- Welcome to Inland Edition, where this season, we're having conversations with people who represent nonprofit organizations, working to make the Inland Empire a better place.

My name's Joe Richardson.

[light background music] I'm an Inland Empire resident, a local attorney and your host.

And today, we're going to chat with Vanessa Perez, a co-founder and executive director of Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit.

Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit Center is a state-of-the-art economic hub, designed to empower women of color, entrepreneurs and eliminate systematic barriers.

The center educates and trains disadvantaged women in the Inland Empire, so that they can gain the opportunities and accessibility required to enter previously exclusive sectors in employment and to build generational wealth.

Vanessa Perez interned in 2012 and her commitment and leadership qualities propelled her into the role of executive director.

She steers the organization's strategic vision and policies, providing guidance and management across planning, programming, fund development, marketing and administration functions.

As an agent for positive change, she advocates for equity and inclusivity, and leverages her expertise and passion, to empower women to amplify their voices in the pursuit of a better future.

Let's meet her now and learn more about the B-B-O-P and its effect on our community.

[soft piano music] ♪ [gentle upbeat music] ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Joe] So, from the Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit Center, we have Vanessa Perez.

Vanessa, how are you?

- Hey, I'm doing great.

How are you?

- Good, good.

Thank you so much for being here.

So, first of all, you are the CEO of B-BOP!

- Yes!

- OK. That's how-- We can call it B-BOP, right?

- Yes.

It's the BBOP Center.

- OK.

So, give me some background on you and how you came across the organization.

- Well, to kinda give you a little bit of that context, the BBOP Center is actually a project of Time for Change Foundation.

- [Joe] OK. - Which is a nonprofit that's based here in the city of San Bernardino.

We've been in operation for 22 years.

So, I have been a part of Time for Change Foundation, going on 12 years now.

- Wow.

- I found the organization through a friend from church.

She handed me a flyer for an internship.

I had just graduated Cal State San Bernardino with a communications degree.

Couldn't find a job.

So, I thought, let me go and get some office experience.

Let me see what this Time for Change Foundation is all about.

And, I just loved its mission.

I love the fact that we empower women, that we help women get on their feet, get their kids back, become self-sufficient.

And so, that eventually led into where I'm at today, with being with the BBOP Center.

- Right.

And so, Time for Change's mission is related to women.

Talk about that.

- Yes.

The mission of Time for Change Foundation, is to empower disenfranchised, low-income individuals and families, by building leadership through evidence-based programs and housing, to create self-sufficiency and thriving communities.

The BBOP Center falls right within the mission of Time for Change because our goal at the BBOP is to lift up Black and Brown women entrepreneurs and help them advance their socioeconomic status, break generational cycles of poverty and build generational wealth.

- The women that you serve at BBOP.

- [Vanessa] Yes.

- You told me offline, they're not "clients".

You're called "entrepreneurs."

- Right.

They are entrepreneurs.

Sometimes we refer to them as our "students" because the BBOP Center in itself, is an economic hub.

It's 10,000 square feet which consists of 14 office spaces, three conference rooms, a huge cafeteria, a childcare center, pitch room, fund development room, orientation space.

And so, the BBOP Center in itself is the economic hub but within the BBOP Center, we have what we call our BBOP Business Academy.

This is the program component which consists of our three-phase curriculum: build, grow, and scale.

And so, the women that come in, they are entrepreneurs; they are founders.

And sometimes we refer to them as students because they are all going through our BBOP Business Academy.

- So, about the BBOP Business Academy.

Tell me how long it goes.

- Right.

So, each phase of the BBOP Academy, it consists of a 12-week curriculum.

Our curriculum is designed to assist women with where they're at in their entrepreneurial journey.

And so, as soon as women become enrolled into the academy, they have complete access to their curriculum.

And so, we highly encourage them to go at their own pace.

It's not like a traditional educational institution but it's designed specifically to help them meet them where they're at.

So, they can log in; they can access.

They can go through the curriculum as quickly as they'd like or as slow as they like.

And, we have many women who like to really sit down and focus, and go through the videos, do the work.

And then, go through it again.

And then, we have some that are just ready and eager to go and they finish it within a week.

And, that's at their discretion.

And, our goal is to really just support them where they're at and help them move forward in getting their business to that place that they wanna get it to.

