Connect
To Top

Meet Emre Sonmez of Sofi Enterprises

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emre Sonmez.

Emre, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and moved to the US when I was 21. I went to college in San Diego. After completing my business program there, I then moved to Los Angeles in 2010.

I have always loved to go into business. I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. In my childhood home, business was one of the most common topics of dinnertime conversation. Owing to my deep-seated passion for entrepreneurship, I started my fabric business from my apartment by doing cold calling. At this period, I went through a tough time as I did not have enough fund.

During these dark days of my life, I drew strength from my determination to succeed, from my passion and tenacity to make my business a success story. I also went down to Los Angeles Downtown to knock on some business owners’ doors (local clothing manufacturers) to see if they are in need of any fabric. I was turned down many times but did not give up until I got my first order.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As I said earlier, the road to my present destination was marked with difficulty and required great determination for me to succeed. A major challenge I had then was capital. Also, because I was a neophyte in the business then, I was turned down many times. I had to work 20hrs a day to cater for my needs — this was quite arduous.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sofi Enterprises – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are wholesale fabric suppliers/importer and also offer Wet Print services. Over the years, we have become renowned for our great fabric quality and wide variety of selection. We are proud of working with small and big companies. What makes us different from our competitors in this industry is our fast turn-around time, our impeccable customer service and our professionalism. As our customers are our number priority, we always go the extra mile to satisfy them. Also, we give free fabric samples. To me, success is doing your job efficiently, professionally and diligently, and most importantly, achieving your life objectives, whether they are monetary, health-related, etc. The criteria and markers I seek are determination, a can-do spirit, and optimistic attitude and approach to problems.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Short term, we are planning on expanding our product line. Adding more quality fabric and new designs to our print library for our wet printing services. We are also looking forward to lunch our retail website soon so that we can cater more fabrics to anyone and everyone. Long term, to be able to sell our fabric to countries that we have not sold yet.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in

  • Portraits of the Valley

    It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them...

    Local StoriesJuly 1, 2025
  • Portraits of Hollywood

    It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them...

    Local StoriesJuly 1, 2025
  • LA’s Most Inspiring Stories

    Every neighborhood in LA has its own vibe, style, culture and history, but what consistently amazes us is not what differentiates...

    Local StoriesJuly 1, 2025
  • Hidden Gems: Local Businesses & Creatives You Should Know

    Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a...

    Local StoriesMay 5, 2025
  • Portraits of LA

    It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them...

    Local StoriesApril 18, 2025
  • VoyageLA Gift Guide: Services Spotlights

    Our goal as a publication is to encourage more folks to spend their dollars with small businesses, artists and creatives.  Our...

    Local StoriesDecember 15, 2024
  • VoyageLA Gift Guide: Experiences to Consider

    Our goal as a publication is to encourage more folks to spend their dollars with small businesses, artists and creatives.  Our...

    Local StoriesDecember 15, 2024
  • VoyageLA Gift Guide: Products from the Community

    Our goal as a publication is to encourage more folks to spend their dollars with small businesses, artists and creatives.  Our...

    Local StoriesDecember 14, 2024
  • Podcast: Your Journey As An Actress

    We’re so lucky to have a great guest with us today to discuss your journey as an actress and so much...

    Partner SeriesOctober 22, 2024