We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jade Ikeda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jade, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

This question comes at the perfect time. I recently made the bold decision to leave my long-time corporate job and become an independent business owner. As a lifelong corporate employee, stepping into the world of entrepreneurship was a big leap of faith. Although my previous job was fulfilling and something I enjoyed, it was difficult to find time for my local activities. I decided to make this change because I realized that I wanted to dedicate my time to building a better future for myself and local communities. This is a new challenge for me and I’ve got some concerns, but I’m also excited about this new journey to build stronger communities.

Jade, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m currently running the Instagram account @LarchmontNeighbors to serve the Larchmont, Hancock Park and Windsor Square communities in Los Angeles. Through this platform, I share local news, showcase neighborhood businesses and connect residents with the community. All with the goal of fostering community growth and neighbors well-being.

As a resident myself here, I’m deeply involved in the community such as volunteering for clean-ups and participating in seasonal events. Through these experiences, I have forged strong relationships with neighbors and businesses, developing a keen understanding of local needs and how to effectively market products and services to the local community. Building on this foundation, I’m now offering targeted local marketing solutions to help businesses grow. My services include:

Product and Service Promotion: Featuring local businesses on my platform.
Social Media Management: Creating engaging contents and managing accounts for local businesses.
Limited-Edition Collaborations: Developing exclusive offerings with local businesses.
Event Curation: Organizing unique events to increase visibility.

My approach combines online and offline strategies to help local businesses maximize reach, engagement, and growth.

I believe my knowledge and relationships can make a positive impact on the local businesses. I am committed to work together with businesses and residents to build a stronger, more connected community.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

During the challenging times of the pandemic, I once again experienced the strong sense of community and support that exists in Larchmont. Witnessing my neighbors’ warmth and kindness as they helped each other, I was reminded of the welcoming atmosphere I felt when I first moved here from Japan. I am truly grateful to be a part of this community, I decided to give back to the community that had embraced me and started the “Larchmont Neighbors.”

Although I didn’t initially start this as a business, but as I continued to share my love for the neighborhood, the community began to rally around me, offering their support and encouragement. Gradually, local shops and businesses have recognized the value in my work, leading to offers for sponsorships, promotional opportunities, content creation, and collaborations.

Until very recently, I was juggling between a full time job, but my vision is to build a strong community where jobs are created locally and economic opportunities circulate within our own community. By living a local, sustainable lifestyle myself, I hope to inspire others to join me on this journey. It’s finally time to move forward with this project to be my primary work and way of giving back to this special place. Thank you to everyone who is supporting and working with me.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I always keep in mind to be honest and share positive energy with neighbors. Also as specialized in local, a sense of familiarity is another important key. My content aims for a balanced tone, avoiding both overly sophisticated and overly simplistic images. Also living here as a resident and trying to view the situation from both sides of the clients and customers perspective.

As another way to connect directly with clients and neighbors, I’ve started offering sound baths. This is a wonderful opportunity to share moments of relaxation and connection through the beautiful sounds. My goal is to create a welcoming community where everyone feels relaxed and supported like home. I’ve recently begun offering monthly sound baths at the park. While I’m still learning and growing, I’m also trying to be available for occasional events, store pop-ups, and house calls to meet your needs. Let’s connect and build a supportive community together.

Contact Info:

• Website: Under construction. Stay tuned:)
• Instagram: @larchmontneighbors and @soundneighbors
• Other: For business inquiries or partnerships, please email me: [email protected]
  TikTok: @larchmontneighbors

Image Credits

Larchmont Neighbors