- So, I think you said something a sec ago, where you said, you really "meet them where they are."

So, literally, there can be someone that is at the relative infancy of their business.

- Right.

- Or, somebody that could be further along.

It's the whole range?

- Absolutely.

And so, we assess them upon entry.

And, when they apply to the BBOP Center, we have a team of people that work specifically with our entrepreneurs and assess where they're at in their business phase.

And, this is why we have a three-phase curriculum because each of them address those different phases of where they're at in their businesses.

A majority of students that come in are at that build phase, where they're just getting their business licenses and establishing business credit and all of those things.

And so, we work with them, depending on where they're at in their business phase.

And then, we plug them into the correct curriculum.

- Now, do you see all kinds of businesses?

- We do.

We see all kinds of businesses coming through the BBOP Center.

I have caterers.

I have cosmetics.

I have cleaning services.

I have taxes.

I have real estate agents coming in.

We have such a wide variety.

We've had women coming in with different ideas.

They're consultants.

Some are in tech and in, you know, coding and all of those different things.

So, our idea is to help women entrepreneurs, period.

We don't have a specific business sector or industry that we only assist with.

If you're a woman of color and you need help with your business, we're ready to help you.

- So, when you're helping folks, tell us about the assistance opportunities there are.

I imagine some people may be going through the curriculum and maybe "hand holding's" not the word, but they wanna talk to someone while they're doing it.

- [Vanessa] Right.

- Follow up.

Hey, I just looked at this section.

- [Vanessa] Right.

- I have some questions and that type of thing.

Tell me about the staffing that's available, related to that.

- Absolutely.

So, we have a team of experts, people who have experience in business, who support the women entrepreneurs that come into the BBOP Center.

So, we have had one-on-one coaching with the women.

The women have questions.

We do weekly Q and A sessions.

So, every week, as they're going through the curriculum, they can come in and they can ask their questions with business experts.

We have mentors that we pair them up with.

We do supplemental workshops outside of the curriculum that we offer.

And, we have people that are experts in taxes, in insurance, in finance, coming in and specifically talking to the women.

And, if they have further questions, they can come in and they can have those conversations with those industry experts.

We also have attorneys that we work with that provide legal services and legal advice to the women that are in different phases in their business and have questions about the legalities of establishing their business.

Whether it be patents or, you know, any other type of business establishment.

We make sure that we provide those types of services to our women.

- Tell us about your larger fundraising; how you guys get your money.

- Well, as a nonprofit organization, you gotta do everything it takes to fundraise!

(laughs) So-!

You know, our founder, Ms. Kim Carter-Tillman, she is, you know, a phenomenal, you know, inspirational-?

I would call her a business woman.

Sure, we're nonprofit but we operate as a business.

We're business mindset in the fact that we are not gonna sit around and wait for things to happen.

We make things happen.

And, one of the things that she says is, that "if you're hungry, you gotta go hunt".

You gotta go, you gotta eat.

And so, we make it a point to make sure that we have a wide range of income coming in, a wide range of fundraising and different sources of revenue.

So, of course, we apply for grants.

We apply for governmental grants, foundational grants.

We have people that have been invested in the organization over the last 22 years.

People who love the mission and support the work that we do.

So, they are individual contributors that donate on a monthly basis.

Some people donate on a quarterly or annual basis.

And, we also have fundraisers.

Every year, Time for Change Foundation hosts our annual awards gala.

And so, we host a huge event which is a dinner/awards ceremony, where we honor outstanding individuals in the community, throughout the state, people that are doing phenomenal work.

We highlight the accomplishments of the organization and the milestones of the women that we serve.

So, it's an amazing event.

It's fun.

It's a great way to support Time for Change Foundation and now the BBOP Center.

And, it helps us continue and bring in the revenue, that much needed, general operating support that a lot of grants don't supply.

And, we do that through our annual fundraising.

- Tell me about how many women you're helping at any given time.

- At the BBOP Center, we have an unlimited ability to help women coming in.

We had our grand opening in March of 2023 and since then we've helped over 50 women that have come in, come through the BBOP Business Academy, and we're still going.

We're still recruiting.

Our enrollment happens on a monthly basis.

