5 Questions With Sociagram President Sally Babcock Schriner
Rocky River startup Sociagram is poised to hit big with GiftGram, a program that allows users to record “super-awesome” personal video messages that are timed to arrive the moment a gift is delivered to their loved one’s door. GiftGram can be accessed through a web-interface, downloaded as an iPhone or Android app or even installed as a
VIDEO: Predicting The Future Part One: How To Prepare A Financial Forecast
For young businesses, financial forecasting is often an overwhelming undertaking. Learning how to build and present financial projections that attract the attention of bankers and investors without venturing into unrealistic territory can be a difficult task to master. On Wednesday, December 3, JumpStart held an evening seminar, sponsored by Charter One, aimed at conquering the
Youngstown Business Incubator Ranked Best In Class Globally
The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) has been named the number one University-linked incubator in the world by the University Business Incubator Index (UBI). This ranking represents a big win for our state in a competitive category populated by incubators from Stanford, Cornell and UC Berkeley, to name a few. YBI is affiliated with
You Graduated College! So Now What?
For those fresh out of college and leaving the academic world, there is a pivotal decision ahead: what to do with the rest of your life… or at least where to start? Do you become part of the corporate workforce, clocking in at 9 and out at 5? Or do you take the risk on
Passing The Career Plateau: How To Get A Move On
Losing momentum is a common issue many experience when facing an obstacle or challenge. It can happen when battling for weight loss, struggling to find a job or even trying to collaborate on a team project—you can simply lose steam. A career plateau is difficult and will often leave us questioning our ability to succeed
10 Ways To Make Coworking Work
The entrepreneurial world is abuzz with the sound of coworking. Coworking spaces exist to provide entrepreneurs and freelancers with shared resources and opportunities for collaboration. At a minimum, most spaces provide shared desks, Wi-Fi, conference rooms, free coffee—you get the idea. The number of coworking spaces around the world has doubled in the last two
8 Ways Mentors Can Establish Trust
Trust in a mentor/mentee relationship plays a key role in the success of the mentorship experience, and can also have an impact on the long-term success of the business. Until you have a relationship that is rooted in trust, you cannot have an open and honest discussion about the challenges that face the business. But
7 Common Startup Myths
The Loch Ness Monster. Unicorns. Bigfoot. The Garage Entrepreneur. We’ve all heard of these mythical creatures. Sometimes they serve to explain the unexplainable. At other times, these figures are used to inspire and motivate. As an entrepreneur, when you hear common startup stories shared, you might want to ask yourself: Is what I’m hearing a myth,
What It Means To Be A Board Member
Being asked to serve on a board is a big responsibility, and so prospective board members should understand the opportunity before making a commitment. For starters, you should do your research on the company and its founders to make sure you are interested in, passionate about, and able to add value to the business. From
Finding Your Target Market
If you want to be big, you have to start small. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who are just going to market. In an ideal world, you’d be able to promote your small business to everyone and, furthermore, everyone would be interested. In reality, marketing to everyone is not only expensive, but ineffective. Even
5 Tips For Building Business Credibility
It’s not easy being the new business on the block, which is why building your credibility needs to be an early priority. For small businesses, your first customers are extremely important to building that credibility. According to research conducted by McKinsey, up to 50 percent of purchasing decisions are influenced by word of mouth. Credibility
What Does An Investor Look For In A Prospective Investment?
Most entrepreneurs in search of funding have a solid idea and focus. They’re passionate about their business, and they see a direct need for their product or service in the market. However, in some cases, these entrepreneurs don’t catch an investor’s eye right away. In other cases, perhaps an investor has expressed interest, but after