Ever since I got my 3D printer, I thought about starting an at-home 3D printing business. I have all the tools I need at my disposal, and just needed to take that first step to start. In this video, I document the beginning of my journey to starting my own small business out of my room, from getting my printer all set up, handling my first customers, and starting to market and advertise my services. Join me as I learn the ins and outs of being a maker, and trying to earn some cash at the same time!
Follow my Instagram accounts to keep up as I continue this project!
Carnitas El Rey entrance, 2437 E. Main St, Ventura, CAMichoacan styled murals adorn the restaurant walls.
Along the Way
Currently Carnitas El Rey has three locations in Oxnard, Santa Paula and now Ventura. All three El Rey restaurants and it’s Owners: Juan and Gricelda Zavala, have an impressive reputation for their authentic real deal Michoacan style carnitas.
Pinto beans, rice, homemade tortilla, carnitas, Agua de Tamarindo.
The Food
Nancy and I went to Carnitas El Rey to check it out. What we found was a beautifully decorated atmosphere and authentic Michoacan carnitas that were tender, full f flavor, and all around fabulous. A couple tips from fellow VC Social blogger Nick Lerma, get there early because they are SO GOOD that they could run out, and make sure to try the rice.
We made sure to do both and were not disappointed. Nancy and I each ordered the taco plate which came with beans and rice. Nancy had an agua de tamarindo and I had a sangria senorial soda to drink. I tried the green salsa, it was flavorful. While it didn’t make me sweat, it was just enough to dew my forehead. Everything was fresh, delicious, everything was clean, and everyone was warm and friendly.
Taco plate. Pinto beans, rice, homemade tortillas, carnitas, chopped onions and cilantro, green salsa.
If you’re looking for a new gem to check out in Ventura, we definitely recommend Carnitas El Rey! Check out their opening day post on Instagram on your way there.
A new small and local business that just recently opened in the Market Place in Oxnard, CA is waiting for business to take off!!
Do not let the name mislead you. Surfko is a general clothing store that sells primarily women and men’s clothing. They also sell children’s clothing. Surfko is a store for all beautiful ages. This store recently launched men’s shorts for the beach. These shorts are two in one. Not only are they every day walking shorts, but they are also board shorts. Wait until you hear how affordable these one of a kind shorts are. For only $10, you get stylish every day lounge wear and waterproof swim trunks!
Gray Surfko shorts: $10Green Surfko shorts: $10
The prices at this store are out of this world. Not only are the prices cheap, but everything in the store ranges from $2-$10. There is nothing in the store that costs more than $10! These prices are like no other 💸.
History 📜
Surfko’s very first location started back in 2012 at the Camarillo Outlets. The store was located by the well known UGG store and the food court. The company first started off as a surf company that manufactured T-shirts and sweatshirts. As business was growing, Surfko was able to expand to a more general clothing selection. Thanks to being at the Camarillo Outlets for 12 years, they are now able to have a wide variety of affordable clothing. Some clothing products that Surfko sells in store includes:
Hawaiian shirts
Jackets
Denim Jeans
Joggers
Fleece pants
Sweatshirts
Hoodies
T-shirts
Pajamas
Tank tops
Leggings
Skirts
Shorts
Dresses
Unfortunately, due to recent inflation and rent prices sky rocketing the owner decided not to pay the expensive rent prices at the Outlets. This is the reason they are at a new location in Oxnard, CA. They need all the support they can get right now!
🗣️Surfko’s Motto 🗣️
At Surfko they believe it is important to have good quality, fabrics, and great designs. Plus, the best deals on clothing items, so that we as customers can save money.
💵Forms of Payment 💳
Surfko accepts many forms of payments via:
American Express
Apple Pay
Visa
Venmo
Google pay
PayPal
Mastercard
Shop
Meta Pay
Cash
Don’t forget to check out surfko whenever you are in oxnard, ca… guaranteed you will find something you like + it is affordable 🎉!
Feel free to follow Surfko’s social media to help their business grow 🙂
The art shown above is the work of Sunimari Madrigal, a student at Ventura College. The art was made for her small business called The Moon’s Canvas. The art was made on a canvas about 13×9, made up of different art mediums such as paint, gouache, paint markers, and acrylic paint as well. The inspiration for this piece came from the beauty of the land we are lucky to have on Earth and also the beauty of the stars in the Universe.
Below is a video of her showing us how she created their piece.
L->R: Lexi Quolas (VCS), Sarah Fox (VCS), Jennifer Smith (co-owner), Sophia Smith-Grunder (co-owner), Kelyla Nelson (VCS)
A Family That Creates Together, Stays Together.
Ventura, California is home to many local small businesses, but there are none like Ex-Voto Chocolates and Confections. Offering handcrafted chocolates, organic based ice cream, toffee, house made nut butters, fresh caramel, espresso drinks and much more. This gem has captured the hearts of their patrons using gourmet chocolate that is fair trade and is of single origin.
