To say Zayn Silmi is Sacramento proud would
be an understatement. The 25-year-old entrepreneur
is the founder of The People of Sacramento,
which makes those hats emblazoned with “916”
and hoodies proclaiming “Home is Sacramento.”
“Our city is amazing — I’ve known this my
entire life,” says Silmi. “And nobody even knows
we’re the capital. I always knew I wanted to stay in
Sacramento, build my business here and inspire
the next generation of entrepreneurs. And make
my city proud.”
After graduating from Al-Arqam Islamic
School & College Preparatory, Silmi opened Brew
Crew Coffee in south Sacramento and sold it twoand-a-half
years later to focus on the Instagram
account he’d created to spotlight Sacramento with
scenic images of the city as well as short profiles
of local individuals and businesses (modeled after
the popular Humans of New York account).
“Instagram was fairly new, so it was a very
small community coming together to hang out
and take photos,” Silmi recalls. “Six months after
starting The People of Sacramento account (in late
2014), I realized I was onto something really special.
People across the U.S. were seeing Sacramento
from a grassroots level.”
The platform allowed Silmi to be an ambassador
for his hometown. He began to organize charitable
giveaways with local businesses — among
them Temple Coffee — and eventually launched
his first piece of official The People of Sacramento
merchandise, the 916 hat, which was promoted on
social media by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership,
Visit Sacramento and the City
of Sacramento. What followed is a line of
Sacramento-branded clothing and accessories
and a store that opened in the Ice Blocks in February
(though the coronavirus pandemic forced it to
return to online-only commerce two weeks later).
In 2016, Silmi launched public relations agency
The People’s Firm, which counts as clients
Sacramento Regional Transit District, Ice Blocks
and Shake Shack (which opened in the Ice Blocks
in June). Silmi oversees social media accounts
and advertising campaigns for these companies,
with an eye toward giving back, since Silmi asks
each client to incorporate community givebacks
(like toy, sock and food drives) as part of any
marketing plan.
When California’s stay-at-home order was
issued in March, Silmi met with city leaders to
see how TPOS could help. He encouraged his
followers to tag local businesses on Instagram
to drive traffic their way, and he helped launch
community resource website UniteSac. The site
features job listings; free Instagram Live classes;
information about COVID-19 testing, child care,
emergency loans and mental health; and links to
donate to local organizations helping health care
workers and people experiencing homelessness
and food insecurity.
“Our main focus as a company is trying to help
our city stay positive and support local business
during these unprecedented times,” Silmi says.
“People have really come through to support.
That’s the beautiful thing about Sacramento.”
“Your future is in your
hands. Start today, make
sure you do something you’re
passionate about, and find a way
to make a positive impact in
the world with whatever it
may be. Don’t be scared to start.
A big business starts small.”
BY JESSICA LASKEY
July 2020 | comstocksmag.com 39