So, we have a very aggressive marketing outreach strategy that we're implementing.

And, we are constantly having info sessions where women can come and they can learn about what the BBOP Center does and how the academy can help them grow their businesses.

Our hopes are to help hundreds of women on an annual basis.

And, at Time for Change Foundation, we have the capacity to help over 600 women annually.

And so, we're constantly growing those capacities with the services that we are providing, the growth that we're experiencing.

And, the BBOP Center is in its infancy and it's just gonna continue to grow.

- So, the definition of passion is a strong liking or devotion to a activity, cause, or concept.

You are passionate!

(both laugh) - Yes.

- So, tell me about just-?

Just the idea that what you guys are doin' is so important, right?

- Right.

- I mean and, you know, as a lawyer, I see this type of thing getting attacked in some jurisdictions, where it could actually be seen by the Supreme Court as if- - Right.

- Somehow this is taking opportunities from somewhere else.

- Right.

- Or, someone else.

Just give me your mental about just your passion and how it really, you know, really gets you up in the morning, to really just be able to do this work.

- I have a passion for women.

I have a passion for women's empowerment.

And, it's not to say that anything else is wrong with any other person.

But, when I see women coming to my office space on a daily basis and hearing their stories and hearing the struggles that they have, whether it be with Time for Change Foundation or with the businesses.

Because, I have women coming into the BBOP saying, you know, "I went to go sit down at a banker.

I tried to get a loan.

They didn't accept it."

For whatever reason, and this was a Spanish-speaking woman.

And so, these women are facing discrimination on a daily basis.

So, you know, what you mentioned about being a lawyer and Supreme Court cases, and all that stuff?

Yeah.

I'm sure that, that happens but these women face so much discrimination on a regular basis and just trying to be successful.

And, just-?

To me, they're just trying to live.

They're trying to take care of their families.

They're trying to be successful.

And, not have their children go through the same struggles that they did.

So, to me, I'm passionate about that.

I'm passionate about helping the underserved and helping those that maybe don't have a voice or, they have a voice but they just need some backup.

And now, you know, maybe they were facing a problem by themselves but now they have a bunch of other women behind them.

And so, to me, I just love the fact that I'm helping women change their lives.

- Mm hm.

- Time for Change Foundation, you're coming out of homelessness and now you're empowered.

And, you're a mom and you're taking care of your kids, and you're working and you're doing all of those things.

With the BBOP Center, you know, "I have the business "and this is where it's at, "and I'm learning and I'm growing.

And now, I'm successful and I'm operating this thing."

To me, all of that is a win and I love it.

And, when I get to see these women and not just see them but help move their lives forward, I just love it.

I don't know how else to describe it!

I just love it.

- It shows!

(both laugh) No, no.

That's fantastic.

Now, let's hear from a couple of successful entrepreneurs that have benefited from this program.

[light upbeat music] ♪ - My name is Laquisha Charles and I have a cleaning company that I have been operating for the last three years.

I came into BBOP because, in my business, I have been having quite a few ebbs and flows, right?

So, in the ebbs and flows, I was wondering how to stabilize.

And, I came to the BBOP because they had a program that I felt would impact my business, to help me to stabilize and then to grow.

So, we have a model of build, grow, scale.

Right?

So, it's three different programs in the BBOP.

You even think about what your business looks like holistically.

And then, you learn to brand yourself, and you learn some marketing tips, and even down to what your website looks like, and business plans and 30-second elevator pitches.

And so, all those things are all the things in build.

And then, you go into-- right now I'm in the grow scale.

So, check and see if what you did worked.

And then, if not, then you need to reevaluate and then go forward.

My favorite thing about the BBOP is the sisterhood.

People that understand what we're going through.

So, Black and brown women that understand what type of barriers sometimes that we have in business that other people might not understand.

- My name is Alejandra Diaz and I'm a designer tailor.

And, what I'm doing here is resurfacing my company.

My business is clothing for a special occasion.

A special occasion like bridal gowns, quinceañeras, red carpet, graduation and everything that's special occasion.

Also, I offer the service of custom make in tailoring.

In approximately last year, March, I learned about the Center.

Just to see the building and the project and knowing that it was for women, brown and Black opportunities; the name says it!

I got excited and I got motivated to restart my company all over again, since COVID took it to the ground.