Owned and operated by the mother daughter duo, Jennifer Smith and Sophia Smith-Grunder, it took time for them to come up with a name that would fit their passion for confections; that is when they settled upon Ex-Voto. The term “ex-voto” is Latin for “milagro” and by definition, it means an offering given in gratitude for an answered prayer.
This small but mighty business started in 2015 with Jennifer selling her decadent chocolates at the local farmers market in Ojai, California. Two years later, they opened their storefront and flagship business in Midtown, Ventura. Initially, Jennifer encouraged her daughter to focus on a cooking and baking career of her own. It just so happens that Sophia makes a phenomenal caramel, amongst other things, better than Jennifer could of dreamed. Thus, Ex-Voto grew into a run and operated family business. The business has boomed since the duo settled in Ventura and have been making history ever since.
VC Social got the chance to sit down with Jennifer and get to know the history behind the business and what ignited their future. First things first, a bit about Jennifer: she began cooking when she was just 5-years old and is completely self taught. Her passion led her to culinary school in San Francisco studying pastry and bread making. Although, she continued to educate herself, take specialty classes online and certifications courses in hopes to figure out what avenue truly felt right to her. Jennifer’s intuitive spirit led her to chocolate as she started to see the word popping up in more ways than one. It was enough to spark her interest to teach herself the craft.
Hand painted and crafted chocolate truffles.
Chocolate, Chocolate And More Chocolate!
Jennifer fell in love with how complex, scientific, challenging, and creative chocolate can be. In turn, she draws inspiration from culture, food and nature resulting in truly complex flavor profiles that otherwise wouldn’t be found elsewhere. Her creations take form of one item and converging it with another. This can be seen in Ex-Voto chocolates, like the Sweet Pecan & Chili Gianduja (in dark chocolate) or the Key Lime (paired with white chocolate ganache).
Jennifer has developed close relationships with her patrons; she pays close attention to what customers are asking for and most importantly when they want it. This has played an important role in their business model and identifying their target market. Ex-Voto began focusing on seasonal items to pay homage to the time of year and most importantly what the seasons represent. Almost all year around you can find your favorites like their Turtles (salted caramel with slow roasted almonds) or the house-made peanut butter buddhas in milk or vegan dark chocolate.
Salted Caramel & Roasted Almond Turtles
Seasonal Easter themed chocolates
Sophia airbrushes flower mold for truffles
It’s Springtime here in Ventura and the Ex-Voto team has been working hard on their seasonal selection; it comes in different shapes, colors and textures including: eggs, bunnies and flower molds. A few of their Spring seasonal items include the Baklava Caramel eggs (using honey cinnamon caramel and pistachios), Pomegranate Rose in dark chocolate, Orange Blossom in white/dark chocolate, and Bananas Foster in milk chocolate, just to name a few.
Is your mouth watering yet?
Featured Ice Cream menu and additions.
The Unique Ice Cream Flavors
Both Jennifer and Sophia come up with recipes by combining different notes, textures and complementary flavors that are well balanced to make heavenly combinations.
Ice cream is a childhood favorite for Jennifer and she has created each one offered at Ex-Voto to perfection. We asked her how she comes up with the recipes for her batches and she shared that most is trial and error. Like her banana honeycomb recipe, Jennifer explained that she had to experiment to find the best way to bring out the banana flavor considering its rather starchy. Her first initial idea was to do banana and peanut butter but she realized that both flavors were too flat. She tasted, processed and talked with Sophia and other employees, bringing up potential matches until they came up with honeycomb. It gives the banana a complementary sweetness, crunch and bitterness.
One of the flavors VC Social favored was her in-house made Queso Fresco y Miel ice cream. Jennifer explained that it took her over 15 tries to find the perfect balance between the Mexican based salty soft cheese and sweet notes of honey. The flavor has become one of their best sellers and permanently remains on their ice cream selection. The combination is almost cheesecake-like and pairs well with house-made marshmallow creme that is lightly toasted with a torch in front of you.
Honey Lavender ice cream with marshmallow creme and rainbow sprinkles in a scratch-made waffle cone.
By keeping up with customer demand their business has created a sufficient following. Most importantly, Ex-Voto takes pride in the relationships that they form with each and every customer that walks through their door. We spoke briefly to a customer, Arlene, who told us that Ex-Voto is one of her favorite places to frequent. She loves the quality of their products and whenever her grand-daughter is back in town from college, they make it a point to stop in and grab a scoop of ice cream. Their patrons genuinely feel like they are part of the family and their support in the business continues to other generations.
Supporting Our Community
It was an absolute pleasure chatting with Jennifer and getting to know the ins and outs of her and Sophia’s daily routine and life at Ex-Voto. As we continued to chat after the interview, Jennifer shared another reason why she works as hard as she does. Her son Seth, 21, a student and surfer, has an extremely rare form of cancer called Synovial Sarcoma, one that has very little research on. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s important to support our community and small local businesses, this is why.
