Business By The Bay

Khivi Care is a six-bed residential care home in Livermore, California, built on compassion, dignity, and a deep sense of community. Sharan Kaur shares her personal journey from a diverse career spanning tech, healthcare, banking, and startups to finding purpose in senior care, a decision driven by her desire to create meaningful, people-centered work. 

Sharan discusses the emotional, physical, and practical challenges seniors and t...

Andriana Mendez, Certified Senior Advisor and co-founder of Custom Moving Solutions shares her entrepreneurial journey from corporate marketing and grocery retail into building a family-owned moving and senior move-management company founded in 2017. The business evolved from residential moving into a specialized focus on seniors and adult children navigating downsizing, relocations, and crisis-driven transitions, emphasizing compa...

Lilit shares her journey from growing up in Armenia during its independence movement to immigrating to the U.S., pursuing foreign service, and then navigating careers in Oracle, pharma, and entrepreneurship, all of which taught her that change is constant and success depends on readiness. As co-founder of Realatable, she helps long-established small businesses identify operational gaps, regain alignment, and avoid piling disjointed...

April Mora shared her remarkable journey, from launching a financial literacy mission in 2007 to help individuals and business owners understand money, to shifting toward health and wellness after witnessing aging family members struggle with chronic wounds and limited continuity of care. She explained how Wound Menders MD addresses a growing but underserved problem; millions of seniors nationwide suffer from chronic wounds, yet ma...

Despite a successful career in tech and healthcare, it was Brian's own family’s difficult experiences with inconsistent caregiving that ultimately redirected him toward home care. This personal connection fuels his mission today: to raise the standards of reliability, caregiver training, and compassion for families who need support the most.

Brian explained that families typically reach out when they are overwhelmed or burned ou...

Melissa shares her 25+ years in recruiting and business development. She describes how ZRG Partners (a global talent advisory with a deep interim/fractional bench) steps in when stakes are high, say IPO prep, leadership turnover, audits/compliance, transaction readiness, and rapid scale. She touched upon uncertainty in the market, the cost of a wrong hire, and why speed, precision and culture fit matter. Typical process is to liste...

Fractional COO Guy Beretta, explains how small businesses can stop firefighting and scale with structure.The COO guy shares a practical playbook; start with your P&L, clarify the owner’s vision, run dual SWOTs (owner and business), and set a weekly 90-minute execution rhythm. We cover picking the right fractional leader, common franchise/real-estate ops pitfalls, and why fundamentals beat AI hype. Walk away with steps to stream...

Breanna shares her inspiring journey from receptionist to founder of a multi-state HR consulting firm. She discusses the most common HR challenges small businesses face; compliance gaps, employee-relations issues, and why clear expectations and professional guidance are essential. Breanna explains how her personalized, people-first approach combines technology with genuine human connection. She also offers practical advice for busi...

Eric is a former videographer who turned his creative eye toward marketing and went on to found Solid House Marketing. Today, he works as a fractional CMO for small businesses, helping them scale by building the foundations that make marketing truly work - optimized websites, CRM and lead capture systems, data tracking, SEO, aligned channel strategies, and a clear sales process. His approach blends AI automations with authentic sto...

Aashi Arora specializes in helping practices and health organizations turn difficult dynamics into aligned, high-performing teams. Most business problems are people problems. If you don’t define your culture and values, they get defined for you, creating conflict, misaligned expectations, and stalled decisions. Some of the key takeaways are:

• Culture first, not last: Clarify mission, vision, and a few lived values before problems...

Nathan Jines is a 5th-generation real estate professional with family roots back to the 1870s (great-great-grandfather sold Texas land for $2/acre). He attributes his success to relentlessly focusing on clients’ real needs, demonstrating genuine care, and bringing deep expertise, rather than chasing shortcuts. He emphasizes that empathy and competence are essential when guiding clients through one of the most significant financial ...

Small businesses often fail because owners dive into their ventures with a product or service they love, but without a solid business plan. While they may try marketing through channels like social media or online ads, their messaging often falls flat, failing to clearly communicate the value they offer. The key to success lies in creating a strong, market-dominating position that sets you apart and makes it clear why clients shoul...

Many people invest to secure their future and ensure a comfortable retirement. Denis emphasizes the importance of working with a certified financial planner—someone you trust, connect with, and feel confident will prioritize your best interests. With just over 100,000 certified financial planners in the U.S., finding the right professional can make all the difference. Financial planning involves numerous variables, such as determin...

Selling a business is not the same as running one, especially for first-time small business sellers. The challenges? Plenty.

Small businesses often come with risks that can make buyers cautious. Common concerns include:

• Heavy reliance on the owner without an empowered second layer of management
• Revenue concentrated in a few clients
• High employee turnover

Additionally, sellers may have higher valuation expectations, b...

Andrea believes that storytelling enables businesses to forge deeper connections with their markets. Rather than just explaining what products or services do, she emphasizes the need to elevate the brand’s message. She advises engaging with communication professionals who have industry experience, understand market sentiment, and maintain relationships with media contacts—key to getting the right stories placed.

Andrea highlights t...

Many business leaders, particularly millennials, feel they aren’t receiving the development they need in today’s organizations. A significant leadership gap exists because many companies rely on generic online training or allocate a budget for personal development without proper guidance. Additionally, these organizations often lack a feedback loop and fail to establish a clear vision or foster a culture where teams can thrive. Mon...

AI can significantly enhance employee productivity by enabling them to work faster and more efficiently. Despite some concerns about AI replacing human jobs, many employees have reported positive experiences with AI in the workplace. For instance, Steve notes that when his company conducts surveys, the overwhelming majority of employees, even those initially skeptical, express that AI has made them more effective, engaged, and prod...

Arnav and Vallabh, two high school students, have been dedicated to community service from a young age. Through their experiences, they discovered that helping others brings out the best in you. Motivated by this realization, they founded the non-profit organization "Open Arms Refugee" to address the harsh realities refugees face daily.

The journey was challenging, as reaching out to refugees proved difficult. Many are hesitant to ...

Organizations strive to position themselves as trusted partners, aiming to attract and engage their ideal clients. Leveraging the power of storytelling through captivating videos is an effective way to stand out from the competition and showcase core values. Creating high-quality videos is very beneficial; however a well-planned marketing strategy is also crucial to maximize their impact and achieve the best results.

Stephanie emph...