When they closed, you know, the churches, the halls, the venues for events, no graduations at school, that took my whole business apart.

So, when I came here, it's like hope; I can do it again.

And, I start from zero.

If the BBOP Center wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be where I'm at.

My company would not be where it's at.

[light upbeat music] ♪ - [Joe] Tell me about some of the biggest challenges you face.

(both laugh) Like, how much time you got?

It's only a 30-minute show!

No, I'm kidding.

But, you know!

- [Vanessa] I mean, there's a lot of challenges.

I mean-?

You know, some people ask, "well, what about men?"

And, what about, you know, X, Y, Z?

And, the truth is that we support everybody.

We're here for everybody, you know?

And, that's a challenge, is trying to maintain a positive image in the community and just showing that we're investing in a population that has this need.

Funding and finances?

I mean, I can talk all day about challenges there because you come out of a pandemic and you come out of-- into a place where, sometimes philanthropy isn't at its highest but you still have to keep the doors open.

"You still have mouths to feed", you know, like we would say at home.

And so, having financial challenges and making sure that we can continue to fundraise, and spread awareness and share the impact of the work that we're doing, so that people would want to contribute and want to invest.

- Look to the corner and then around it, and give me your wish list, in terms of, "if I had my druthers, "here's where we really wanna specifically grow.

"Here's something that we absolutely wanna grow into.

Here's something we wanna do more of."

Or, what-?

What would be your wish list in terms of foreseeing the growth of BBOP, in addition to, of course, you know, being your own spin-off entity and, you know, et cetera.

Gimme your wish list on what you'd love.

Boxes you would love to check, for the organization to check.

- Oh, I was gonna-?

When you first said wish list, I was gonna say $25 million!

- Right, okay!

There you go!

(Vanessa laughs) You got to speak it into existence sometimes, you know?

Absolutely.

- Right!

But, I mean-?

You know, I mentioned that the BBOP is in its infancy stage.

And so, we're still growing.

We're still advancing.

We're still developing.

I would like to continue to have an accelerator fund that invest in these businesses.

So, I mentioned that we do have a small fund that we have that's investing, as they pitch their businesses.

Right?

Those are small amounts of money.

But, there are venture firms out there that can invest up to $250,000.

I would love to invest $250,000 into a business that I believed in and that I knew was gonna be successful.

So, growing to the place where we would have our own venture firm, that large, growing in, advancing in, you know, the latest technologies.

AI is a thing.

It's here.

It's not goin' anywhere.

So, how can we invest in artificial intelligence and technology?

We are a high-tech facility and we wanna advance in the technological capacity that we have, and have to offer to the entrepreneurs.

We have-- on our property, there's two buildings and the BBOP Center is in one of them and the other one needs to be refurbished and reconstructed.

And so, I'd like to invest in that to provide more opportunities to the women entrepreneurs.

And, you know?

We're going into a strategic planning session next week.

And so, you know, we're gonna begin having conversations about "what are we gonna do with that space?

"And, how are we gonna invest in it "to make sure that it is something that is supportive of the entrepreneurship center?"

And so-- I mean, those are a few things on our wish list.

And, just growing the academy.

And, being able to advance and serve more women.

We do have our program and our academy, our curriculum, which is online.

And, for the women that come in person, it's a hybrid model but we do wanna expand the curriculum all over the world, really.

- Right.

- And so, getting in a position where people from all over the nation, all over the world, can come in and sign in and join up online, and then still be a part of that and get the same effect and the same support as you would if you were in person and just really growing that aspect of it, as well.

- It must be a full circle moment, maybe, every day for you because you're from this area.

You went to school in this area.

- Mm hm.

- And now, you've been with this organization for more than 10 years.

And, my sense is that things like this are going to have to happen.

- Right.

- And, you know, without even necessarily getting religious, I always say that, you know, it's okay if you need a miracle, as long as you're believing in something.

- Right.

- [Joe] You know what I mean?

- Yeah.

- And so, it seems to me that this is very much part of what needs to be the San Bernardino miracle, (Vanessa chuckles) to bring San Bernardino to the place that everyone that is invested in it, wants it to be.

I mean, San Bernardino has a whole lot of and Inland Empire itself, has a whole lot of people of color.

