The Only Way Out Is Through: A Founder’s Reflection, One Year After the Palisades Fire

© Stephen Ross Goldstein for INC Magazine

For Southern Californians, January 2025 is a month that will never be forgotten.

Still caught in the optimism of a new year, full of plans, goals, and possibilities, nature had a different idea. Wildfires swept through the greater Los Angeles area, changing thousands of lives in a matter of days.

According to Columbia University, approximately 59 square miles were burned. An estimated 440 people lost their lives directly in the fire and from lingering effects after, and more than 200,000 were forced from their homes. Over 17,000 homes were destroyed, seriously damaged, or rendered uninhabitable.

These numbers don’t begin to capture the full impact, particularly the businesses lost and the livelihoods disrupted.

Jordan Catapano, co-founder of This Girl Walks Into a Bar and a 2023 Enthuse Foundation Grant winner, was one of those impacted. Below, she reflects on how one year can change everything and what CPG founders, especially those in disaster-prone regions, can do to better protect themselves.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are those of Jordan Catapano and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Enthuse Foundation. Don't hesitate to contact your lawyer, business advisor, and insurance provider for specific guidance.

On January 8, 2025, my family lost our home.

In that same fire, our bartending company, This Girl Walks Into a Bar: Bartending LLC, was completely destroyed. Rental equipment, uniforms, mixology tools, bar supplies, our office—gone. We also lost a significant portion of inventory, along with all our trade show supplies, farmers’ market setups, marketing materials, and office equipment.

In one night, both my personal and professional worlds were reduced to ash.

When my sister Jocelyn and I launched This Girl Walks Into a Bar: Mixers & Snacks, we knew that one day we would likely have to choose between the staffing business and our product-based line. We always believed that decision would be made on our own terms.

The Palisades Fire made it for us—in a matter of hours.

The Army Corps cleared our lot in March, which brought both relief and heartbreak. The ashes of our children’s milestones, Christmas ornaments made of macaroni and yarn, my wedding dress, and decades of memories were hauled away. One small ceramic dolphin my son made survived the fire. And somehow, that was enough.

Jocelyn and I had returned to gather documentation for our business insurance. Against the wall of my garage, we found a few boxes of our brand-new mixers somewhat intact. If you shook them, you could still hear liquid inside, though most of it had vaporized in the inferno. A handful of labels were still legible, which gave us a strange, fleeting moment of joy.

We considered saving one as a souvenir until the layers of toxic debris came into focus. We left them behind with the rest of our belongings to be cleared away.

Along with this tragedy, we could never have anticipated the outpouring of love and support from around the world. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe what that meant to us.

We were honored to receive a grant from Sara Blakely through her Red Backpack Foundation, along with 10 small business owners impacted by the Palisades and Altadena fires. That support enabled us to secure our warehouse and replace the critical equipment we had lost.

Additional community support followed:

• LA Strong Comms Coalition provided pro bono PR support and opened doors we never could have accessed alone.

• Total Wine & More took a chance on us, bringing our bottles to shelves across California.

• Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) awarded us a $5,000 grant, helping us cover insurance for 2026 and replace lost marketing materials.

These moments reminded us that even in loss, community shows up.

As I reflect on 2025, I hold both grief and gratitude. We made mistakes. Some we were able to correct. Others came with consequences we cannot undo.

We miss our bartenders. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think about the incredible team of women we grew close to over eight unforgettable years.

As we pushed forward—together as a family, as sisters, and as entrepreneurs—we found ourselves returning to the same Robert Frost quote again and again:

“The only way out is through.”

If you are a founder, I hope that these lessons help you prepare for something you never have to experience.

·       Do not dissolve too fast. Pause. Breathe. Talk to your lawyer before making irreversible decisions.

• Review your insurance policies carefully—and ask questions. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to understand what is and isn’t covered. Editor’s note: Remove any personal or confidential information before uploading anything to ChatGPT or a non-secure platform.

• Insure everything, including loss of income. Even if it feels unnecessary. I never thought this would happen to us. Editor’s note: Longtime Enthuse Foundation supporter The Alera Group is a helpful resource.

• Document constantly. Photos and videos matter. Update them anytime inventory or equipment changes.

• Take copious notes. Document every insurance conversation. If possible, record calls (with all parties’ approval) or meet via Zoom.

• Share your story publicly. Help will come from unexpected places.

• Do not assume resources will appear. Disaster support is limited and often revenue-based. Insurance is critical.

• Grief has no timeline. The world may move on before you do. That’s okay.

• Lean into community. People truly will show up if you let them.

• Do not give up. Ask for help. Stay hopeful. The road back is not easy—but as Frost reminds us, the only way out is through.

  
  

Bottom Line: 2025 was marked by heartbreak, but it also created space for a new beginning. We mourned the loss of our home, the devastation of our community, and the end of the bartending company we worked so hard to build. At the same time, we learned more about ourselves than we ever expected. And just before the holidays, my husband and I received news we never wanted to need but were deeply grateful to have: our rebuilding plans were approved. To better days ahead and to great cocktails still to come.

Jordan Catapano is the co-founder of This Girl Walks into a Bar: Mixers + Snacks LLC, along with her sister Jocelyn Dunn. In 2010, Jordan and Jocelyn launched their blog, "This Girl Walks into a Bar," to share easy cocktail recipes, tips on home mixology, and bar reviews. Their bartending division was launched in 2016 and expanded to nine cities across four states until the Palisades Fire destroyed the business and Jordan's home, ultimately leading to the indefinite closure of the bartending company in 2025. The sisters launched their second company in 2021, This Girl Walks into a Bar: Mixers + Snacks, LLC, producing organic, junk-free, non-alcoholic mixers.