Opening a small business in New York City is hard. Opening a food-related business is really hard. For one thing, New York is a city that never met a regulation it didn’t love. Rents are astronomical, especially for commercial enterprises. The $15 minimum wage is challenging for most business owners. So, it takes money, and lots of it.  But for women and minority members, entrepreneurship comes with its own set of obstacles. Funding can be a challenge, as can connecting to people with good advice. Raven Patrick De’Sean Dennis III, better known as “Cake Man Raven” and Betty Park both know there are far more pitfalls than you can ever conceive of when it comes to starting and sustaining your own business. Cake Man Raven was a baker to the stars, and countless fans, for more than a decade before encroaching gentrification led to his losing his business, and a lot more. Betty Park, a Korean immigrant decided to open a soul food restaurant in Harlem. Opposition from the community nearly ended her business before it got off the ground. They’ll talk about the lessons they learned that helped them turn their dreams into successes and, for Cake Man, the courage and support he needed to start again.