The 5 Entrepreneurs Establishing Themselves as Titans of Industry in 2021

From food to fashion, these five entrepreneurs are dominating their respective fields.

Isaias Hernandez

Isaias Hernandez

Isaias Hernandez is the Founder and CEO of rising restaurant group Smoke and Fire Social Eatery in California. A veteran of the hospitality industry, the LA-native launched Smoke and Fire during the summer of 2020 in La Habra, CA; the eatery has since become a community staple, opening three additional locations within the span of one year and several more slated to launch in Anaheim, Bellflower, Fontana and Long Beach. The family-owned restaurant spotlights regionalized comfort food featuring fresh prime beef and poultry coupled with farm-to-table craft cocktails. During its inaugural year, Smoke and Fire Social Eatery garnered numerous accolades including Small Business of the Year La Habra 2020 and Best of LA Times Southland while simultaneously maintaining a five-star Yelp rating for its three locations.

Michela Eshaghian Rothman

Michela Eshaghian Rothman

Michela Eshaghian Rothman is the Co-Founder and CEO of women-founded, sister-owned jewelry brand Alex Mika Jewelry in New York City. Rothman’s keen eye for fashion and design combined with her background in PR and communication helped propel the company to prominence in both media and industry landscapes. With nearly 180K followers on Instagram, Alex Mika Jewelry is often seen sported on celebrities such as Rihanna, the Kardashians, the D’Amelio sisters and more. Following their 2012 debut, the brand has since released a comprehensive range of luxury necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and body chains. Jewelry enthusiasts can easily transition from day to night with Alex Mika’s chic yet versatile collections.

Alexa Eshaghian

Alexa Eshaghian

Alexa Eshaghian, alternatively known as “styledbya” on Instagram, is a fashion stylist and designer who swiftly rose to prominence on social media by posting fashion-forward outfits with obscured mirror poses (which soon became her signature image). With a growing client portfolio, Eshaghian continues to amplify her presence in the fashion community by collaborating with emerging designers and small brands to construct unique, completed looks. Along with co-founding two companies, Alex Mika Jewelry and Curated NY, Eshaghian has more recently consulted for lifestyle brand Onia as the Women’s Creative Director and Designer.

Max Yang

Max Yang

Entrepreneur Max Yang is the Founder and CEO of global marketing and consulting agency Max Yang & CO. Established in Kimberly, WI in early 2021, Yang’s company helps both small and large-scale businesses adapt to today’s digital landscape by offering tailored branding plans, ad management, search engine optimization and digital marketing strategies. Drawing inspiration from his passion for education and assisting local businesses, Yang continues to implement new and innovative techniques to his business models with the aim of bolstering digital presence.

Evan Sharma

Evan Sharma

Often compared to notable artists like Basquiat, Picasso and Matisse, Evan Sharma is a young and emerging neo-expressionist artist from Canada whose artwork is inspired by the country’s rugged terrains and urban street culture. In 2021, the artist and designer released streetwear brand RBLB (Right Brain/Left Brain), a wearable art collection inspired by a personal philosophy that defines wholeness as a state of alternating between opposite poles of art and science. Sharma has been featured in various documentaries on broadcasting networks such as CBC Arts, CTV and Shopify Studios.