Building Local Wealth Ecosystem & Community Resilience
Small businesses are the backbone of District 2’s economy, culture, and sense of community. From family-owned restaurants and corner shops to immigrant- and women-led enterprises, these entrepreneurs bring character, jobs, and opportunity to Far Southwest Denver.
Trần is committed to policies that help these businesses not just survive—but thrive—by expanding opportunity at every scale. A central focus of her approach is Microenterprise Home Business Entrepreneurship: a community-rooted model that enables residents to operate small, low-impact businesses from their homes while strengthening neighborhoods, supporting housing stability, and keeping resources and prosperity circulating locally. Drawing on over 20 years of experience as a small business owner herself, Trần knows firsthand the challenges, opportunities, and strategies required to grow and sustain a business, making her uniquely positioned to design programs that foster responsible, resilient, and long-lasting entrepreneurship in District 2. She is actively exploring Denver-specific pathways to ensure home-based microenterprises can operate safely, legally, and responsibly—enhancing neighborhood character, supporting local economies, and fostering vibrant, community-centered third spaces.
Advance Microenterprise Home Business Entrepreneurship
Trần supports responsible, neighborhood-scale businesses operated from homes, including garage studios, home kitchens, repair services, tutoring, childcare, creative workspaces, and artisan production. Microenterprise home businesses give residents the opportunity to stay in their homes while generating supplemental income, helping to stabilize households and preserve the social fabric of District 2. By eliminating high commercial rents and overhead costs, this model lowers barriers to entrepreneurship, making it accessible to diverse residents, including immigrants, women-led enterprises, and family-run businesses. Beyond economic benefits, home-based businesses foster entrepreneurship rooted in trust, culture, and relationships, keeping resources circulating within the community and strengthening local networks. In this way, microenterprise home businesses are not just economic tools—they are foundational to vibrant, resilient, and connected neighborhoods.
Expand Access to Capital & Resources
Access to funding, technical assistance, and mentorship is essential for small businesses to grow and thrive. Trần will expand programs providing micro-grants, flexible loans, technical assistance, and business development training, ensuring entrepreneurs have the tools they need to succeed. Mentorship opportunities, paired with access to shared workspaces and business incubators, will help new ventures scale responsibly while remaining embedded in their neighborhoods. By reducing bureaucratic hurdles and creating pathways for new businesses to establish themselves, District 2 can become a model for inclusive, small-business-friendly policy that nurtures both innovation and equity.
Protect Existing Businesses
Trần is committed to ensuring that redevelopment strengthens neighborhoods without displacing the businesses that give them identity, culture, and stability. Small and long-standing businesses are the backbone of District 2, providing jobs, services, and community cohesion. Her approach includes implementing anti-displacement measures that safeguard legacy businesses from rising rents or redevelopment pressures, providing commercial stabilization tools such as grants, property tax incentives, and negotiated community benefits, and requiring inclusive redevelopment policies that include community benefit agreements for large projects. By prioritizing these strategies, Trần ensures that the businesses shaping District 2—as well as the jobs, culture, and relationships they provide—are preserved even as the local economy evolves, fostering a stronger, more resilient, and inclusive neighborhood ecosystem.
Attract New Small Businesses to District 2
Trần is committed to attracting new small businesses to District 2 by creating a supportive environment where entrepreneurs can launch and grow with confidence. This includes providing affordable leasing opportunities, access to shared workspaces, and pop-up locations that reduce the financial barriers of starting a business. Streamlined permitting processes will make it easier for new ventures to operate legally and efficiently, while mentorship programs, business incubators, and connections to local networks will offer guidance, expertise, and collaboration opportunities. By fostering a vibrant and welcoming ecosystem for startups, District 2 can become a hub for innovation, creativity, and locally rooted economic growth, ensuring that new businesses contribute to the character, resilience, and prosperity of the community.
Support Mobile Food Vendors and Pop-Ups
Trần is committed to supporting mobile food vendors, pop-up businesses, and farmers markets as key components of District 2’s local economy and community life. By expanding opportunities for food trucks, pop-up markets, neighborhood culinary ventures, and farmers markets, she aims to foster entrepreneurship while activating public spaces and creating vibrant, community-centered hubs. Thoughtful regulation will ensure these businesses operate safely and responsibly, while neighborhood events, plazas, and streets gain new energy and engagement. These mobile and temporary enterprises not only provide accessible goods and services—including fresh, local food through farmers markets—but also strengthen social connections, celebrate local culture, and contribute to the district’s economic vitality.
Invest in Incubators, Community Entrepreneurship, and a Local Business Association
Trần will invest in incubators, community entrepreneurship spaces, and a local business association to ensure that new and growing businesses have the resources, mentorship, and networks they need to thrive while remaining deeply connected to the community. These collaborative spaces will provide access to shared equipment, professional guidance, and opportunities to work alongside other entrepreneurs, allowing businesses to scale responsibly without losing their neighborhood roots. Drawing on insights from being a small business owner herself for over 20 years, Trần understands the challenges and opportunities of sustaining a business in District 2 and will use that experience to design programs that are practical, effective, and responsive to real needs.
In addition, she will foster a business-friendly community ecosystem by connecting both new and existing business owners with mentorship, professional networks, and partnerships with local organizations. A strong business association will offer advocacy, shared resources, and support to help entrepreneurs navigate challenges, build partnerships, and amplify their impact. By integrating incubators, community spaces, and a connected ecosystem, Trần aims to create a thriving environment where businesses can grow, innovate, and contribute to the long-term economic and social vitality of District 2.
By empowering small businesses and supporting innovative ventures such as mobile food vendors, microenterprise home businesses, incubators, and local business associations, Trần ensures that economic growth benefits the residents and entrepreneurs who invest in District 2, keeping resources, opportunities, and prosperity circulating within the community while strengthening the social and economic fabric that makes neighborhoods vibrant, resilient, and connected.