With 1:1 Advising from Sacramento Valley SBDC, Ohana Hawaiian Shaved Ice Brings Family Flavor to Community Events  

CELEBRATING HISPANIC-OWNED BUSINESSES DURING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

When Alicia Gonzalez and Brenda Sizer decided to join their friend Gerardo Ramirez on his business journey, the three friends were new to the intricacies of entrepreneurship. With Ohana Hawaiian Shaved Ice, the business partners are carrying out their vision of providing island-inspired treats at fairs and community events across Northern California. While they were always clear on what their business could grow into, personalized assistance from Sacramento Valley SBDC was key to helping them get started.

THE CHALLENGE  

Alicia and Brenda originally contacted Sacramento Valley SBDC in search of guidance on the basics of launching and operating a mobile food facility business. They needed feedback on their business plan, advice on what business structure to choose, and assistance acquiring the right permits and licenses to allow them to apply for various fairs. To apply for county fairs, the company needed to be able to show photos of their entire mobile food set up, so establishing these key foundations was a must early-on.  

THE SOLUTION  

After being matched with Sacramento Valley SBDC business advisor Macy Yang, the Ohana team got to work quickly. Macy advised them on how to add depth to their business plan, what business structures they should consider and how to file articles of incorporation, and the various licensing and inspection requirements to consider. With this detailed and actionable advice, they completed their LLC filing and S-corp election, received their first business license, and successfully invested capital into the LLC which allowed them to purchase their mobile food facility equipment. With these elements in order, Ohana Hawaiian Shaved Ice officially launched and created three part-time jobs for Gerardo, Brenda, and Alicia. 

THE RESULT  

Since working with Macy, the team have made their way into nine community fairs in areas ranging from San Joaquin County to Yuba County. Excitingly, they also achieved their goal of selling at the 2024 California State Fair in Sacramento, marking a successful first season. Knowing that they have a solid business plan to base their decisions off of, Gerardo, Brenda, and Alicia are confident that they can continue to grow. “Starting the business was a bit overwhelming from developing a business plan to working with numerous government agencies to obtain the appropriate business licenses and determining tax filing requirements,” says Alicia, reflecting on the early days of their planning. “With the assistance of [Sacramento Valley] SBDC, we were able to successfully navigate through the start-up process.”