People

Rachel Sieg is the executive director of the Historic Downtown SID.  Rachel’s role at the HDSID as the Executive Director is to manage and develop new relationships between the HDSID Board of directors, businesses, city organizations, city council, and the Mayor. Since joining the HDSID, she has coordinated over 100 ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new businesses and the Mayor, with a large portion of them starting as vendors at the farmers market then expanding into a brick and mortar. Rachel has been instrumental in developing the Grove Street Farmers Market, Groove on Grove, Annual All About Downtown Street Fair, and the Pedestrian Mall on Newark ave. The All About Downtown Street Fair is the largest annual event in Jersey City with over 40k in attendance.  Rachel coordinates fundraising to maintain and enhance the pedestrian mall on Newark Avenue and throughout the Downtown Historic District.

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Tennille is the founder and owner of The Cupcake Carriage, a beautiful boutique Mobile Cupcake decorating Studio and Bakery. The Cupcake Carriage is dedicated to bringing all things sweet and pretty to life’s most precious moments. The truck is open for retail in Hoboken from Tuesday – Friday and available for private events on Saturday and Sunday.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in their journey to entrepreneurship?

1. Don’t ever let fear dictate your decisions.
2. Set clear goals and strategies for your business regularly. If you don’t know where you’re going, chances are you will end up where you don’t want to be.
3. Know your finances. It’s important to understand your numbers.
4. Entrepreneurship is a journey of highs and lows. The one main struggle on the road to success is never giving up.

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Raakhee Mirchandani

Founder/Host of The Brown Mom Podcast + Editorial Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Dow Jones

Raakhee Mirchandani is a journalist, author, and community activist. Currently, she works at Dow Jones in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Raahkee recently launched The Brown Mom Podcast where she and guests discuss Desi culture and being brown in America. Previously, she was a columnist at the New York Post and Managing Editor at the New York Daily News. Raakhee is also the award-winning author of Super Satya Saves the Day {Bharat Babies, 2016}. Her next book, Hair Twins {Little, Brown, 2021} is about the special bond between a Sikh father and daughter and is available for pre-order now. Raakhee serves as the President of the Board of the Tomorrows Children’s Fund, a 35-year-old pediatric cancer charity. She is also on the board of the Hoboken Public Library,  Steven’s Cooperative School, and the Children’s Book Council. She also serves on the Hoboken Arts Advisory Committee.

What advice would you give to someone looking to lend their voice to a cause they believe in for the first time?

Lending your voice to a cause you believe in is one of the most powerful things you can do. For me, that meant figuring out what I was passionate about, identifying organizations or causes that light me up and then matching my skills with the needs of the movement. There are few things more fulfilling than using your hands, heart, and voice to lift others up and bring the community together. This doesn’t mean you need a lot of money to make donations or find countless hours to volunteer. Using your voice can mean raising awareness through social media campaigns, joining forces with friends to support existing community efforts, or working service into family activities like making sandwiches for the Hoboken Shelter, having kids pick out items to bring to the Hoboken Community Center, or engaging little artists to make cards for elderly neighbors who could use a little extra love in these isolating times.

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Rosemarie Matos-Moyeno

Rosemarie Matos Moyeno LLC

Rosemarie is a business attorney and a second-generation Latina BNR in Hoboken. With nearly two decades of practice experience, she has extensive knowledge in various practice areas, including business, cannabis, insurance, environmental, regulatory compliance, and real estate law. If you are looking for an attorney that understands the risks and complexities of running a successful, legally compliant business and who offers a thoughtful, balanced, and cost-effective approach to best practices, problem-solving, and risk mitigation, she is the attorney for you. Rosemarie recently graduated from the first-ever Latina Entrepreneurship Training Series {LETS} sponsored by the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and serves as a legal coach for LETS and the Hispanic Entrepreneurship Training Program. She is also a member of the board of directors of LUPE Fund, Inc.

What advice would you give to a new business owner?

Najwa Khan is the founder and CEO of dalci, a gut-healthy dessert brand focused on providing ready-made, nutritious, clean, microbiome-friendly, and delicious treats. She has over 10 years of experience in the health and wellness space working in various roles for non-profits, market research firms, healthcare technology startups, and D2C wellness businesses. Najwa has a Masters in Public Health from NYU and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Syracuse University. dalci was founded on the belief that everyone deserves to indulge in a treat they can feel good about, from their taste buds to their gut.

