Lois Shelton doesn’t lead a big company in Los Angeles. But as a professor of management at Cal State Northridge, she plays an outsized role in shaping the city’s business landscape by molding its future leaders. So when Shelton focused on the importance of giving back at the Business Journal’s Women’s Council and Awards, she had everybody’s attention. “Making money is not the main mission,” Shelton told a rapt audience. “It’s expected that (companies) will contribute to the larger society, and businesses who do that end up making more money.” Shelton also said it’s incumbent on local companies to help find solutions to larger issues. “Businesses need to make it a corporate mission to help solve societal problems,” she explained. “You can be profitable and have a purpose.”

Another speaker who left an impression at the Women’s Council event was Wendy Watson, managing director and founder of ClearStream Agency. Watson, who launched her fast-growing public relations firm in 2015, was part of a discussion about female founders. “You have to have a passion for what you’re doing,” Watson advised. “Success is not guaranteed, but failure is if you’re not passionate.” Or, to put it another way, “The dream is free,” Watson said, “but the hustle is sold separately.”

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Speaking of that passionate and entrepreneurial spirit, the men and women behind some of L.A.’s most interesting emerging companies, products, services and technologies took center stage at Ernst & Young’s 2019 Greater Los Angeles Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Among this year’s honorees was the team at FabFitFun Inc. — founders Daniel Broukhim, Michael Broukhim and Katie Kitchens. The fashion startup was honored in the Retail and Consumer Products category. Honey co-founders Ryan Hudson and George Ruan were tapped in the Advanced Technology section. Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, chief executive at ad agency Hawthorne Direct, was named as E&Y’s Transformational Leader for her innovative, analytics-driven work in the field.