. “We dive into the emotional side of money,” Kumar says about her approach to shifting her clients’ perspectives. “Small business owners are very emotionally involved in their work– they’re trying to break generational curses and cycles of poverty. So, they have this emotional relationship, but many have never asked themselves about the relationship with money. Because of past trauma, they bring a scarcity mindset into their business.”  

 Combining financial strategy with business and life coaching principles, Kumar empowers client—many of whom are women from disadvantaged backgrounds—to analyze their mindset around money. She coaches them to face their finances head-on, understand how money flows through their business, and ultimately make a plan to ensure profitability and sustainability so that their business works for them.

“It all started when I had my own mindset shift,” she explains. “I realized that I was not looking at my opportunities correctly. I needed to build myself up and create new tools to be able to access these opportunities.” 

Partnership to Expand Her Network

In 2023, Kumar began working with the California Capital Women’s Business Center (WBC) to expand her offerings. As a speaker at the WBC’s Motivated Entrepreneur series, Kumar has grown her network of business owners and brought her holistic approach to finances to new audiences.  

“[My first experience with the WBC] really motivated me to keep working with them, because a lot of times when women are sitting around a table with predominantly men, there is little vulnerability,” she says. “But when women are coaching each other, they talk about family, sacrifices they have to make, guilt and shame over having to divide their attention.”  

Kumar found the environment cultivated by women entrepreneurs supporting and learning from one another to be ideal for her mix of technical financial education and empowerment. “They give everyone a chance to shine their light.”

To be sure, creating space for others to shine is the crux of Kumar’s entrepreneurship–and her life. “I love to say that I refuse to waste my journey, my education, my experience,” she explains when reflecting on her vision for the future of Pivot My Profit. “My life’s mission is anyone I meet, I want to leave them better than I found them. That’s what drives me – even if I’m just talking to someone at a coffee shop, I want to make a difference.” 

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How a Loan Guarantee from California Capital FDC Allowed Fortuna Family Medicine to Continue Serving Their Community

For Dr. Nathan Brinckhaus, medicine is more than a career: it’s a family trade, and one that has allowed him and his father to serve their Northern California community of Fortuna for decades. After completing his medical residency at University of California, Davis, Nathan returned to his hometown to join Fortuna Family Medicine – the clinic his father had taken over from a previous owner, which has been open continuously since 1948. This year, when they needed working capital after reopening as a new rural health clinic, a loan guarantee from California Capital FDC through the Small Business Loan Guarantee program allowed them to bridge their difficult first year of the new operation and continue serving their community.  

When Nathan and his father, Dr. Ruben Brinckhaus, were faced with the reality that their revenue would not allow them to continue providing affordable care to their longtime patients, they made the difficult decision to open a new clinic with a new business model.  

“We chose to open a new independent federally-designated rural health clinic,” says Nathan, adding that the model provides more sustainable reimbursement from MediCal insurance, because it allows clinics to functionally decide their reimbursement rate based on their expenses in the first year of operation, known as the rate-setting year. It is a model that can ensure sustainability for clinics in small communities—but one that, as Nathan notes, requires a good deal of up front investment to begin.  

“We chose [the model] knowing it was going to require capital,” he says. “We knew we wanted to spend enough money so that we could get a healthy reimbursement rate.”  

To supplement funds that they received from a private investor, Nathan began exploring borrowing options for working capital. He quickly found that non-traditional lending would be his best bet. “This type of project is not something that you can go to a regular bank for,”  he says, explaining that opening a new business in the medical field can require creative financing options. “[Banks] want to see profits and taxes. For a brand new business without those things, I was told by several banks that they couldn’t help me.”  

When Nathan came upon the network of mission-based small business lenders, he knew he’d found the right fit. He applied for a loan through Arcada Economic Development Corporation, now called North Edge Financing, who were determined to see Fortuna Family Medicine Succeed. “I was able to present our business plan and tell them what we were doing and why we needed money. They were able to see the vision that we had and that we had a plan that was reasonable.” 

To approve the loan, they worked with California Capital FDC, who administers iBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee program. With a guarantee on the loan, Nathan succeeded in accessing the funding necessary to keep their clinic open, and plan for the future. “Having the capital took a lot of stress off our shoulders,” he says, “It was great knowing we could continue this project and be successful.”

