Donna, Owner of Vintage Pastries

When Donna wanted to expand her wholesale bakery business, she was frustrated that not one of the six banks she spoke with could grant her a small business loan. Donna had a business plan for running an espresso cart in a Bay Area summer concert series to help market her pastries. But her business was new, and she had bankruptcy on her credit record. She also found that most banks wanted her to take out a larger loan. “I wasn’t looking for $200,000,” she says, “I was looking for $15-20,000 to buy an espresso machine and cart. I didn’t need that much money, and I had to see if the loan and business worked first.”
When Bridge Bank referred her to Opportunity Fund, she was relieved. “Opportunity Fund was willing to at least look at me and my business. They asked for my credit score and asked to see my business plan. With them, it didn’t feel as if there was this gatekeeper saying, ‘You can’t have, and you can’t succeed’.” Donna had always wanted a career in the food industry, but her parents encouraged her to pursue a college degree in computer science at California Polytechnic State University after graduating high school in East Palo Alto. She didn’t pursue her dream until she enrolled and completed a pastries program at the California Culinary Academy at age 38. It was then that she realized she wanted the flexibility and autonomy of running her own business. “I was not going back to work full time for $20/hour and not being able to pay rent, especially in the Bay Area.” As a mother of three children, she also didn’t want to have to explain to a boss that she has to go pick up her kids or attend an event at her son’s school. Donna was passionate about the food industry and wanted to work for a product she believed in. With the small business loan from Opportunity Fund, she was able to do just that. “After 3 years in the business, I am still figuring things out and revamping my product line and website, but I don’t have this huge loan hanging over my head. Opportunity Fund is a warm, approachable lender that helps you realize your dreams and potential.”