Teena Johnson really embodies the true spirit of Women’s Initiative. 
She not only runs Catered to You, a successful take-out restaurant and catering business, but also actively gives back to the community.

In December 2008 , Teena decided she wanted to give back to the community by providing Christmas dinner to the homeless around her downtown Oakland location.  She partnered with a neighboring business
and distributed flyers around the neighborhood soliciting food donations, financial donations and volunteers.  She received enough support from the neighborhood to provide traditional Christmas dinners to 148 people in need.  The program was so successful that Teena is already trying to
figure out a way to expand the program and feed more people in 2009.

Before Teena started her own business, she had years of foodservice experience, managing various golf club banquet catering services. “I’ve always thought about doing my own thing,” said the determined mother of three. But it wasn’t until she was fired from her last position that she made the decision not to go back to the corporate world.  Her frustration made
her realize that she could do better and would.  She applied for unemployment, redirected her anger, and got busy learning how to build
her own business.  When she saw a sign for Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, she decided to check it out.  She completed Women’s Initiative’s Simple Steps program, and also worked on cleaning up her credit and applying for loans.  In May of 2008, she opened Catered to You on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. 

Women’s Initiative helped Teena realize that although she had worked in catering for years, she didn’t know how to run a catering business.  There were different aspects to being the one in charge of the business as opposed to being a worker in the business.  Women’s Initiative gave
Teena the business training that, combined with her food industry experience, allowed her to start  a successful business.  Teena says one
of the best aspects of the program however is the positive environment and being around like-minded women who offer encouragement and support.

Teena says one of the best aspects of her business is meeting new people.  “I like the satisfaction I get when people are happy with what I have done for them.”  She plans to continue to grow Catered To You and focus more
on catering to generate additional business. She also intends to hire employees to prepare the breakfast and lunch meals for patrons so she
can focus on marketing and meeting potential customers to raise awareness to her services.


Written by Mieasha Harris, Women’s Initiative graduate, SuccessLink member and owner of WIP Magazine.

Women's Initiative is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S Small Business Administration