California Capital News and Updates, Client Success Stories

With Help from the Women’s Business Center, Krystyna Kubran Is Making the Clean Energy Economy Accessible for Small Business Owners

For Krystyna Kubran, her business, 352 Innovation, is the beginning of a paradigm shift of how vehicles are powered around the world. A mechanical engineer by trade, Krystyna is passionate about increasing access to electric vehicles while empowering automotive mechanics to maintain their service offerings as the industry shifts away from internal combustion car engines.  In partnership with her brother, an experienced mechanic, Kubran offers custom engine retrofitting and consults with automotive shops to provide education on servicing electric vehicle engines. 

Meeting a Need for Upskilling

Kubran’s idea for a business focused on electric vehicle retrofitting and education came about when she saw the need to ensure that the economy’s transition away from fossil fuel engines would be inclusive of the entrepreneurs who have made their livelihoods as mechanics. “I asked myself, ‘What would someone need to know to work on an EV effectively and reduce their liability while working on the car?’,” Kubran explains.  

From there, in collaboration with her brother, she set out to upskill mechanics and demystify electric vehicles. With a solid idea but needing insight into the best practices of business operations, Kubran connected with Charles Thomas, a counselor at the California Capital Women’s Business Center (WBC). “[Charles] has been my main guy,” she says about their work. “He’s had ideas that have completely transformed my business.” Through one-on-one business counseling, Kubran created her website, made her service offerings more specific, and learned the basics of cash flow analysis and profit and loss statement tracking. 

In launching her business, Kubran created a training program that she made available for subscription, and created a “Roadmap to the Clean Vehicle World” that envisions the process of undoing society’s reliance on fossil fuels. To increase her credibility and hone her knowledge, she became certified by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence.  

As she continues to build her clientele and position herself as a resource for education on electric vehicles, Kubran is looking forward to broadening her impact by opening her own shop for converting internal combustion engines.  

California Capital News and Updates, Client Success Stories

With Guidance from APEX Accelerator, Diala Jawhary Brings Meaningful Community Engagement to Sustainability Projects

In many ways, Diala Jawhary’s entrepreneurial journey began decades before she started on the path to business ownership. Established in 2021, Jawhary’s business, A & D Solutions, is a management consulting firm that helps businesses and agencies support their work of climate stewardship and environmental justice—but her vision for ensuring that organizations achieve their development and sustainability goals with authentic inclusion of frontline communities started during her work in international community development.  

Now, with A & D Solutions, Jawhary supports this vision for large agencies through contract project management in areas like community outreach, stakeholder engagement, grant and report writing, research and more. Working with a procurement counselor at the California Capital APEX Accelerator, Jawhary has built a network of clients and collaborators that allow her to work towards a vision of sustainability and resilience.  

Listening to Communities

After earning her master’s degree in environment and resource studies, Jawhary began working for large agencies charged with building sustainable projects in underdeveloped communities—and she noticed a marked disconnect between the work that was reported and the work that was undertaken. “I noticed that there is always a way to present things in a way where it’s not actually what is happening on the ground,” says Jawhary, reflecting on the illuminating early years of her career. “There was no listening to the communities – the projects were just meant to check boxes.”  

Working in conflict areas and with groups sensitive to local corruption, civil war, and distrust of institutions, Jawhary wanted to know what caused this gap, knowing that the aid workers in the field had the best intentions. “I noticed that the communities opened up to me and told me things they wouldn’t tell others, and worked with me when they wouldn’t work with others,” she explains. “Because I was transparent and actually listened and treated them like real partners in reaching the common good.” 

In this way, Jawhary developed her philosophy that projects meant to benefit communities must be led by the priorities of those communities, and solidified her belief that approaches to environmental sustainability must be holistically grounded in community impact.   

From Philosophy to Practice

In 2021, when she was ready to reenter the workforce after several years as a stay-at-home mother, Jawhary explored her options for putting her skillset to use. With her educational background, experience in the field, and natural ability to build connections, creating a consultancy that would allow her to reach multiple agencies and organizations felt like a natural choice. “I always had my way of doing things that didn’t always line up with what happens with larger orgs,” she explains. “I didn’t want to go to a company and have to convince them of my way. So, I thought, ‘Why don’t I start my own thing?’”.   

