JumpStart Blog

Area small business owners can now apply for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses beginning at Cuyahoga County Community College in September 2012. Selected participants can access one-on-one business advising sessions from dedicated professionals to help develop a plan specifically tailored for their growth. Here's why you should apply to Northeast Ohio’s newest resource . . .

May is a time of warming temperatures, cherry blossoms and Memorial Day cookouts. It's also a time when college graduates are forced into the real world, collectively letting out a worried sigh that's accompanied by the question, "What next?"

Lots of innovators fail because they don't know how to take their ideas from drawing board to marketplace. Some business plan competitions address this problem for students from the region's higher education institutions by providing much-needed advice, mentoring, technical assistance and cash. And, for those students whose ideas don't win, success often lies in the clarity of thought and confidence that's learned along the way.

As part of the JumpStart America initiative, we've been learning about the needs and opportunities of other entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country. One such region, Baton Rouge, should not only be acknowledged as the capital of Louisiana, home of Mardi Gras and birthplace of American Idol judge Randy Jackson (important to know)—it should be recognized for its vibrant entrepreneurial culture.

It's easier to be an entrepreneur in Northeast Ohio now than it was just five years ago. Our region continues to add an array of resources for entrepreneurs. And now, Cuyahoga Community College, in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Foundation, is offering Cleveland area small business owners the opportunity to apply for the upcoming class of 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) that begins in September.

In a conversation today, I heard a surprisingly rare comment from an entrepreneur. In describing his background, he talked about a previous startup he founded in which he "made a bunch of mistakes" that lead to its failure. Sadly, this admission is a rare one.

Presentations can share something about a young company, but they should really be designed to enable a customer to see how a product and service will work for him or her.

I hear it all the time. In fact, I used to say it myself: "Selling is selling." But it's not. And salespeople that haven't sold for a startup before usually don't understand just how different it is. Here are five (though there are likely more) reasons why selling at startups just ain't the same as it is everywhere else.

You’ve decided to take the plunge into mentoring. But how do you go about becoming a business mentor? How do you know when there’s a good match? And how can you be an effective business guide?

A week doesn't go by when I don't hear an employer (big or small) lament the dearth of engineers, software developers and other tech talent in the region. This isn't new, nor is it a concern specific to Northeast Ohio. It's national problem. So, my question is: What are you doing about IT?

For more than 20 years, Al "Bubba" Baker, former defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, and his wife, Sabrina, have created a successful catering business that has grown into one of Cleveland's most beloved restaurants, Bubba's Q World-Famous Bar-B-Q, located in Avon, Ohio. But the ever-competitive Bubba saw an opportunity to do more. He invented a patented food preparation process to removes bones from baby back ribs.

By now, any would-be healthcare entrepreneur has to have seen some of the hundreds of articles detailing the tumultuous state of the healthcare industry. Any quick Google search turns up reading material on a myriad of market changes that could deter even the most determined company leaders...

In a world of blogs, Twitter and The Situation, building a personal brand is not a new idea. Even investing has gone social with many VCs building huge online followings, often commenting on social issues and politics as often as they do seed investing and tech.

Computerized tomography (CT) scanners are widely used as alternatives to MRIs. Using X-rays instead of magnets, CT scanners work faster than MRIs and have the advantage of being able to take images of tissue and bone.

You've decided to start your own business. You probably have a very clear idea (at least in your head) of the type of business you will start.