Pandemic Spurs California Entrepreneurs to Evolve

During the pandemic, Roberto Reyes, 27, of Mission Viejo started FUTBL.org, a non-profit organization that collects and distributes used soccer cleats and uniforms to underprivileged and low-income communities in the U.S. and Mexico, because "soccer unites the whole world." He is one of a growing number of professionals who are becoming entrepreneurs during the pandemic. Courtesy of Roberto Reyes/FUTBL.org

Roberto Reyes wants to unite the world through used soccer cleats.

As winter arrived during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his father were cleaning out the garage of their Mission Viejo home in Southern California when they found piles of old soccer shoes.

At that time late in 2020, he felt like there was a lot of hate in the world, he remembers. People were protesting across the country and fighting against each other.

To combat this, Reyes, 27, decided to start FUTBL.org, a nonprofit organization that collects used soccer cleats with a goal of putting smiles on children’s faces again.

“Soccer unites the world for 90 minutes. It doesn’t matter the age, gender, race and what social issues are happening,” Reyes said. “Everyone stops and plays. That was the idea.”

Many younger professionals like Reyes took advantage of their time during the pandemic to chase their dreams and become entrepreneurs.

“Life is so precious. Life is so short. You need to do what you want to do while you’re still here,” Reyes said.

Roberto Reyes, 27, of Mission Viejo started FUTBL.org, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes used soccer cleats and uniforms to underprivileged and low-income communities. Courtesy of Roberto Reyes/FUTBL.org

Reyes continues to work full-time as he operates the nonprofit. But many new entrepreneurs are leaving traditional jobs behind.

According to a Digital.com survey, two in five workers plan on starting a business this year. The wave of entrepreneurship has left traditional employers searching for workers as they try to recover from the pandemic and restrictions are lifted in Southern California.

Business transitions have not been easy in California, according to Somjita Mitra, chief economist for California’s Department of Finance, who spoke during a seminar hosted by CalMatters and the Milken Institute.

Mitra told panelists in December that the recession has been the worst to hit the state since the 1930s. Even so, she said residents were optimistic about the economy, and the Great Resignation was proof of that.

“People don’t quit jobs if they think the economy is going to crash soon,” she said, according to CalMatters. “The fact that people are quitting and trying to find better employment, or start their own businesses, or move—there’s a lot of optimism that people have in terms of the recovery.”

California ended 2021 with 6.5 percent unemployment, according to the latest report by the state’s Department of Finance. The state has only recovered 72 percent of the 2.7 million nonfarm jobs lost at the beginning of the pandemic, in March and April 2020.

Professional and business services was the only sector to recover to its pre-pandemic level.

An empty business available for lease in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Oct. 22, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The recovery is more difficult for some businesses than others, according to one official in Orange County.

“A number of businesses I’ve come across did extremely well during the pandemic. A couple of businesses in Santa Ana had banner years,” David Elliott, president and CEO of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, told The Epoch Times. “On the recovery side, probably the biggest issue right now is talent.”

Elliott said he heard from three accounting firms that had to drop clients because they didn’t have enough qualified people to do the work.

“That contributes to anxiety in the businesses. They can’t grow or can’t recover from the pandemic because they don’t have people they can hire,” Elliott said.

Many people have moved out of state or plan to leave, adding to shortages, he said.

Businesses might take another year before they fully recover, according to Elliott.

“I think we’re seeing a recovery, but there are issues with that recovery,” Elliott said, adding that the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce is helping businesses with workforce development programs.

Small business owners and their supporters participate in a Save Small Business protest in Los Angeles on Dec. 12, 2020. Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images

Southern California was the hardest hit by pandemic shutdowns and restrictions in the state, according to Oscar Garcia, Small Business Development Center affiliate program director for the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce in Sacramento.

Latino business owners were heavily impacted, Garcia told The Epoch Times.

“Traditionally, the way of doing business kind of changed overnight for all of us,” Garcia said. “But for Latino businesses, they didn’t have their businesses online, they didn’t do any e-commerce. They didn’t have those platforms.”

The pandemic opened new ways for operating and a new business model, pushing businesses to promote and deliver new services. However, because of a lack of resources, these businesses were not able to fully take advantage of programs, or the grants and loans that were available, Garcia said.

“Nevertheless, the Latino businesses are very resilient,” Garcia said.

Fortunately, the majority of Latino-owned businesses are family-owned and operated, relying on family members to work for them, he said.

These businesses accounted for about 400,000 of the 4 million U.S. businesses before the pandemic and were among the most affected by closures, including restaurants, hospitality, construction, retail, and transportation.

Restaurant workers watch demonstrators march peacefully down several blocks of Second St., in Long Beach, Calif., on Dec. 2, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“Those areas were really hit hard, and those were the industries that a lot of Latinos represent,” Garcia said.

To help Latino-owned businesses with loans, technology, or assist with launching a new business, the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the California Hispanic Small Business Development Center developed “Programa Hispano,” offering no-cost office space and other tools.

In the meantime, more entrepreneurs like Reyes are expected to emerge.

Reyes and his partners operate FUTBL.org throughout Southern Orange County and San Diego and plans to expand into Detroit to work with afterschool programs.

Last year, the group collected enough gear to hold two events in areas gripped by poverty in Tijuana, Mexico. They provided local children with shoes, equipment, and uniforms.

When they arrived, they found children playing the game wearing sandals, sneakers, or barefoot. They would use rocks to mark the goal area.

With a pair of cleats and uniforms, they now have a chance to play in leagues and become noticed by recruiters and possibly have a chance to attend college in the future, he said.

“It can change their world,” Reyes said.

During the pandemic, Roberto Reyes, 27, of Mission Viejo started FUTBL.org, a non-profit organization that collects and distributes used soccer cleats and uniforms to underprivileged and low-income communities in the U.S. and Mexico. Courtesy of Roberto Reyes/FUTBL.org