Impact Stories

Small Business. Big Impact. 

We are proud of our clients who add vibrancy to our communities while creating a pathway to prosperity for themselves, their families and their employees. 

 

At LiftFund 86% of our clients are entrepreneurs of color, 40% are women and 26% are startups contributing to the local economy and making a difference in their communities. 

 

Read about our clients’ entrepreneurial journey and get inspired by their passion, commitment and resiliency. 

Heather O’Neill, Business Owner - Sweat Equity
Women Owned

Sweat Equity, Heather O’Neill

Founded by fitness and wellness guru, Heather O’Neill, Sweat Equity sets itself apart in a growing industry through its vision of being a “health and wellness amusement park.” The unique sauna studio offers a diverse range of services, including full-spectrum infrared modalities, cryotherapy, contrast therapies, somadome  meditation pods, and IV vitamin infusions. The journey of Sweat Equity has included major challenges, a…

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BIPOC Owned

Randy Peralta

GRS Services

After years working for a large corporation in the gas & propane industry, Randy Peralta decided to pursue his own entrepreneurial project where he could draw on his experience and be his own boss. In 2021, Randy launched GRS Services, a mobile business through which he offers propane gas meter calibration services to commercial clients throughout New Mexico.

While years of technical experience in the propane industr…

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BIPOC Owned

Monika Alvarez

Club 6 Digitos

Monika Alvarez spent 20 years working in corporate America as a sales director where she dreamed of starting her own business. “I loved my job, but at the end of the day, I wanted to be my own boss and find ways to help other women with the same entrepreneurial spirit,” Monika said.  

With the motivation and passion to branch out on her own, in December 2016, Monika launched Club 6 Dígitos, a business developme…

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BIPOC Owned

Acenette “Ace” Gonzalez

Maravilla Cacao

Acenette Gonzalez, or “Ace,” always knew she wanted to use her creativity to experiment withflavors. After graduating with an Associates in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio and studying Hospitality Management at their Hyde Park campus, she found herself testing her skills in a kitchen. However, after several years in the Dallas restaurant scene, she felt she was not where she wanted to be….

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BIPOC Owned

Taylor Tucker, Saliymah Dacosta

Touch-N-Skin Health and Wellness Spa

Taylor Tucker was inspired to start her own business since she was a little girl. She says, “Both of my parents are entrepreneurs, so at a very early age I knew and understood that I was meant to make myself rich and not other people rich.”

Always determined and hardworking, she began her career working as an independent esthetician while also balancing work in the mortgage field. It was at this time that she met Saliym…

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BIPOC Owned

Raul Villarreal

Classic Electric

Raul Villarreal is a problem solver. As an electrician, his biggest joy is helping people when they are stressed and offering an immediate fix, literally bringing light into their lives. “I like to be Superman for somebody.”

From the beginning, Raul always looked up to electricians as the “king of the trades”. Inspired to carve a new path, he left his job in commercial furniture installation and went to school to learn t…

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