Back to Business

Ceola began her business/entrepreneurial journey in 1991. Having no experience in starting a business, she launched her first business, "Simply You Designs from the Heart," a graphic design business. She created t-shirts, and business cards, designed logos, and created the content for her first magazine (Fruits of the Spirit). 

In 1996, she enrolled in a graphic design course, and when she graduated, she launched Graphix by Ceola, where she designed logos, brochures, business cards, personalized greeting cards, and aprons. Over the next couple of years, she learned a lot by trial and error. Before long, Ceola registered with the Small Business Development Center, acquired a business mentor, and took several courses on how to start a business, including writing a business plan, budgeting, and marketing. 

Ceola continued her entrepreneurial journey by enrolling in various business courses, including a business administration course at the University of Phoenix, business finance, business marketing, and how to start a nonprofit course at City College San Francisco.

Ceola's entrepreneurial journey has not been easy, but as she says, "I would not change a thing. Each experience taught me so much. I am so grateful for the things I learned along the way, things I may not have otherwise learned." Learning the business basics gave wings to Ceola's passion for helping other small business owners launch their businesses and avoid the pitfalls she experienced.

Today, Ceola consults smalls business from concept to fully operational in her Business Basics 101 course, covering everything from:

• Business structure (legal formation)
• Local, State, and Federal requirements
• Business plan, objective, and goals
• Logo development
• Website development
• Marketing and brand awareness (including social media presence)
• Business demographics and more