From this vision, A & D Solutions was launched, and Jawhary put her passion for environmental social governance into action. After attaining the certifications necessary to contract with entities like Caltrans, the State of California, and the California Public Utilities Commission, Jawhary connected with the California Capital APEX Accelerator. Part of a national program under management of the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs, the APEX Accelerator helps businesses prepare for, pursue, and perform on contracts with government agencies. For Jawhary, this meant mentorship, networking, and encouragement.  

Jawhary was matched with procurement counselor Alex McCracken, and the pair got to work immediately. Because Jawhary had already self-certified, McCracken began by helping her refine her offerings, access educational opportunities, and respond to requests for proposal. 

“[My counselor] was able to engage me at the level I was at rather than treating me like a computer. She made it customized and personalized,” says Jawhary, reflecting on how working with a counselor led her to opportunities she did not foresee. “She would tell me what research to do, but she also went beyond that and introduced me to other businesses that she thought would be good partners for the proposals I was submitting.” 

A Bright Future Grounded in Partnership

As an entrepreneur new to the consulting field, these partnerships were key in helping Jawhary land some of her first contracts. With this network of support, Jawhary has brought her grant writing, community engagement, and end-to-end project management services to clients including the California State University system, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the State of California Coastal Conservancy.  

Looking ahead to the future of A & D Solutions, Jawhary hopes to continue educating agencies and corporations about the importance of environmental social governance that fit the criteria for citizen engagement and sustainability.   

“We need meaningful engagement of all stakeholders, and not just checking the box,” she says when envisioning how she can scale the impact of A & D Solutions. “I believe this is the only way forward with the problems we’re facing—we need the whole community to be partners.”

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Celebrating AAPI Heritage: This Month and Always

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! As we reflect on the important impacts that Americans of Asian and Pacific Island descent have made on communities across California, we would like to take a moment to recognize the amazing members of the California Capital team that identify as Asian American and/or Pacific Islander, and share the stories of AAPI-owned businesses. 

Designated months to honor the contributions of historically underrepresented groups to American society are vital to celebration and education — but just as folks who identify with those groups work day in and day out to uplift themselves and their communities, we must remember to highlight them regularly, regardless of the month.

Meet Our Team

Our staff represents a variety of ethnicities and cultures from across Asia and the Pacific Islands, mirroring the vibrant and diverse backgrounds of the cultures we serve across California. Scroll through the gallery below to meet our team! 

Deborah Lowe Muramoto, President & CEO

May Masunaga (left), Chief Financial Officer

SiewYee Lee-Alix, Director, Sacramento Valley SBDC

Nguyen Nguyen, Sacramento Valley SBDC

Genevieve Duque, Program Coordinator, Women's Business Center

Sarah Harding, Program Manager, Women's Business Center

James Aldea, Procurement Counselor, APEX Accelerator

Michael Aguillio, Procurement Counselor, APEX Accelerator

Celebrate AAPI-Owned Businesses

According the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, 2.9 million businesses in the United States are AAPI-owned, creating 4.9 million jobs. With these numbers, there are plenty of opportunities shop AAPI-owned year-round! In fact, some of our most inspiring success stories are of AAPI clients. Click below to read more: 

Stay in the Know: Read the Hmong Daily News

The Greater Sacramento Area has a large, strong Hmong population. In order to keep folks in the community connected to one another, and keep the broader public informed of issues important to their Hmong neighbors, Macy Yang (a Sacramento Valley SBDC business advisor) created and runs the Hmong Daily News. Start reading today to stay in the know! 

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California Capital News and Updates, Client Success Stories

Two California Capital Clients Honored at SBA Sacramento District Small Business Awards

The sustainability of small businesses is always worth celebrating—and when that comes with an official award, all the better. On Friday, May 3rd, two small businesses that have worked with California Capital programs were honored at the 2024 SBA Sacramento District Small Business Awards, as part of National Small Business Week. The awards were presented at a luncheon ceremony in distinct categories.  

ExcelDent Dentistry, owned by Gabriela Solano and her husband Dr. Miguel Guerra, won Startup of the Year.  

