For Price Agah, being the co-owner of a local pizza place was never something she envisioned herself being at an early age, but sometimes there are opportunities that cannot be pushed away. In her case, it was the combination of her brother and her husband (whom she co-owns Pizzanista with) coming together with an idea for a Pizza place in downtown Los Angeles. And with the combination of luck and good timing on their side, the owners of Pizzanista have established a successful (and delicious) pizza place on the edge of downtown Los Angeles in the Arts District.

One of the main reasons that Price attributes to their success is the fact that the downtown Los Angeles neighborhood is growing and expanding at a rapid rate that has seen many “20 to 30 year old people like us” move into the neighborhood, according to Price and her husband who also live in the neighborhood. However, being a small business owner is not as easy as it has sounded so far, especially in the state of California. In terms of the most challenging aspects of being a small business owner, Price was not shy in declaring her frustration with the figurative “red-tape” that state and city government policies have put in place. When asked about the challenges facing her business that keeps her up at night Price said “I would say that, by far, the biggest challenge of being a small business owner in Los Angeles, well California in general, is dealing with the egregious bureaucracy on a city and state level”. She went on to describe the hurdles and hindrances they have to go through on a yearly basis in terms of the afore mentioned “red-tape” that makes owning a small business in California a “tedious and prohibitive” challenge, according to Price. Perhaps some of her frustration comes from the fact that she mentioned how long it is taking for them to obtain a beer and win license, let alone a liquor license, which is something the owners have strived for since opening in 2010. The other challenges that Price and the Pizzanista team voiced were the normal wear and tear of owning a restaurant, such as management, human resources, training, and turnover of employees.

As with all businesses, there are periods of time where you can encounter ups and downs that are just the natural consequences of the business cycle. However, Price did mention how business for them has not seen extreme dips in demand as she explains that “Pizzanista is lucky in the sense that we are in the food business, and everyone needs to eat!” All jokes aside, there is some truth to that statement, as she cleverly points out that “if we were selling a luxury or niche-product, we might notice consumers cutting back on spending”. An interesting perspective that brings light to her idea that everyone needs food, so demand for their pizza should remain steady if their quality stays at the same level. In terms of seasonal issues with the restaurant, Price explained how Pizzanista usually sees a decrease in sales during the beginning of each month. At first, I found this point a bit perplexing before she went on to explain that “we experience a very light, but still noticeable, decrease in business at the beginning of each month, when most people have to pay rent and other bills.” Not surprisingly, she noted that another dip in demand that they usually face is in August because of the higher temperatures and because their clientele tend to be on vacation during that month.

The last major topic we discussed during the interview concerned the constant fluctuation of prices in terms of their ingredients and the produce they buy. I found it very interesting that on a day by day basis, Price mentioned that “every week they receive updates from our different vendors regarding pricing, and we try to stay abreast of any conditions that affect produce prices.” She added that they try to buy their produce solely from California farmers, but that sometimes specific produce items are unavailable due to factors that are out of their control (e.g. pests, weather, drought etc.) Another obstacle Pizzanista faces is that at the restaurant they have a set menu, which occasionally forces them to buy produce from further away, and sometimes abroad. That being said, Price explains their reluctance to do this because “when we are forced to buy produce outside of California, we normally buy products from Mexico or Central America, which usually come with a higher price tag because of transportation costs.”

Despite the day to day fluctuations of produce, I found the most interesting aspect of this interview was how emotional and passionate Price Agah felt about being a small business owner in the state of California and in Los Angeles and what a “tedious” and “hindrance” the local and state governments can be to small businesses. Perhaps Price is one of many frustrated small business owners who are tired of dealing with the Californian bureaucracy with all of the red tape. Although it was not directly mentioned during our interview, Price and Pizzanista might just move to a more business friendly environment, along with many other business owners, to Texas, which happens to be her home state.