Transform Your Food Business Strategy
Business consulting services to help you achieve your goals.
Transform Your Food Business Strategy
Business consulting services to help you achieve your goals.
About Local & Launch
Shawn Walker-Smith, Principal
I started Local & Launch to provide new and pre-venture restaurants, food trucks, and home-based businesses with the knowledge and tools to help them succeed—knowledge that I could have used when I started my first business.
I am a professional with over 30 years of experience in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. I received my BA in communications from the University of the Pacific with a focus in Public Relations. After business careers in retail (planner and buyer), then corporate interiors (sales, marketing, and project management), I left the “traditional” business world to enter the California Culinary Academy, graduating with a degree in baking and pastry.
For seven years, I was the owner/pastry chef of a made-to-order baking business, TART! Oakland. During that time, I supplied wholesale accounts and I worked with small and large clients, including the Destiny Arts Center, the City of Oakland, and the Oakland Indie Awards. With a business partner I operated a small local brewpub and planned/managed the food concessions for one of Oakland's premier outdoor events, the Autumn Lights Festival.
I teach numerous workshops on various aspects of the food business with a special place in my heart for costing, business plans, and financial projections.
Along with supporting Local & Launch clients I am also a small food business advisor/instructor for the Northern California SBDC in their Regional Restaurant and Artisan Foods Program, NorCal EATS.
Goals
With Local & Launch, I am committed to delivering exceptional results for my clients. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise, my goal is to help clients overcome hurdles and celebrate successes.
Our Approach
Local & Launch takes a collaborative approach to consulting, working closely with the client(s) to understand their unique needs and develop customized solutions. I believe that effective communication and partnership are key to achieving success.
Vision
At Local & Launch, I strive to be a positive force in the local community by helping to foster and support prosperity, acceptance, and empowerment for each individual and client I encounter.