MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON'S DESK FOR HIS SIGNATURE LAST WEEK.

>> BUT THE NOLES HAVE LONG EMBRACE.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT HAS FATALES LANDSCAPERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS TO NAME A FEW IN FACT, LET THE NOLES ARE STARTING BUSINESSES AT OVER TWICE THE RATE OF THE GENERAL U.S. POPULATION.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO A NEW ANALYSIS OF THE CENSUS BUREAU DATA.

BUT GETTING THERE AS A FIRST TIME BUSINESS OWNER COMES WITH ITS OWN SET OF CHALLENGES AS NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS MONTH COMES TO A CLOSE.

WE INVITED 3 ENTREPRENEURS TO SHARE THEIR STORIES.

THEY ARE.

VANESSA ARROYO.

THE FOUNDER AND ORDER SET IS FULL WHERE ERIC HOLDER ON THE OWNER AND CHEF OF MEDINA'S BISTRO AND ROME BAR AND WE'LL SAY LOPEZ, CO-FOUNDER AND OWNER OF ME EVENT SAID I'M A AT SUNDAY I GOT I GOT A LOT AND THEY WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS ALL FOR JOINING US.

AND FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATS ON YOUR BUSINESS I'M SURE IT WAS A LONG JOURNEY.

VANESSA, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.

WHAT DREW YOU TO FASHION MAKING SHOES?

>> WELL, GROWING UP, MY DAD TAUGHT ME HOW TO SEW.

MY GRANDMOTHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO SELL AS WELL.

AND I'M A PRODUCT OF THE 90'S.

YOU KNOW HOW WE LOVE FASHION AND THE OLDER I GOT, THE MORE I WANTED TO PURSUE THAT FOR A LIVING TO YOU.

CURL UP IN THAT.

YES, I DID WEAR FROM CHICAGO.

SO HOUSE MUSIC BREAK THEY INCREASE ALL OF THAT IS YOU CAN DANCE.

ERIC, I WANT TO BE YOUR CHEF.

YOUR WHAT WOULD HAVE DUE TO OPEN YOUR OWN RESTAURANT AND PUT THAT PUERTO RICAN MONITOR.

EYES TWIST RIGHT TO MODERN TWIST.

A PUERTO RICAN FOOD.

ABSOLUTELY.

>> SO AT A YOUNGER AGE, MY MOM TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY, YOU KNOW, SHE I KEPT IN MY MIND THAT SHE WON, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SHE'S COMING TO MAKE HER PROUD.

>> SO, YOU KNOW, I WENT TO CULINARY SCHOOL AND PUERTO RICO WHEN I CAME BACK TO CHICAGO, I DECIDED TO START AS A GHOST KITCHEN.

AND, YOU THAT OPENED THE OPPORTUNITY TO, YOU KNOW, BEEN A BRICK AND AND THAT THERE'S A LACK OF REPRESENTATION AND NORTH SIDE YOU KNOW, I DID GREAT DINING SPACE SO YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR TRANSPORT YOURSELF.

SO THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS ON THE THING THAT MOTIVATED FROM NAME AFTER A YES, YES.

OH, THAT'S SO SWEET.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

AND THEN JOSE, YOU STARTED VEERING BEER WHICH IS INSANE FROM HOME A LOT OF PEOPLE DO WITH YOUR BROTHER.

YES.

TELL US ABOUT THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR SO MYSELF, MY BROTHERS, WE WERE INTO CRAFT BEER, WE DIDN'T SEE OF MEXICAN CULTURE, LATINO CULTURE AND >> IN TOO MANY BRANDS.

SO WE WERE LIKE WE DRINK A LOT.

WHY NOT CREATE SOMETHING THAT KIND OF REPRESENTS OUR CULTURE, OUR INGREDIENTS, KIND OF WHAT WE GREW UP WITH.

>> SO THAT WAS THAT WAS INSPIRATION BEHIND EVERYTHING.

WOULD SAY THAT YOU'VE BISCUIT IS SO ORDER INTO SOME OF OUR STYLE.

I BY REUSE OF BUENA FROM FROM THE MOBILE.

SO WE USE THAT WE HAVE MICHAEL.

AND SOME OF OUR SOLDIERS THAT WERE SO CIRCLE FACE OFF THE TRADITIONAL MEXICAN DRINK.

SO A LOT OF OUR VIEWERS HAVE HAVE THOSE TRIED THAT.

AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT CAPITAL BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS THE HARDEST PART.

ERIC CARS CAN OFTEN BE A FOR ENTREPRENEURS, WAS AN A CHALLENGE FOR YOU.

AND WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?

>> IT WAS DEFINITE TRYING TO GET CAPITAL AS A MINORITY AND AS A MAN, IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

I'M TRYING TO FIND SOMEBODY THAT WILL BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAMS.

I GOT TURNED DOWN MANY, MANY, MANY TIMES UP TRYING TO GET BUT I FOUND SOMEBODY THAT BELIEVE IN ME THAN MY VISION.

AND WHAT WHAT, WHAT MY BRAND WAS WAS ALL ABOUT.

AND YEAH, AND THAT'S HOW I GOT A BREAK.

SO BUT YEAH, I I DID WANT SEVERAL VERY NOT TRYING TO GIVE UP AN AND VANESSA, YOU SELL FUNDED YOUR AT WHAT POINT DID YOU FIND OUT THERE WAS HELP FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

AND WHAT?

WHAT?