As a new founder, I’ve learned a tremendous amount in the months leading up to our official 2021 launch. There have been many exciting moments, but also a great deal of navigating the unknown. For anyone looking to start their own food or beverage brand:

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Lana was born into an entrepreneurial family. She grew up in Jersey City until she was 14 and then my family moved to Monmouth County. After graduating from Loyola University she went right into real estate in Hoboken. “In 2005 I went back to school part-time and received my MBA in finance from Seton Hall University. I opened Boutique Realty in 2009. It’s an independent, full-service brokerage with office locations in Hoboken, Jersey City, and Red Bank. We service all of north, central, and south Jersey. We place an emphasis on personalized partnerships with our clients and I have a family-like team of powerhouse agents, many of whom have been with me since my opening over a decade ago.” Lana owns and operates the business while still servicing her own clientele. She is married with three children {9, 5, and 3} and resides in Jersey City.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?

My best advice is to be adaptable, there will always be hurdles but follow your gut and trust yourself. It is also important to know yourself and be able to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, always protect your reputation, but let it speak for itself.

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Neha Chawla

Real Estate Broker for Opnhouz LLC + Founder/Owner of The Villiage 

Neha is a mom and a serial entrepreneur. Her innate love for architecture, design, and real estate drew her to her career as a real estate broker in New York and New Jersey where she has been practicing for over a decade. Neha’s knowledge of the real estate business and her close ties to her community have resulted in a natural pull towards restoring historic properties in the Hudson County area where she now has a growing real estate investment portfolio. Inspired by the birth of their first children around the same time, Neha and her friend Dana opened The Village, a café, play space, and children’s boutique in Edgewater NJ, The Village has provided a safe space for children and parents during the pandemic and is slated to open new locations in 2021.

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Jen Prado

Founder/Owner of KLADO – House of Brigadeiros

Jen is the founder of KLADO – House of Brigadeiros. She took the leap, leaving over a decade long career in finance to build a company that creates one-of-a-kind Brazilian inspired truffles, brigadeiros. As a first-generation American, she always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and knew that she wanted to pay homage to her Brazilian roots with her first venture. “At KLADO, we have taken the traditional brigadeiro and reimagined it completely, making it fun, artisanal, and healthier. We infuse each of our brigadeiros with the spirit of travel, from Atlanta to Denpasar, drawing inspiration from the places we’ve been. We’re constantly pushing the flavor limits and love to get creative, inventing unique flavors such as Unicorn Meat and The Fizz (Irish soda bread) all while remaining gluten-free, nut-free, and vegetarian. Even if you’ve had a brigadeiro before, I guarantee you’ve never had one like KLADO.”

What advice would you give to a new business owner?

Starting a business is hard, and it’s even tougher as a female business owner, so you’ll need to grow some thick skin. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Don’t take “no” for an answer. When you’re starting out, not everyone will see your vision, but know that’s okay. Instead, find your tribe! Surround yourself with like-minded individuals and those that support your goals. Stay focused. Be patient. Dare to be different, take risks, and go out there and crush it!

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Eiko La Boria

Founder and CEO of The Flow Initiative

Eiko La Boria is a social commentator, writer, gender equality activist, and poet. She is the Founder and CEO of The Flow Initiative, a nonprofit working toward ending period poverty and establishing menstrual equity. She is also a United States of Women Ambassador for Gender Equality, New Jersey. Eiko is a former Dramatic Writing Fellow, Writers Guild of America East/Columbia University. She has traveled extensively and has written of her experiences particularly with the subject of sexual harassment, assaults, and systemic silence in the Los Angeles film industry. Eiko is currently working on policy and legislation that will amplify and elevate all girls and women by breaking the barriers to greater gender equality in Hudson County.

What advice would you give to someone looking to make a change in their community?

My humble advice to anyone looking to make a change in their community is to look around you. Start with your surroundings. Once you identify a void in your community or a group of marginalized people in need of help, create a statistical survey to obtain data for your cause. Create a simple questionnaire that is relevant to what you are trying to accomplish or to the people you want to help. Data is important because it will tell you what is needed the most, who needs it the most, and inspire people to rally behind your cause.

