Vermont Slauson Women’s Business Center Supports Local Entrepreneurs Through Free Business Services And Personal Support

From Fashion to Finance, the Vermont Slauson WBC Nurtures Both the Hustle and the Human Behind It

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Call it “mind, business, and spirit” – for Tulani Watkins, Director of the Vermont Slauson Women’s Business Center, supporting South Los Angeles entrepreneurs means more than teaching them Business basics; it means empowering them to value their stories and care for themselves.

While the Vermont Slauson WBC offers a robust program of free classes, workshops, and business counseling to help local entrepreneurs navigate the nuts and bolts of creating and growing a successful enterprise, Watkins emphasizes that a business’s most important asset is the person running it. She tells of a recent meeting with a client who needed help recognizing that: “As entrepreneurs, we often forget about ourselves… This client, I asked her “What’s your Why?” When the client shared the personal trauma that helped inspire her business, Watkins urged her to share that story as part of her company website, to allow customers to connect more deeply with the intention behind the product.

The WBC also helps entrepreneurs connect with each other, through the “She Means Business” business series and “Accountability Club,” an informal gathering where small business owners can share their highs and lows. Watkins loves seeing the fierce ambition of the Los Angeles residents who take part in programs like the Center’s Beauty & The Biz beauty-industry focused cohort, or their Urban Pose Fashion Incubator – but she also reminds participants that a healthy entrepreneur makes for a healthy business. For instance, Watkins says, “When we were at the culmination of the fashion cohort one person was a little anxious about their pitch presentation, so we did a breathing exercise in the moment. Everybody in the room finding time to inhale and exhale.”

A healthy self-image can also impact an entrepreneur’s bottom line in surprising ways, Watkins has found. Too often she sees new business founders underprice the value of the goods and services they’re selling. Watkins urges them to be bold enough to compete for higher-income customers: “I was telling somebody yesterday who was in the beauty product program, ‘Don't just price your products and services at what you can afford right now, if you were the customer. Price it at a point that is going to improve your lifestyle and help you reach your business goals.” Under the guidance of the Vermont Slauson WBC, there is no shortage of goals being reached – countless businesses preparing to launch, and lives in the community changed for the better.

Nancy Swift, Chair of the California-wide Women’s Business Center network, praises the Center’s holistic approach: “Under Tulani’s leadership, the Vermont Slauson WBC is an inspiring launchpad for Los Angeles small businesses, and an invaluable ally to the people building dreams and jobs.”

Claudia Viek
California WBC Network
+1 415-305-5964
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