238 N. CItrus Ave
Covina, Ca
www.Laformefit.com
Christina Lemaire is the owner of La Forme, a boutique wellness studio that offers Barre, Pilates, and Yoga that caters to women's health and fitness. Christina was originally a Barre instructor until 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when all the classes moved online. She then started teaching classes virtually from a courtyard.
Christina’s first introduction to the SBDC was finding workshops in the LA Regional Network for starting and managing a business. “I’m pretty positive I googled ‘small business resources’ and it led me down a little rabbit hole to seminars online for the SBDC,” Christina explained. Christina was connected with the University of La Verne SBDC and was able to schedule an appointment with business advisor Mark Hicks within a week.
Like most new business owners, Christina didn’t have a background in business and did not know how to plan a business or even where to begin. “The challenge was understanding the business itself. What goes into that and what preparation do I need? So, going in kind of blind to the SBDC, But then the magic happened,” Christina said.
“Thank you SBDC for everything you have given me, for the opportunities you have given me, the confidence you have given to me, and the kindness that I have been given from both Mark and from Sean, going into the California Dream Fund. I can’t explain the crying tears of happiness when that phone call came that I got. So thank you SBDC for all that you have done.”
Mark Hick became Christina’s primary advisor to start on the business plan online with the Business Plan Project. It was challenging, I had no idea where to start or what to do. There were questions Mark would ask me that I didnt have the answers to. I felt a little dumb, but he didnt make me feel like that at all,” Christina explained. Mark reassured Christina that he would help her every step of the way by scheduling routine sessions and answering questions she had.
Christina was made aware of the California Dream Fund Grant that would provide seed money for her new business. One of the requirements was a business that Christina had already completed. She was able to progress through the program and have all the requirements complete within a couple of months and by November of 2022, Christina was awarded $10,000 to open her new small business in the City of Covina.
“I can’t explain it words the benefit I have been given working with the SBDC. It’s been invaluable and I will say that to anyone I can. Working with them has changed my life. I really now understand how to run this business, the business plan itself, and the California Dream Fund, step by step. It was a lot of work and routining, but because of that, I feel confident as a business owner. I feel ready for whatever next steps are coming and knowing that SBDC is there for me and to help guide me, is priceless.
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