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Vannesa Rissetto

Co-Founder of Culina Health

Co-Founder of Culina Health, Vanessa received her MS in Marketing at NYU and completed her Dietetic Internship at Mount Sinai Hospital where she worked as a Senior Dietitian for five years. She is certified in Adult Weight Management {Levels I & II} by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her work in private practice also includes treatment of GI disorders, bariatric surgery, weight management, PCOS, and family nutrition. She is mostly interested in helping clients to take an active role in their health journey, any of her clients can tell you she motivates and ensures that they always achieve success. Vanessa was named by Essence magazine as one of the top 5 black nutritionists that will change the way you think about food and currently serves as the Dietetic Internship Director at New York University.

What advice would you give to a new business owner?

Surround yourself with people who will challenge you to always do the right thing. Make sure you stay true to your core business, all the articles, and fame won’t matter if you forget about the main reason you started your business. Have fun, and make sure you have integrity with everything that you do.

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Audra was born and raised in Hoboken, and currently still resides in town. She attended Sacred Heart Academy and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She was hired in December 2002 as one of the two first female firefighters hired simultaneously. Audra was promoted to captain in 2011 and this year she was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2020, the first female Battalion Cheif in the city’s history.

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Melissa Diaz is the founder of Mela Fleurs flower shop. “My nearest and dearest call me Mel or Mela. I’ve lived in Hoboken for a little over two years now and recently opened Hoboken’s first-ever sustainable Floral Design studio. Before Mela Fleurs opened, I worked in media; the New York Times, Mashable, and New York Mag/Vox Media {most recently}. My background is in market research and analytics, which I love, but always drawn to creativity and beauty. The pandemic allowed me to explore my passion for floral design. ” Mela Fleurs specializes in custom everlasting arrangements. The aesthetic is colorful, natural, and whimsical. When crafting a floral piece, Mela Fleurs loves reaching for those bold blooms, smaller textural elements to create a unique look. The mission is to help others design and create beauty in their living space every day.

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Priyanka Poddar

Founder of Knead Some Love NY

Priyanka Poddar is the founder of Knead Some Love NY. Knead Some Love NY was born in her little apartment kitchen amidst the global pandemic, with a desire to build something unique and an obsession to bring a piece of her culture to the world through her unique fusion pastries. As a self-taught baker, she’s taken her love for quintessential Indian desserts and married them to traditional American Donuts and cakes. “It’s the perfect confluence between the East and West, and that’s my biggest differentiator from a traditional donut/ pastry. “They’re too pretty to eat” is what I hear almost every customer say when they first look at my desserts. I chose creativity over the crisis, had an idea, found a niche, and ran with it. I’m constantly challenging and re-inventing myself to transform my baked goods into beautiful works of art and can confidently say a large part of my inspiration is drawn from my culture!”

What advice would you give to a new business owner?

Starting your own business is often a learn-as-you-grow process. But whether or not the business will be successful is dependent on important decisions made early on. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received is to listen to what others have to say – your customers, your employees, and fellow business owners. Don’t ignore the power of advice from those who’ve been through the process. They’re truly the ones who know first hand what works and what doesn’t. Make your business the solution. Rather than thinking about how to sell, think about what it will solve. When a business idea solves an existing problem or fills a gap in a niche market, the customer base is almost always organic and solid. Lastly, only start a business for something you are absolutely obsessed with. I mean obsessed! This is a dealbreaker because you must love what you do in order to give it your all and more.

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Kristins and Catherine founded and opened the Hive, a coffee and retail shop that also has a small, creative playspace for littles within. The mission is to foster community while being a place of discovery and connection for our neighbors. Catherine spent her career in the beauty industry, working in public relations for brands like Dermalogica and IT Cosmetics, and while on maternity leave with her first son, she met Kristin at a new moms group at the Hoboken Hospital. Kristin, at the time, was working for Soul Cycle’s retail team. She’s spent most of her professional life in corporate merchandising for retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret. Kristin always loved products and discovering new brands, which is why curating a retail assortment for The Hive has been such a fun part of the business for her. They both took huge leaps of faith by leaving behind their former careers to pursue this new path.