WHAT WAS IT LIKE NAVIGATING WELL, ARE MY BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO HIT THE ONE-YEAR MARK AND >> I RECENTLY RECEIVED A GRANT TO OPEN UP A STOREFRONT WITH MY BUSINESS PARTNER AND WEST TOWN AND THESE RESOURCES.

THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE, BUT A LOT OF THEM I GOT TURNED DOWN, YOU KNOW, LOANS.

THEY DON'T LOOK AT YOU IF YOUR NEW BUSINESS AND EVEN GRANTS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS.

FORTUNATELY THROUGH THE WESTOWN I WAS THE RECIPIENT OF THIS GRAND AND WE NOW HAVE A STOREFRONT.

AND RIGHT NOW I'M A FOOTWEAR DESIGNER BY TRADE.

SO HAVING A FOOTWEAR BRAND IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE MANY THINGS THAT I DO AND I'M ABLE TO OPERATE MY BUSINESS THROUGH ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I DO LIKE EDUCATION IN FASHION DESIGN.

AND WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAD TO LEARN EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN?

WHEN I FIRST STARTED, YOU HAD THIS VISION OF CREATING THIS.

THIS FOLK WHERE WAS THAT LIKE?

JUST TRYING TO FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT.

YEAH.

WELL, I DIDN'T.

GOT THINK I WAS GOING TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ALL I LIKE TO DEVELOP PRODUCT AND DESIGN PRODUCT IN.

>> I HAD TO LEARN THESE THINGS AND THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I HAVE A VISION FOR THE BRAND.

WE.

PRODUCED IN MEXICO.

AND FOR ME, THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME AS A FASHION DESIGNER, A WORK IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS KEPT COMPLETELY LIKE EVEN HERE IN CHICAGO.

AND I REALLY WANT TO REPRESENT MY PEOPLE.

SO I WORK WITH PARTISANS.

I MOVED HERE FROM MEXICO.

I WORK WITH ARTISTS I HIRED AND MANUFACTURERS AND A BIG DEAL IN GENERAL EVEN MANUFACTURING COSTS EXACTLY.

EXACTLY.

BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH ONE-ON-ONE.

IT'S JUST VERY SPECIAL.

CAN YOU RELATE TO THAT WAS I WAS SHE SAYING?

>> YES, KIND OF THINKING BACK TO THE WHOLE FUNDING THING.

THAT'S YEAH.

BEEN THE HARDEST PART HARDEST A LOT OF OUR FUNDING.

PLAY FOR SO MANY LOANS AND THERE'S LOANS OUT THERE TRYING TO GET TO 40%.

AND THAT'S WHERE KIND OF BUSINESSES YOU'RE SETTING YOURSELF UP TO YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'VE LUCKILY NEVER HAD TO TAKE IN SOME OF THOSE LOANS, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE ANY BUSINESS OWNER, HOME EQUITY ALL THESE WORDS THE REAL EVERYTHING DAUNTING, LIKE GETTING THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH SOMEONE FROM YOUR PERSONAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND JUST PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER.

THEY NEED WHOLE FINANCIAL.

GOT TO A POINT WHERE WE HAVE EVERYTHING TOGETHER.

BUT >> ONCE HE ONCE YOU GET PAST THAT YOU BEING OVERWHELMING, IT'S STILL MOST OUT THERE REALLY GIVEN MONEY.

>> ERICA, VANESSA, WANT TO GO TO YOU.

BOTH OF YOU ARE RELATIVELY NEWER BUSINESS.

WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN AWAY, ERIC, FROM THE SHORT TIME.

>> I AM WHAT I'VE TAKEN FROM THE SHORT TIME IS LIKE HOW PEOPLE LOVE MY FOOD AND MY VISION.

AND, YOU KNOW, AND >> THAT'S THAT'S A GREAT US BEING THAT THAT THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME.

YOU KNOW, KNOWING THAT PEOPLE >> ARE BEHIND YOU GETTING ANY GOOD?

YES, THE GOOD FEEDBACK THAT THAT PEOPLE THAT TRUST TRUST YOU.

SO SOMETHING THAT THAT I WILL NEVER, YOU KNOW, TAKE FOR GRANTED.

DO YOU HAVE AGREE WITH YOU?

BECAUSE >> SEEING THE COMMUNITY THAT BACKS YOU AND YOUR VISION SUCH A SCARY THING TO JUST EVEN GET STARTED.

YOU KNOW, SOME THE RESTAURANTS HERE IN CHICAGO, YOU KNOW, LIKE AND STARTING A BUSINESS AND YOU'VE GOT TO COMPETE WITH SO MANY PEOPLE AND LIKE TO MAINTAIN YOURSELF ON THE TOP AND TRYING REINVENT YOURSELF ALL THE TIME.

FUN THING HAS ALL OF YOU SEEM TO BE REALLY PUTTING YOUR CULTURE INTO YOUR PRODUCT?

YOU WOULD YOU SAY THAT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN ACTUALLY AND LIKE MYSELF?

I DECIDED TO DO RESTAURANT UPTOWN, WHICH THERE IS NO, IT WAS LACK OF REPRESENTATION OF OF OUR CULTURE AND FOOD.

AND I DID.

THEY DON'T WANT TO JUST MAKE IT.

WE'RE RESTAURANTS IN HUMBLE THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WE HAVEN'T WE LITERALLY ONLY HAVE A COUPLE SECONDS.

ONE WORD THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE ADVICE TO SOMEONE STARTING A