Cliff

Sometimes, you just have to go all in. Part risk taker.  Part adventurer.  Part visionary.  All entrepreneur. Win some.  Lose some.  Win some more.  Being flexible.  Always willing to learn what's needed to get ahead.  To move the needle just a bit every day. All while not forgetting where you're from.  Not forgetting those who need a break. That's Matt Halvorson. Matt moved to Long Beach nearly 5 years ago.  And has thrived ever since.  He and his roommate saw an opportunity and decided to capitalize on it.  Focus on creating the best product on the market. Sure they could have made a quick buck.  Got in.  Got out. But that's not Matt. He and his business partner wants to build something. For them, slow and steady wins the race. In this interview, we discuss: His origins and what he has had to overcome Building a business with no formal [...]

"Look for ways to give back to the community because the more you give back to anybody the more comes back to you." - Lisa Ramelow You're walking down 2nd street in Belmont Shores.  Your stomach growling with each restaurant you walk by.  At one point, you stop at one restaurant.  It's pretty busy.  Must be good.  Italian?  Why not? You take a seat.  Within minutes, a glass of ice water appears on your table to stave off that California heat.  Bread and butter.  Enough to temporarily satisify Mr. Grumpy Belly. Suddenly, a blonde woman approaches your table.  A warm smile.  Kind eyes.  Even kinder words of greeting.  Welcoming you to La Strada.  She quickly goes over the specials.  Let's you know that she's available if you should need anything.  Says she'll be back to check on you later. As she walks away, what you don't realize is that you [...]

It's a gorgeous Sunday morning.  The coffee pot just finished brewing your favorite coffee.  You pull a mug down, pour a cup and look into your backyard. "Why not?" you ask yourself. You step out of your kitchen, into the freshly cut grass of your lawn.  You take a seat on your patio.  Smell the aroma of your fresh coffee. What's special about that? It's that it's your kitchen.  Your backyard.  Your yard.  Your grass. That's the pride of home ownership.  Something Scott Affre helps people accomplish every day. A loan officer by trade, Scott works tirelessly to help first time home buyers make that dream come true. Scott Affre (@scott.affre) is a Long Beach native, working tirelessly to help people buy their dream homes for over 25 years.  When he's not sitting behind his labtop, you can find him participating in numerous causes that raise money for charities or [...]

...and then one day, I met this woman. It seems the most romantic adventures begin with that sentence.  You meet someone.  Standing on the white sand beaches of Mexico.  Feeling the ocean breeze, the warm ocean water.  And then, the person you want to spend the rest of your life comes into view.  You talk all night long.  You really connect with this person.  And the next morning, they're gone. And when she left, she took Lionel's heart. Lionel moved to Long Beach, married that woman and launched his coffee shop business.  Before long, Sconeage was born.  Maybe you've tried their legendary tri-berry scones.  Or snacked on his drool inducing granola. Running a coffee shop is tough.  But Lionel and his family prevails.  Twenty five years and going strong.  He found a way to differentiate his business.  Something every business needs to do in order to survive. Here's his story. [...]