In Wrightwood, The Village Grind Becomes a Classroom for Community and Economic Resilience
Mar 20, 2026 | Uncategorized
Wrightwood, CA — On any given morning in Wrightwood, The Village Grind is where neighbors gather to warm up, catch up and start their day. Recently, the local coffee shop also became something more: a classroom for business owners navigating tough decisions in a town still recovering from years of environmental disruption.
Local business owner Teresa Yslas Beardsley hosted a pilot Business Decision Workshop at The Village Grind, designed to give entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners a rare and much-needed space to pause, connect and take practical steps forward.
Rather than offering lectures or rigid business formulas, the workshop invited participants to bring real challenges from their own businesses and leave with a 30-day action plan focused on small, achievable steps that could help them chart a clear path forward.
“In communities like ours, business decisions are never just about work,” Beardsley said. “They affect families, caregiving, and whether people can build lives that are sustainable long-term. I wanted to create a space where people felt supported in making thoughtful choices, not pressured into chasing someone else’s version of success.”
From Conversation to Action
Following the session, several participants reached out to share updates on their progress, including initiating important conversations, revisiting delayed projects and moving forward on decisions that had been stalled for months.
Participants also expressed interest in ongoing, in-person business education that remains affordable and grounded in local experience.
“There’s something powerful about sitting in a room with people who understand your constraints because they live them too,” Beardsley said. “It creates accountability, but it also creates encouragement.”
A Facilitator Who Knows the Terrain
Beardsley is the founder and CEO of Safety Compliance Services (SCS), a California-based education and professional services organization focused on adult learning and workforce readiness. Her background includes more than fifteen years of experience in operations and learning design across live events, media and regulated environments.
Equally important, she is a long-time Wrightwood resident and parent — experiences that shape how she designs learning spaces and interprets community needs.
Historically, SCS has worked within institutional and organizational settings. The shift toward community-based workshops reflects a deliberate effort to close access gaps and bring professional learning directly into everyday community spaces like The Village Grind.
What Comes Next
Encouraged by the response to the pilot workshop, Beardsley is now planning a series of regular Business Decision Workshops in Wrightwood. The sessions will continue to evolve based on participant feedback and emerging needs within the local business community.
“At the end of the day, this is about helping people feel less alone in the work they’re doing to support their lives and contribute locally,” Beardsley said. “When people have space to think and collaborate, they make better decisions, which strengthens the whole community.”
Additional details and outcomes from the workshop are available in the Community Impact Report, which can be viewed and downloaded here:
Photos courtesy of Safety Compliance Services LLC
Press contact: Monique Caradine-Kitchens | [email protected]