Seth during his new test trial.Seth’s fundraising surfboard sticker. Artwork by Christine May Brand.
Please visit Seth’s website for more information about his journey, treatment and the cancer research fundraiser his family has set up. If you would like to help contribute to their cause for a cure, you can donate directly or find Seth’s custom sticker at Ex-Voto’s storefront location or online here.
Thank you again Jennifer, Sophia and Ex-Voto team for giving VC Social the opportunity to get to know you and discover some new favorite sweet treats!
Asking for help can be difficult and overwhelming. At Ventura College, we strive to take some of that weight off your shoulders and the financial aid office offers the resources needed to meet your basic and academic goals. But where and how to start?
We got the inside scoop on the best course of action for incoming freshman to get information on financial aid services from Yesika, who works in the financial aid office. She recommends the Ventura College website to get information on where and how to began the process of applying. She also suggests in-person help via the financial aid service center located next to the bookstore on campus. Financial aid offers many different types of resources for students who are eligible and in need of assistance in order to attend college. This includes grant programs like the CAL Grant, that pay for your cost of enrollment. Sate and federally funded programs like the work study program, where students can work a part-time job on campus to earn money. Financial aid can also get you set up for a school loan, either a private or federally funded loan for extended education for those who qualify.
Yesika shared that coming in prepared when applying for financial aid is an important first step. You will need to make an appointment with a counselor to get set up with an education plan via online or in-person through Academic Counseling. After meeting with a counselor, you can come directly to the financial aid window/office to apply for your FAFSA online in the computer lab. It is important to make sure you have a valid ID, social security number and income information ready for this process. Once you’ve applied, Yesika recommends to continuously check your student email and your financial aid tab on your dashboard to make sure you’ve provided all information needed and no forms are left pending in order to qualify. This also includes checking in to make sure you are meeting the minimum requirements to keep satisfactory progress. You can find those requirements online through the financial aid tab.
We asked about other resources outside of financial aid that could also be of help to students. Yesika told us about the Basic Needs Center that provides students with food, housing opportunities and wellness. There is a food pantry on campus that is available at no cost to students. Open from 8:30am to 6:30 Monday and Tuesday, 8:30am to 5pm Wednesday and Thursday and 8:30am-1pm on Friday. She also mentioned that the VC Foundation is another great resource that offers scholarship programs and is worth checking into.
Lastly, Yesika shared what she likes most about working in the financial aid office. She said she loves being able to help students who are in need and those who are feeling lost. Let the financial aid office at Ventura College help take some weight off and set sail for a bright future.
4667 Telegraph Road BCS Building Ventura, CA 93003
What We Wish We Would Have Learned in High School: Finances –
VC Social
In this podcast episode, Marsha and Jess discuss something high school didn’t teach us (that it really should have), finances. They hit three main topics of bank accounts, credit cards, and investing for the future. We hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: We are not accountants or financial advisors, nor are we holding ourselves out to be. The information contained on this podcast is not a substitute for financial advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.
Many of you know that VC Social is the class brand for Digital Content Marketing (BUS V52) at Ventura College, and that I spent many hours getting this course approved by curriculum, not to mention the time it took to build the website on WordPress. This wouldn’t be possible without the amazing folks who work at Ventura College, and in particular, I’d like to thank my fellow Business Department faculty and my Division’s Dean.
As the first semester of this class comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on what we accomplished and where our opportunities lie in the future.
To begin with, I couldn’t be more proud of the first ever cohort of students that went through this course together. Each week, they brought enthusiasm and creativity to the classroom. Whether it was a group or individual project, students were truly contributors and I’m excited with the direction that this brand is headed.
Did everything run perfectly? Is the website completely done? Are our social media profiles complete? Probably not. But then, I was never in a rush, so these questions are moot.
Was there collaboration amongst students? Did quality content get created? Was a standard set for future iterations of this course? Yes. Without a doubt. I even got a chance to do a food review of my own!
I will continue spending time on this project over the holiday season, in anticipation of the Spring 2022 section of Digital Content Marketing (BUS V52). To make sure that my time goes towards relevant actions, I’d like to pose the following questions to the current students:
Was this class organized in an efficient way, or could it have been setup differently to optimize our efforts?
What assignments had the most impact on learning? What assignments could have been improved?
What are your educational/professional plans for after this class/program ends, and what have you learned in this class that you can take with you into the real world?
Were there roles or activities that you were hoping to practice that you didn’t get a chance at? If so, what?
Were there skills or lessons that you were hoping to learn about that didn’t get covered? If so, what?
Finally, do you have any advice for future students that go through not only this course, but the Social Media Marketing program at Ventura College in general?
VC Social 