We recently celebrated 16 years in business 🎉. Sixteen years of fun, innovation, supporting, and standing with small businesses, nonprofits, and associations. People who are our partners, our clients, our community builders, our family!

It’s been an amazing journey. I’m grateful for the long memory I carry — so many moments, places, and people who helped shape this. To mark the milestone, I was inspired by my friend who did this at her 16th birthday: 16 candles, each one dedicated to something meaningful.

So here are my 16 candles. Just a snippet for now — over the next few weeks we’ll dive deeper into each.

1. Bold + Bright Ideas: At 27, I had no clue what I was doing, but I had an idea and the nerve to go for it. That bright idea became SocializeLA, and it changed my life.
2. Discipline: The quiet strength of showing up every day — for work, for health, for life, and for the people I love. I didn’t give myself credit before, but this is what built everything. ❤️
3. Traveling Entrepreneurship: Before “digital nomad” was a buzzword, I was working from airports, hotels, and coffee shops. Travel has been my classroom, my muse, and my joy since 2009.
4. My Crew, My Family, Friends, and my Faith: They’ve cheered me on through every leap and every season. My circle and my faith has made the big moves possible.
5. The SocializeLA Team + co: From my first hire, Jessica, to every team member since and future— each of you has shaped this company. From Chick-fil-A lunches to trips to New York, from brainstorms to big launches, you’ve been part of the story. My hope is that anyone who works with us walks away knowing the world is their oyster.
6. Community + Associations: Community + Associations: The IEWBC, Pasadena Chamber, and NAWBO each met me at different chapters of my business journey. They gave me opportunities when I needed them most, connected me to people who became friends and partners, and proved that community is reciprocal and necessary. 
7. Fractional Support: Fractional Support: Before “fractional CMO” was frequently used, we were doing the work — bringing strategy, leadership, and clarity to the people who needed it most. We’ve sat at the table with business owners, boards, and teams, helping them see the bigger picture and move with confidence. What started as instinct became a model that has changed the way organizations grow with us at the helm with them.
8. #FlexYourInfluence: Born out of experience, this framework encourages leaders of small businesses, nonprofits, and associations to talk about their work, market themselves, and raise awareness of their companies and missions. It’s about making sure their story is heard, the mission is seen, and impact is known.
9. Clients + Partners: We've had the privilege of working with associations, nonprofits, and small businesses across the country. They are woven into this story — the friendships built, the breakthroughs discovered, the “aha” moments, the launches, the wins/learns we’ve celebrated together. Every single client has left their mark on SocializeLA, and for that, we say thank you.
10. Running: Long-distance running has been a staple in my life and as a business owner since my baby sisters introduced me to it in 2014. I’ve run two marathons so far— and I’m not stopping anytime soon. Running continues to teach me endurance, grit, and that finish lines are always worth the fight. See you March 8 2026 at the LA Marathon!
11. Hardtimes: Although not the funnest and often the most painful, there was always something to gain — and we gained it. Grief, reinvention, and loss tested us, but they also gave us strength. These seasons challenged us and they transformed us.
12. Commute + Hustle: From the Inland Empire to Pasadena to DTLA, Harlem to midtown, East Village to Brooklyn, and cross country and the world, I logged years on the freeway and public transportation. These commutes are my grind, my reflection time, and my hustle.
13. NY + LA: Both cities shaped me. LA and SoCal are my hometown roots. NY was one of my first bold leaps at 25 and my chosen home. Very lucky to know both.
14. Work + Play (#WorkPlayce): I’ve always blurred the lines between life and work in the best way. Creativity, joy, and hustle all live in the same space. In the early years, that meant Starbucks as my office, Disneyland as my brainstorm hub, and Dodger games. Today, it still means finding inspiration everywhere — because when work and play feed each other, the ideas never stop.
15. SocializeLA Collaborative: We built an ecosystem of partners to bring the very best to our clients — designers, PR, other innovators, tech experts, and more. As the connector and CMO, we pull the right people together at the right time, so our clients get more ideas and targeted execution. Collaboration has been the multiplier of our impact, and the opportunities that come from it have been nothing short of amazing.
16. Woman Owned NYC: My passion project: building community, highlighting women leaders, sharing resources with them, and giving back through girls’ high school softball in NYC. This is legacy work.

Sixteen years. Sixteen candles. Sixteen reasons to celebrate, reflect, and everything we need to keep moving forward.

I’ve designed a company I love. And while I did it “alone,” lol, I never truly did it alone. Thank you to every person and experience who has been part of this journey.

Margaret Hernandez

CEO + Founder, SocializeLA.com 

Founder, Woman Owned NYC