For Janine Anderson, working with Sacramento’s underserved youth populations is more than just a passion: it’s a family legacy. Growing up, Janine’s mother, Rosalie, would often open up their home to foster youth, providing an safe space for all children–Janine included–to learn how to navigate the real world. “She was always big on making sure that we were prepared to maintain a job, navigate the workforce, and communicate effectively with supervisors,” explains Janine. In 2007, Janine and her husband, Maurice, launched LaCar’s Legacy, a nonprofit that empowers youth with employment services including resume writing, interview strategies, and conflict resolution coaching. Now, with a new for-profit endeavor, Janine is bridging the gap between securing a job and what it means to thrive in the workplace. Working primarily with neurodivergent youth, Janine is launching Build a Sundae, an ice cream shop where youth will real-world experience and acquire transferable job skills. With support from her Women’s Business Center counselor, Janine has written a business plan that has allowed her secure a lease, to hit the ground running with pop-up events, and prepare for a grand opening in 2023.
STARTING WITH A MISSION, AND ICE CREAM
In 2007, when Janine and her husband launched LaCar’s Legacy, their goal was to empower youth to actively participate in their communities, and represent themselves authentically. Doing workshops at community spaces across South Sacramento, Janine built on her experience growing up alongside foster youth and learned even more deeply about what young people need to thrive.
“What we found is that, for neurodivergent youth, they need to be understood and afforded the right type of patience,” says Janine, adding that 
many of the youth in that population are not given the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability. “My mother didn’t put limitations on anyone, and they rose to the occasion. We wanted to keep that going.”
As their work expanded, Janine began to imagine how LaCar’s Legacy could expand the impact of their programming beyond simply finding a job– and providing on-the-job experience was a natural next step. Proving workplace skills training in-house would ensure that teachable moments are not missed, and the youth get the most out of their employment. “We wanted to provide a place that’s inclusive, diverse and allows people the time to learn and acquire skills in an environment that allows for mistakes,” says Janine.
When imagining what type of business could fit that need, an ice cream shop seemed like a no-brainer. In addition to providing opportunities for learning fast-paced customer service, staffing logistics and inventory management, ice cream was another way to honor the family legacy. Janine’s mother, Rosalie, loved ice cream (mint chocolate chip in particular), and Janine gained her first job skills at an ice cream shop in high school.
SEEKING SUPPORT TO GET STARTED
With her idea and goals in place, Janine was ready to work on the technical side of starting a business–and knew she would need support to navigate the start-up process.
“The whole idea of a business plan was so daunting: where do you start? What is the purpose? Once you have it, what do you do with it,” explains Janine, who was directed to the Women’s Business Center by an economic development officer at the City of Rancho Cordova. She was matched with a business counselor, 
Prashante Bailey, who has worked with Janine to write an actionable business plan. “I chose to write a longer, more detailed plan, and it has been so helpful to have Prashante to talk things through with,” she says. “She helps me think out the process, and offers resources and guidance on areas I hadn’t thought about.”
As she plans for the year ahead, Janine is on solid ground to launch her business. Since working with the WBC, Janine has secured a lease, created financial projections, and booked pop-up events to begin selling as Build a Sundae ahead of their grand opening. With Build a Sundae, Janine will be honoring her mother’s legacy not just in spirit, but in practice.
“We think of our ice cream shop as a starting space. The goal is to help them build confidence, help them to be avid in the workforce and to help them to promote on to some other careers that they may way want for themselves.”
To learn more and stay up to date on Build a Sundae’s grand opening, visit www.buildasundae.com
As part of the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Revolving Loan Fund Week, California Capital lending client Dr. Haleigh Scott, founder and owner of Ascend Diagnostics and Support Services, was featured on the EDA blog. Click below to read the feature! 
barber and a rapper, Jzonh began creating custom embroidery designs on hats and pants to express his unique style during performances. After gaining a following on TikTok featuring his embroidery work, Jzonh began to envision ways that he could expand his skillset and create a wider variety of custom pieces. He connected with Constance Agee, owner of Agee Fashion Institute and instructor of the California Capital Sewn Products Manufacturing Training Course. 
“Beyond the sewing skills, the course taught me how to work with customers and be a leader,” says Jzonh. Working with Constance, he has filed his LLC, gotten an Employee Identification Number, and is in the process of writing a business plan. “Being a first-generation college student, I want to set an example in my family and be an inspiration for my community.” 
