DaShayne Walker ran her business for over 20 years before she received her first capital infusion through a microloan from VSEDC. Read on to find out what kept her going and what inspires her today.
DaShayne Walker, a passionate educator and proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is the director and founder of Dare to Care Learning Center, an after-school program based in Culver City, CA. For 26 years the organization has been transforming youth by providing vital academic and social enrichment, reading advancement, tutoring, and specialized support for youth with developmental disabilities, as well as real-life challenge preparation for teenagers and college students. Our South LA Women’s Business Center sat down recently to talk to her about her experiences.
Take us back to the very beginning—what was that ‘aha!’ moment when you realized you just had to start this business? What was the spark that kept you going even when things got tough?
The “aha!” moment came 26 years ago while working as an LAUSD para-educator for children with special needs. During a mandatory silent reading period, a student who couldn’t read asked me to read a book to him. When I began reading quietly, the classroom teacher yelled at me and hurled a 16-ounce plastic water bottle at my head. After reporting the incident, the principal told me the classroom wasn’t big enough for my passion and suggested I start my own school if I wanted to do things my way. I quit, changed my major to Human Services, and spent 9 months launching my own program. The spark that keeps me going is the absolute freedom to read to any child who asks.
What were some of those ‘uphill’ battles you had to fight just to get your foot in the door?
The initial launch had zero seed money, forcing me to borrow $10,000 from a friend, whose special needs son I had successfully tutored. I quickly realized that $10,000 was minor compared to actual operational costs, and I spent years unable to get ahead financially because I refused to charge market rates, choosing instead to keep my fees affordable and humanitarian-focused. Beyond capital, I faced severe systemic obstacles primarily rooted in credit access, loanability, and race as a Black entrepreneur.
Was there ever a time when you had a big dream but just didn’t have the funds to make it happen?
Access to capital felt like an immovable barrier for the first 20 years of my business. During the pandemic, I was trapped paying $4,300 a month in rent for a building I couldn’t even use, bringing my income to zero dollars. Later, after being displaced due to building noise complaints from a downstairs day spa, I found a perfect new space but faced landlords demanding immediate cash that I didn’t have. Despite keeping perfect credit from 2013 through 2025, buying a condo for myself negatively impacted my debt-to-income ratio, leading to a string of painful rejections from lenders – even from those claiming to help people with credit hurdles.
When you finally got that ‘yes’ from VSEDC, what was the first thing you felt?
When traditional doors were closing and a prospective landlord was threatening to give my space away to someone else, VSEDC stepped in. The VSEDC manager approved me and moved the funding quickly, right when I needed it the most. VSEDC was the first institution to truly believe in my purpose.
How did that funding change the way you looked at yourself or your business?
The funding represented true empowerment, which I define as deeply believing in your own purpose and finally allowing someone else to back up my beliefs. It validated my choice to “bet on myself” rather than counting myself out. Securing this financial backing gave me the confidence to stop settling for temporary spaces and step into a visible, lucrative location where my business could truly thrive.
If you could sit down with a big bank and tell them how to actually support small business owners, what would you say needs to change?
I would directly challenge financial institutions, where I banked for nearly 30 years but received zero support, with rejections at every turn. My message to big banks would be to dismantle the rigid lending structures that penalize business owners for personal milestones (like buying a condo/home) and to actively address the systemic credit and race-related barriers that keep Black entrepreneurs locked out of capital.
Tell us about a ‘breakthrough’ moment.
The ultimate breakthrough came from building a reliable payment history on my initial $10,000 VSEDC loan. Because of that strong relationship, I was able to call VSEDC and swiftly secure an ideal, highly visible, and lucrative new facility surrounded by local schools. This structural stability, paired with community perks like LA County providing four free field trip buses a year, shifted my business from surviving rent cycles to actively scaling in a prime neighborhood.
When you look around your neighborhood today, where do you see your influence or impact?
My influence is visible in the 2,000+ local students who have passed through the Dare to Care Learning Center. I have watched children conquer low self-esteem, family hardships, economic struggles, and developmental disabilities to graduate against all odds and enter college. The impact is so deep that I had to launch “The We Still Care Youth Club” just to accommodate the older teenagers and college students who refused to leave the community I helped shape. Aside from serving my country in the U.S. Marine Corps, I consider this my absolute proudest life achievement.
For the woman sitting at her kitchen table right now with a big dream but a lot of fear about asking for help, what would you tell her?
Stop counting yourself out and telling yourself no. Apply, knock, seek, and ask. Bet on yourself and let them be the ones to say no, because there is a 50/50 chance they just might say yes! Drown out the noise, quiet the fearful voices in your own mind, and surround yourself with a ‘sister circle’ or a small group of two or three trusted people who will look at you and say you can.”
If your business was a ride at a theme park, what kind of ride would it be, and what is the warning sign on the front of the line?
It would be a high-speed, thrilling roller coaster with a 48” height requirement, packed with massive loops and exhilarating upside-down twists! It is non-stop, fast-paced energy from the moment you strap in, never slowing down until you safely cross the finish line. As for the warning sign hanging right at the entrance of the queue? It would simply read: “Warning: Hang on tight! It is absolutely worth the ride!”
Dare to Care is one of VSEDC’s SBA Women’s Business Center clients. The South LA SBA Women’s Business Center is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.
The company’s micro loan was made possible by an EQ2 loan from US Bank.
