From the origin story of their businesses to the ways they allowed themselves to grow as entrepreneurs, our Female Founders series gives a view into the lives of successful women from a variety of industries. Join us for today’s feature, Reece Soltani, offering a behind the scenes look at some of what she has done to succeed so far, advice for those starting off, and plans for the future.
What’s your business and how did you get started?
I run Chachi’s, which is a neighborhood sandwich shop in San Pedro. The big vision is to turn it into a franchise business one day and bring some of our house-made spreads into retail. But the way it started was a lot scrappier than that.
Before this, I spent almost a decade working as an innovation consultant and strategy advisor with Fortune 500 companies. My whole job was helping big organizations build new products and growth strategies. After a while, I burned out pretty hard and realized I didn’t want to keep building PowerPoint decks; I wanted something tangible I could feel with my own hands.
So I quit… without really knowing what that business would be yet.
I ended up launching Chachi’s while I was three months pregnant and basically learned the business by doing everything myself. I built the brand on Canva, printed flyers around town, and told literally everyone I knew to come try us; people from my gym, my sisters’ friends, anyone who would listen. On opening day, we had a line out the door.
What is one thing you’re really proud of that you’ve created or accomplished?
The thing I’m most proud of is the community that has grown around Chachi’s. When you start a food business, you think you’re just opening a place that serves good food, but it slowly becomes something much bigger than that.
One of my favorite examples was an event we hosted called the Summer Slamwich, which was basically a sandwich-eating competition. We had over 200 people show up; vendors were selling out; people were cheering. It felt like this wild, joyful block party built around sandwiches.
To top it off, I started hearing from people across Los Angeles who had heard about it and said they were planning to compete next year. That’s when it really hit me that the shop had grown into something people felt connected to.
What is the boldest thing you’ve ever done in business?
Probably the moment I walked away from a very stable corporate path and decided to start over at the very bottom of a completely different industry.
At the time, I actually had the opportunity to get promoted into a director role in another department. Instead, I quit my job and applied for an entry-level position at my local Starbucks. My thinking was pretty simple: if anyone has figured out how to build a repeatable food business model, it’s Starbucks.
So I put on the green apron, learned how to make some very sugary drinks, and mostly just watched how everything worked, including how the line moved, how they trained staff, how they built systems so the experience stayed consistent every time.
And because I apparently can’t just quietly observe things, I even started helping some of the staff organize around unionization conversations while I was there. I figured if I was going to immerse myself in the business, I might as well understand every angle of it.
What’s one thing you’re currently excited about for the future of your business?
Right now I’m excited about the idea that Chachi’s could grow way beyond a single shop while still keeping its personality.
My background is in strategy, so I spend a lot of time thinking about how to build systems that allow something to scale without losing what made it special in the first place. We’re starting to lay the foundation for what a franchise model could look like, and we’re also experimenting with ways to bring some of our house-made spreads into retail.
The long-term vision is to build something that starts as a beloved neighborhood brand but eventually makes its way up the West Coast.
What’s your best business advice you would give to other women?
Don’t wait for the perfect idea. I think a lot of people imagine entrepreneurship as this lightning-bolt moment where you suddenly have the next big thing. In reality, most businesses start with a simple opportunity and someone willing to figure it out as they go.
And honestly, bite off a little more than you think you can chew. Almost every time I’ve grown in business, it’s because I said yes to something before I felt completely ready. You learn faster that way.
Entrepreneurship isn’t about having everything perfectly planned out. It’s more like a long series of experiments where you keep learning, adjusting, and moving forward.
What’s your favorite thing about being a business owner?
Honestly, I love how immediate everything is. When you run a small business, you see the impact of what you’re doing right away. If you try something new, you know pretty quickly if it worked.
What’s really awesome is watching the place become part of people’s routines. Someone will come in and say they bring their family every time they visit San Pedro, or that we’re their weekly lunch spot. Those moments remind me that small businesses really do become part of the rhythm of a neighborhood.
And I love that I get to build something that reflects my own values. I get to decide how we treat our team, how we show up for the community and what kind of energy the place has. You get to shape that every day.