Antronette Robinson is a Veteran of the United States Army, where she served as a critical care nurse for 12 years. In 2018, Antronette was inspired to open a café space that would allow her to give back to her community. After opening Maestro Coffee House in July of 2019, 
David Ramil is a certified Service Disabled Veteran, who worked with the California Capital Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) to learn how to pursue, bid on, and successfully perform on government contracts. In early 2019, David was awarded a contract with California American Water and was selected to participate in their Mentor Protégé Program. 
Mack Thomas is a father, a Disabled United States Marine Corps Veteran, a Black business owner—and someone who knows good barbecue. Over the past 30 years, The Thomas family have learned the ins and outs of the business and grown MacQue’s Barbecue into a staple of the Sacramento area. To continue growing, Mack began envisioning the possibility of selling MacQue’s sauces to military bases across the country. 
Constance Agee’s entrepreneurial journey began when she was 18 years old, serving in the Air Force. After she chose to sew her organizational patches onto her uniform herself rather than use the base’s alteration shop, she began offering the service to others on base. This began a long career in sewn products, and led her to establish Agee Fashion Institute, where she creates pathways to entrepreneurship through education in both high fashion and industrial sewn products. 
what we wear: they show the world who we are. The philosophy that personal style can function as a reflection of our values, ambitions, and quirks has informed much of Michelle’s career. After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Fashion Merchandising, Michelle worked in product development for several multinational apparel brands. Inspired by the ethos of surf brands like Roxy and Billabong that empowered buyers to express their love for the outdoors, she took her knowledge of the fashion industry and set out on her own entrepreneurial journey. With 
Even with Michelle’s thorough knowledge of the fashion industry, launching a small business has been a process of adjustment and resilience. In fact, Wildflower Daydreams is the second iteration of Michelle’s entrepreneurial vision. Before starting the boutique, Michelle had a t-shirt brand that she ended up discontinuing–but the experience was invaluable for her as a business owner. 
launched an online store. She built up her inventory slowly, paying up front for the merchandise, and continued building her brand through a growing social media presence. To engage even more with her clientele, Michelle began attending fairs and small business pop-up events throughout Sacramento–and the “omni-channel” experience has been key. 
Boutique on October 15. While this step on Michelle’s business journey comes after years in the fashion industry, it is in many ways just the beginning. Nestled in the heart of Midtown, at 815 16
and less connection with the students she was used to seeing every day. To stay grounded, Brittney began to channel her energy into gardening, growing flowers, and learning new artistic skills, including creating planters in custom designs. Her friends took notice of the unique personality that Brittney brought to her creations, and began purchasing planters and dried floral arrangements. Soon, Brittney had a steady stream of orders keeping her busy. While maintaining her day job, Brittney made her hobby official and launched 
pop-up at The Creative Space, which introduced her to a new clientele. From there, Glass House Garden’s growth has been entirely organic. 
her passion for working with students. The school where she continues to work as a counselor is in a historically disadvantaged area, and Brittney encounters many students she knows would benefit from the opportunity to learn about business ownership. This pairing would be a natural fit, as Brittney’s philosophy towards her business embodies the 
Women’s Business Center to launch Mindy’s Kitchen, a vegan, on-the-go salad line designed to be accessible to Black and Brown communities with less access to fresh, nutritious food.
campus in housing, career advising, and LGBTQ leadership. Seeing the challenges that graduating seniors faced, Melissa found an innovative way to support Black college graduates: in addition to inviting them to the creative communities she fostered, she launched Muganzo Investments, a scholarship fund through which she provided microgrants to soon-to-be graduates that financed major milestones such as registration for the LSAT, plane tickets to medical school interviews, or filing for an LLC.
a chance, and by changing her diet, Melissa healed her fibroids, and reversed her symptoms. “I became obsessed with plant-based eating, back when vegan food still tasted like grass,” jokes Melissa. She was determined to share the transformational potential of vegan eating, particularly with Black and Brown communities for whom access to plant-based whole foods is marginalized based on histories of 
Sacramento’s first Black/Queer production company. Leading a 100% Black team, comprised in part of 20 production interns, Melissa filmed, produced, and released the company’s inaugural feature-length documentary: 
bodies.” Ultimately, Melissa’s vision with Mindy’s Kitchen is to increase longevity by making it easy for people to opt for fresh fruits and vegetables over highly processed convenience foods.