From the beginning of their business journey, Gabriela has worked with Charles Thomas, a California Capital Women’s Business Center business counselor. Charles nominated ExcelDent for the award and presented the award at the ceremony. As they navigated the purchase and operation of their dental practice in Sacramento, Charles helped Gabriela and Dr. Guerra understand their finances, business planning, and permit requirements. “Charles brought a mix of professionalism and encouragement right from the start, which was exactly what I needed to get our dental office off the ground,” says Gabriela. “He guided me through all the essential resources and made sure we dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s with every agency involved.” 

Anvaya Solutions, owned by Shobha Mallarapu, was named Contractor of the Year. has worked with California Capital APEX Accelerator counselor James Aldea over the years to prepare to bid (and perform!) on government contracts, and she has grown to be a major player in the cybersecurity space.  

As entrepreneurs continue to power our local economies and communities, California Capital is proud to put their stories at the forefront and ensure they get the recognition they deserve.  

Black-Owned Business, Blog, California Capital News and Updates, Client Success Stories

“It Always Takes a Team”: How Patrick Bellard Found Support to Launch His Trucking Business

A typical morning for Patrick Bellard begins at 3:45: he is up, finished with his workout, and ready to take on the day’s work orders by 6.  He’ll start his shift at a hauling service, delivering materials for various construction projects including freeways and community development, attend classes in business administration at CSU Sacramento in the afternoon, and return home to spend time with his two daughters. With this ambition and dedication to providing a steady livelihood for his family, Patrick decided in late 2023 to purchase a semi-truck and trailer of his own to begin building his own construction delivery company, Timeless 500.  

With in-depth advising from Sacramento Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and funding from the California Capital Direct Lending center,Patrick purchased his truck in early 2024 and has begun building his clientele operating Timeless 500.  

As Patrick recalibrated his plans for the future after a move to Sacramento from the Bay Area, his studies in business and his experience with the trucking industry led him to a vision of himself as a multi-industry entrepreneur, with a brand that incapsulates his values of hard work, empowerment, and service. He decided to start by launching his own long-haul trucking company—but he knew he would need funding to get started.  

At the recommendation of a friend, Patrick connected with Sacramento Valley SBDC for training on the technical aspects of running a business and preparing to apply for a loan. Patrick’s business advisor, Kevin Herndon, helped him write a strong business plan and realistic two-year financial projections, two documents that every business owner needs when seeking financing.  

“[Kevin] was awesome. He really helped me go through the process” says Patrick.  “I was new to it, and for a while it seemed tedious to me, but it was a great learning process for me.” 

In addition to the technical assistance, Kevin helped Patrick foster a relationship with the California Capital Direct Lending team, knowing that non-traditional financing would be a better fit for a start-up like Patrick’s. 

“I was having a hard time with conventional banks trying to get a conventional loan, so I came over to California Capital,” explains Patrick, reflecting on the importance of working with a team that believed in his vision. “Through them, they made it happen for me. They helped me make my dream come true.”  

Thanks to his perseverence, and the expertise that he tapped into at Sacramento Valley SBDC, Patrick accessed a $50,000 loan to purchase a semi-truck and cover working capital expenses to get Timeless 500 off the ground.  

As he expands his business and his story, he is quick to shout out those who helped him lay the foundations.  

“Sacramento Valley SBDC and California Capital helped me every step of the way,” he reflects, adding that the support has continued after his loan closed. “I didn’t have to do everything myself. It always takes a team.” 

While he sub-contracts with his previous employer to build his clientele, Patrick continues to dream of ways to expand the Timeless brand and provide motivation for other aspiring entrepreneurs.  

“I’m looking for sustainability in my business, and I’m also into teaching and helping people,” he says. “I’m just here to say that you can do it—I’m living proof. Stick to the prayers, work hard, make it happen.” 

 

California Capital’s no-cost resources are made possible in part with support from JP Morgan Chase. 

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Business Ownership and Government Contracting Assistance from APEX Accelerator Helps Danishia Colbert and Her Family Thrive

For Danishia Colbert, entrepreneurship has been a path to stability and independence for her family. In 2022, after complications from childbirth resulted in her younger sister having a variety of chronic conditions that limit her ability to work a full-time job, Danishia and her husband launched Wall 2 Wall Cleaning Services. As an after-hours janitorial service specializing in office spaces and large buildings, Danishia can operate the business while keeping her day job with the State of California Department of Human Resources, and provide gainful, flexible employment for her sister and other family members.   