- Right.

- Women of color, as primarily people of color.

And so, there won't be a resurgence or revitalization or renaissance without them.

- Right.

- I imagine you must have some sense of how important what you do is and how central and to the heart of the larger quest for this area, to come back.

You must understand that this really connects the dots with that.

- Absolutely.

I mean, people are hearing about the BBOP Center now but it's gonna blow up.

- Yeah.

- And, it's gonna be a major contributing factor to the growth of the economy of San Bernardino to the population, the Inland Empire as a whole.

I mean, this is just the beginning.

And, I do believe, you know, you mentioned not bringing religion into it but I truly believe that God has a bigger plan.

- That's right.

- [Vanessa] For what we're doing at the BBOP Center.

- I'm with ya.

Yeah.

- And, if-?

If we don't have all of the support that we need right now, and if we don't have it from local community stakeholders, it's coming from the outside because it's something that's gonna happen, no matter what.

- Right.

- So, if the people around here aren't investing in it, then I believe that the investment is coming from the outside, and it's coming in.

And, it's gonna get-- It's gonna grow to a place where it's known internationally.

- Yeah.

- And, women are gonna be really impacted and supported by what we're doing.

- So, for all of the businesses and the kinds of businesses that you serve, you know, tomorrow, you mentioned coding, for instance.

You mentioned AI is here to stay.

And so, those would be related businesses and industries and, you know, things like consulting and that kind of stuff.

So, is there more to be done, you think, in terms of you drawing those types of entrepreneurs in addition to and not in lieu of.

- [Vanessa] Right.

- The ones that you already have in more traditional service industries and those types of things?

- Absolutely.

And so, that's a part of our campaign, is to really make sure that we're reaching out and using that type of messaging, to reach more businesses that are focused in the tech sector, in AI, in coding and things of that sort.

Because we wanna make sure that in a high-tech space, that we are developing high-tech apps, and businesses and programs that are gonna be assisting us in this future.

- In terms of facilitating your growth.

- [Vanessa] Yes.

- I confess-- I mean, you know?

I come in here and I do these interviews and there are these places that are right under my nose and I've never heard of them.

And, I feel like I'm involved, and lookin' and tryin' to find out what's what!

(Vanessa chuckles) I didn't know nothin' about BBOP!

OK?

(she laughs) My bad!

So-?

- [Vanessa] That's OK!

- Tell us how you guys are really getting the word out on what, to some, is going to be- maybe I'm just clueless- but to some, for sure, is very much a well-kept secret.

- Right.

We are on the helm of implementing a major marketing campaign right now.

So, we are collaborating with two marketing and communications and PR firms, that are really getting to the nitty-gritty of what the BBOP Center is and how to really get it out there to the community, where we have a high emphasis on the Inland Empire because the building is located here in the city of San Bernardino.

But, this is gonna spread throughout and we wanna make sure that we are bringing awareness to the brand, to the BBOP Center, in separation of the Time for Change Foundation.

Because, a lot of people are very well aware of who Time for Change Foundation is but the BBOP Center is still new and it's still getting the word out.

So, we are very, very excited about that.

Because, by implementing this and getting more coverage in the news, and in the press, and on the radio, and social media, and just word of mouth and just being on the ground, in the community, at various events, we are excited that a lot more women are gonna be hearing about the work that we're doing.

And, we're gonna get, not just women coming in to receive the services but even the support and the investment that we need to help these women.

- How do people find out more information about the organization?

- So, people can hear more about the BBOP Center by visiting our website, www.BBOPcenter.com Or, they can give us a call.

Our offices are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so they can call us and we'll be happy to give them more information.

- So, thank you for coming here on behalf of BBOP.

Vanessa Perez, we really appreciate you taking the time.

- Thank you for having me.

This was fun!

- Yeah, absolutely.

And, you knocked it out of the park!

(both laugh) Thank you for joining us on Inland Edition.

Know that you can look at our episodes, seasons one and two now, on YouTube.

In the meantime, we look forward to continuing to see you, as we highlight the life-changing work being done here in the Inland Empire, one conversation at a time.

Until then, check you later.

[uplifting music and vocals] ♪ ♪ [softer music and vocals] ♪ ♪ [music fades]