Check out the inspiring stories of Intuit IDEAS program entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their communities.
Sharing cooking and culture
Born in Guinea and raised in the United States, Binta grew up in a diverse culture where food and community were inseparable. Meals were shared, guests were welcomed without question, and food was made for everyone around the table.
“Community is the foundation for how we move,” she says.
That mindset shapes everything she does today through withBee, her Los Angeles-based Afro-Caribbean cuisine company. Binta describes herself as a “chef of the diaspora,” cooking food that reflects the connections between West African, Caribbean, and Southern American cuisines.
Her approach is rooted in the belief that food should be healing and nourishing, not just fuel. “For me, cooking is about feeding other people,” she says.
Finding her way to food
Binta did not originally plan to become a chef. After immigrating to New York as a child, she spent years helping her family navigate life in the U.S., often translating for her mother and helping raise her siblings. She later studied early childhood education and became a preschool teacher.
Food entered the picture in a more informal way. She had grown into a habit of feeding people, and eventually a friend suggested she start getting paid for it. That idea stayed with her.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2020, Binta worked her way up in restaurants, eventually reaching a Chef de Cuisine-level role at Alta Adams. But over time, she decided to build something of her own.
Today, withBee operates across multiple channels: a stall at Smorgasburg (a weekly open-air food market), lunch pick-up and delivery, catering and events, and cooking classes for children. Her apartment has also been permitted as a cottage food operation, allowing it to function as an in-home café and gathering space.
“You don’t need a specific building to create something meaningful,” she says. “Everywhere you are, you have the opportunity to build community.”
Growing with Intuit IDEAS
The Intuit IDEAS program helped Binta turn her vision into a real business. She formally launched withBee LLC after joining the program, moving quickly to establish the structure she needed to grow.
“The IDEAS program was definitely a catalyst,” Binta says, adding that the program’s support was critical. While she knew the food and the industry, running the business side was new to her. Through IDEAS, she worked with experts who helped her set up her books, understand reconciliations, and build better financial habits.
One lesson from her QuickBooks expert that stood out. “Keep your business and your personal life separate,” she says. “That’s the easiest way.”
Binta also began using tools like Mailchimp to communicate with customers more efficiently. Plus, she worked with a TurboTax expert to get caught up on taxes she had fallen behind on. But one of the biggest shifts came from the program’s coaching.
She says her Zella Life coach helped her step back from constant motion and figure out where she actually needed to focus. At one point, she was juggling multiple jobs while trying to grow withBee. Through coaching, she began setting clearer boundaries and prioritizing her own business.
“They really helped me strip everything down and stay focused,” she says.
By the end of the program, she had a stronger handle on the business side, and more confidence in how to move forward.
Creating more than just meals
For Binta, withBee is not just about food. It’s about education as well.
She teaches cooking classes for children and sees that work as part of a bigger mission. With her background in early education, she believes kids should learn how to cook, care for themselves, and become independent.
“I think teaching them how to cook should be part of how we raise kids,” she says.
Binta’s thinking also extends into a nonprofit she launched, which focuses on expanding access to food education in schools and communities.
Now, Binta is growing withBee in a way that feels sustainable to her. She splits her time between sourcing ingredients, preparing meals and events, and teaching classes.
Looking ahead, she wants to expand the education side of her business, create more free programming, and build spaces where food, culture, and learning come together—all while staying true to how she works and what she believes. “I lead with who I am,” she says.
About Intuit IDEAS
IDEAS stands for Invest, Develop, Empower, Accelerate and Scale.
Intuit IDEAS is a program empowering small business owners in cities across the United States to help improve entrepreneurs with their functioning, efficiency, earnings, and capital readiness.
Through Intuit IDEAS, small business owners receive free access to Intuit’s AI-driven expert platform and products, including QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and TurboTax. In addition to support from Intuit’s expert network, Intuit IDEAS participants also receive business counseling, executive coaching, and a grant to help them grow their businesses. Small business owners are boosting their revenue by an average of 23% and saving 16.5 hours monthly, enabling them to focus on growing their businesses and make a bigger impact in their communities.