With her background in state work, Danishia knew that contracts with state and federal government agencies would be a way to build a sustainable business with reliable clients. Starting down this path, she turned to the California Capital APEX Accelerator to work with a counselor and learn the basics of contracting, from certifications to finding projects to bid on.  

 “I’m very resourceful, so I went to the APEX Accelerator to avoid challenges,” says Colbert, reflecting on the start of her business journey. “If I could save myself a headache, why not? That’s why I went: you don’t have to learn everything the hard way.”   

Working with Alex McCracken, her procurement counselor, Danishia did market research to determine that janitorial service would be a steady industry, wrote her capabilities statement, obtained her Woman-Owned Small Business certification, Service-Disabled Veteran certification, and join the online databases that would allow her to bid on jobs.  

Since launching in 2022, Wall 2 Wall Cleaning has won and performed on contracts with the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), the San Joaquin Valley Cemetery, and the California Conservation Corps. Danishia was also selected to participate in the prestigious Veterans in Procurement (VIP) program in Washington, D.C.  

“I have a great [APEX Accelerator] counselor. She connects me to different communities. A lot of the contracts I’ve gotten are because she’s connected me,” explains Danishia. “Having an APEX Accelerator counselor is like starting the game on second base: why wouldn’t you? It’s a big advantage.” 

Moving forward, Danishia is looking forward to working on strategies for growth, and becoming an expert in her industry. “I’m excited about being more strategic and proactive with my business – simple things like setting my books up in advance,” she says. “I’m doing a lot of learning and utilizing every resource.”

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With Funding from California Capital, Maisie’s Place Promotes Growth for Their Clientele

The team that founded Maisie’s Place, a nonprofit that provides in-home supportive living services to adults with disabilities, started by seeking to fulfill a need.  Realizing that the level of service available to developmentally disabled adults living on their own in the Greater Sacramento area could be elevated, Patricia Costanza co-founded Maisie’s Place with her daughter and husband.  

Working as a vendor of the Alta California Regional Center, Maisie’s Place launched in early 2023 and provides services to clientele in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Nevada counties.  

The Maisie’s Place staff provides 24/7 services to their clientele, working with them to  achieve their goals for independent living, which range from learning how to clean their apartment and count money to using public transport on their own. Most importantly, says Costanza, their clients get involved in their communities.  

“When someone gets into supportive living services, our responsibility is to get them out the front door,” she explains.  “That could mean joining Special Olympics or even grocery shopping and making the right choices in the grocery store. It’s all meant to support them to be able to deal with life a little better.”  

Though they had the expertise to bring their vision to life, accessing funding was another obstacle entirely.

THE RIGHT FINANCING FIT

With contracts from the Alta California Regional Center, which assists people with developmental disabilities build a team of supportive specialists, Maisie’s Place was not subject to the same type of risk that other enterprises experience: they knew where their work would come from. But to maintain the payroll for their staff—which grew quickly—in between contract payments, Costanza and her team knew that they would need some financing support.  

“We went out to banks with marvelous binders filled with all of our information: our contracts, the money we would need, the low risk,” says Costanza, who was by then working as the CEO of the organization. “A friend in the banking industry told me: you’re a start-up, and a nonprofit. Nobody’s gonna give you anything. But I’ve never believed that.”  

When following leads from traditional banks, the Maisie’s Place team was met with the foretold resistance—not for lack of preparation, but simply because their need did not match the large business plans that banks provide. Not wanting to take on more debt than was necessary, Costanza’s determination eventually led her to speak with the California Capital Lending Center’s Business Development Officer, Brian Zscheile.  

After working with the Board of Directors of Maisie’s Place to establish a line of credit for payroll, Costanza was able to take out a microloan through California Capital to cover the overhead set up expenses of Maisie’s Place.  

“Brian worked his magic and everyone [at California Capital] was just wonderful,” says Costanza of the loan application process. “What impressed me the most was that our fight became California Capital’s fight, and that’s highly unusual. Nobody takes things personal these days, but [they] did.”

