UKIAH, CA., 6/8/25 — When Veronica Macias, an immigrant from Mexico and a former childcare worker, decided that she wanted to open her own daycare center in Ukiah, she didn’t think she would have the financial or logistical tools that were needed to get her business up and running.
That changed when Macias heard about Centro de Negocios West, a Spanish-language program created by the West Business Development Center, a Ukiah-based nonprofit that helps small business owners learn about finances, operations, marketing and other skills needed to get started. Launched in 2023, Centro was created by the West Center to support immigrant entrepreneurs who need assistance in launching their own companies, focusing on immigrants from Latin American countries.
Macias first immigrated to Mendocino County in the early 2000s. Although she had started a family, made friends, and built a community here, she didn’t know the first thing about what it would take to start a successful business.
So a few years ago, when Macias decided to invest all of her time in establishing a daycare center, she knew she needed help getting business loans, locating a suitable venue for the daycare, and figuring out how many employees she’d need to begin operations.
“A friend who had taken some classes introduced me to the West Center,” Macias said in an interview. “I started taking classes and meeting with people there—they really walked me through the whole process. They helped me fill out paperwork, open a business account, and trained me from start to finish.”
Now, Macias operates Macias Family Dayschool and Daycare located just outside of Ukiah. The center offers childcare for young people, from toddlers to teenagers, as well as language and math tutoring in both English and Spanish.
Macias’ daycare center is just one among many successful businesses in the Ukiah community that have been supported by the West Business Development Center and its Centro de Negocios program.
The West Center, established in 1988 by CEO Pamela Patterson, created the Centro de Negocios initiative as a Spanish-language version of the free business trainings already offered at the nonprofit.
Centro de Negocios, which has supported about 220 small businesses since it began in 2023, aims to increase opportunities for Spanish-speaking people who want to create their own startups. The program offers business advice, workshops covering fundamentals, and a class called Salón Digital, where participants can receive support with digital tools like apps, websites, social media and other marketing resources.
Under the Centro de Negocios West umbrella is an intensive training course called Fundando mis Sueños, which means “building my dreams,” and is an offshoot of the larger program. Fundando mis Sueños provides training for 12 Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs each year, with classes on business models, pricing and marketing. Upon completing the course, participants receive $1,000 in seed money to launch their businesses.
One indication of the program’s value came when Fleeky Beauty, a local dermatology and tattoo shop that got its start through Fundando mis Sueños, was recognized as one of the best businesses in Mendocino and Lake counties in 2025.
Valentina Reyes, the program manager for Centro de Negocios West who also oversees Fundando mis Sueños, said the Spanish-language trainings meet a crucial need for entrepreneurs in the Ukiah community, especially those who are recent immigrants or did not grow up speaking English.
“We hold our clients’ hands from the very beginning. They have the drive, they have the skills, but what they need is someone to guide them through the system,” Reyes stated in an interview. “Especially for the monolingual Spanish-speaking community, it’s very challenging to navigate permits, licensing, and legal structures. That’s why personalized advising is so important.”
Reyes, an immigrant from Colombia, knows firsthand how difficult it can be for immigrants to get the help they need to start their own ventures. Due to bureaucratic delays and complicated paperwork, it is typically harder for immigrants to start businesses compared to U.S.-born citizens.
Reyes said that Centro de Negocios West plays a critical role in helping immigrants with everything from filing permit applications to submitting documents that legalize their businesses — even if their own visa status is in limbo under federal law.
“Many people also believe they can’t run a legal business without a Social Security number, but we help them get an ITIN and walk them through every step,” Reyes added. She noted that their programs also help with the financial details of business operations. “When we host webinars about taxes or accounting, we get massive attendance. People want to learn, they want to do things right, and they just need support.”
In addition to the intensive training courses Centro offers for the local immigrant community, Reyes emphasized that it also serves as a safe space for those looking to build a business in a community that may be new to them. It fosters a strong sense of connection among the immigrants who participate, she said.
“We don’t just connect through language. We connect through culture, through shared experiences, and through trust. That’s what makes this work powerful,” Reyes explained. “We help people not just get permits or insurance — but really understand what it takes to build something sustainable, something that can grow and thrive.”
Reyes particularly loves seeing younger generations join the West Center and Centro de Negocios to start their own businesses.
“We serve people who’ve lived here a long time and are finally ready to launch their own business. Now we’re also seeing the next generation — young people, the kids of our clients — stepping up and becoming entrepreneurs too,” Reyes said, adding, “My biggest commitment in this role is to embrace the community. I want them to know that they belong and that it’s possible to dream big.”
Adrian Mata is one of those younger entrepreneurs who had left Ukiah and later returned to start his own business. That business is El Mitote Café, and it’s among the most colorful coffee shops people will set their eyes on in the city of Ukiah.
El Mitote, which roughly translates to “hot gossip” in Spanish, is a cotton candy–colored coffee cart located on South State Street in Ukiah. It stands out among a sea of muted buildings, offering a haven for coffee lovers who enjoy strong, unique drinks that nod to Mata’s Mexican heritage.
One popular drink on the menu blends iced coffee, Mazapán candy and other tasty and sugary ingredients.
Mata, who was raised here and graduated from Ukiah High School in 2014, first had the idea for the El Mitote coffee cart when he was a senior at Saint Mary’s College.
“I took a business class at Saint Mary’s and one of our projects was to create a business on paper. Who we’d sell to, how we’d sell, what the logo would look like, what cities and demographics we’d target,” Mata noted in an interview. “I created a whole coffee shop on paper for my senior project.”
Mata also came up with drink ideas while on the job. After graduating from college, he spent time living in Santa Rosa and Sacramento and started bartending.
During that time, Mata experimented with mixing drinks and trying new flavors. One day at the bar, he combined coffee with the creamy sweet drink horchata. That experiment became one of his signature offerings at El Mitote: a horchata cold brew.
Once Mata decided to pursue his coffee cart idea more seriously, he eventually returned to Ukiah and began training with the West Business Development Center. The time he spent with the center, he explained, gave him guidance for his business that he otherwise wouldn’t have had.
“They help with any questions we have, literally any,” Mata emphasized. “We have cohort leaders that have had or have businesses similar to ours and give us help to get to the next level of our business.”
Although Mata took his training in English through the West Center, he said his business primarily serves the local Spanish-speaking community, and that the West Center and its Centro de Negocios program are a major reason Latino entrepreneurs can open and operate businesses in Ukiah.
“I think one of the biggest obstacles Latinos face is becoming legitimate in the eyes of the community,” Mata said. “West Center has allowed me to gain connections and meet amazing mentors.”
The West Business Development Center’s services have recently expanded into Sonoma County, making entrepreneurs in the North Bay eligible to apply for their business training programs.
To learn more about the West Business Development Center and Centro de Negocios, including upcoming training programs and events, click here.