SUPPORT FOR GROWTH

With a dedicated executive team, highly qualified support staff to provide 24/7 services to their clients and a Board of Directors invested in the mission, Maisie’s Place is poised to broaden their impact.  

After seeing the difficulties that disabled adults experience in accessing safe, affordable housing, the team’s vision for the future is clear: expand housing opportunities for disabled adults by increasing availability.   

As Costanza explains it, the goal of creating systems where disabled adults can live independently and participate in their local communities is hindered by a lack of affordable housing and stringent income requirements that preclude them from even applying.  

 “I have one goal,” she says. “I would like Maisie’s Place to have a piece of property with a duplex so that I can guarantee four or five clients a home that they can afford. We could control the rent so we can rent to them at whatever their income level is, and always keep a room open in case we get a client that needs crisis housing.”  

With a deep commitment to and respect for the people they serve, the Maisie’s Place team is having a positive ripple effect on local communities by empowering disabled adults to build life skills and live with dignity. As a mission-based lender, California Capital is able to participate in building a better world through the enterprises that we fund. 

California Capital News and Updates, Client Success Stories

Bear & Crown Pub Brings British Classics to Old Sacramento

For Joe Wilson and Jesse Ledin, owners of Bear & Crown Pub, opening a British eatery in Northern California was a new endeavor in their personal and professional lives—but in many ways, it was familiar territory.  The restaurant, which celebrated its grand opening in August of 2023, is an embrace of the unique backgrounds of each of its founders.   

A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Ledin has worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry for nearly two decades, with experience ranging from banquet catering to overseeing restaurant openings, while Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) bringing extensive accounting experience and his British heritage to the enterprise.  Despite their experience, being a start-up restaurant presented challenges for accessing capital through a traditional bank loan—so when they were looking for funding to finalize their launch, they turned to California Capital and secured a loan that allowed them to complete their renovations of their Old Sacramento location.

BRITISH ROOTS, CALIFORNIA VIBE

Born in London to English parents, Wilson grew up eating—and enjoying—beloved British dishes. When Ledin stepped back from his role at another local restaurant, and the couple realized that their combined skillsets would translate well into operating a restaurant together, the idea of opening a traditional British pub immediately came to mind.  

“We saw a gap for a British pub in Sacramento, and we were craving that homey feel,” explains Ledin, adding that they were intent on opening near midtown or downtown Sacramento, where they live.  

What was originally envisioned as a hole-in-the-wall canteen, says Wilson, has developed into more of a California spin on the time-honored public houses of the United Kingdom. “It reflects my upbringing, because I’m both British and American, and the playful modern spin fits us more,” he says.  

To be sure, the brand itself is a deliberate nod to both locales. Bear & Crown follows the usual naming convention of pubs by having two nouns joined together, says Wilson, explaining that they chose bear to honor California and crown as a salute to hometown NBA team, The Kings. With a logo designed by local artist Spencer Parry, Bear & Crown is as Sacramento as a British-themed eatery can be.

SEEKING MENTORSHIP AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

When they began to pursue the project in earnest, Ledin’s connections in the Sacramento restaurant industry proved to be invaluable mentors, and Wilson’s knowledge of accounting and business management made the planning s

eamless. Both of their families are supportive of the vision as well, and have invested in the start-up costs. With support from California Capital, they were able to finish their tenant improvements and open on schedule.  

“Working with [California Capital] was really easy, and it was great to have them visit the site and see the behind-the-scenes of how we were putting the money to use,” explains Wilson. “Working with a nonprofit lender was also a reflection of our love for the local community.”  

HUSTLE, BUSTLE, AND PLANS FOR GROWTH

Since their grand opening, the founders have kept their staff—and themselves—busy.  They are running promotions for Sacramento Kings fans heading to games at nearby Golden 1 Center, hosting private events and preparing to host more community events with their new entertainment permit.  In the coming months, they also plan to pilot a seasonal initiative in which they will partner with local nonprofits to offer a special menu item whose sales will support the nonprofit of the season.  

Add this to their regular happy hours and weekly, rotating Sunday Roast menu, and it is clear that Wilson and Ledin are staying true to the long-established tradition of pubs being more than a restaurant: Bear & Crown is quickly becoming a hub for entertainment, community building and inclusivity.  

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