Meet the Participants of the Cleveland Small Business Impact Program’s 17th Cohort

JumpStart’s Small Business Impact Program is a 12-week business accelerator that provides hands-on advising and industry-specific mentoring to participants. The program focuses on helping these entrepreneurs overcome key business issues, with a significant emphasis on financial projections and capital pitches. Throughout the program, participants will have the opportunity to work closely with the Impact Program

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Don’t Wait, Update! Why Small Businesses Need to Optimize Their Google Business Profile Right Now

Stop me if you’ve heard this one… Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Nobody… because your customers couldn’t easily find you online. **Pause for uproarious laughter.** As a small business owner, you hopefully already have a website and social media presence to promote your products or services online. However, these tools alone aren’t necessarily enough to attract

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Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saidah Farrell, Marshmallow of the Month Club

Business growth looks different for every entrepreneur. For some, it could mean product diversification or entering new markets, for others it could mean opening a storefront or upgrading technology. For Saidah Farrell, owner of Marshmallow of the Month Club, growing her company that creates subscription boxes of artisan marshmallows, freshly baked graham crackers and chef-inspired

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Mentoring Minute: A Conversation with Mark Hoersten

The Entrepreneurship Education Consortium (EEC) is ramping up for its Spring 2023 Tech Side Hustle. Offered each semester to member colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio, Tech Side Hustle is an extracurricular program designed to attract, coach, and fund student entrepreneurs. Participating student cohorts are paired with experienced local mentors like Mark Hoersten, who guide

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Celebrating the Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the nation comes together to honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, I am taken back to a moment in history that helped shape my life and my purpose. I was ten years old living in Arlington, Virginia on August 28, 1963 when Dr. King marched in Washington D.C. and delivered

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Profit Plan vs. Budget: Creating A Profit Plan with Purpose

As a small business owner, chances are you’ve been told countless times how important it is to have a business plan or a budget for your small business. Budgets are the worst! Hopefully, you don’t use one for your business. What you really need is a Profit Plan which shows how your business is going

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5 Content Ideas to Post on Your Business’s Social Media Pages

Struggling to figure out what to put on your business social media pages? Regularly updating your social media is important to help keep your business fresh in people’s memory and on their feeds. Here are 5 fantastic ideas that will help you stay active on Facebook, Twitter, and more.   1. Share Industry News No

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Shop Local on Small Business Saturday with JumpStart Impact Program Graduates

Small Business Saturday is an annual event that encourages consumers to shop small and support local businesses every holiday season. When we shop locally, more of our money stays local. There’s a direct correlation between supporting local independent businesses and having our dollars recirculate to create a multiplier effect: creating more local jobs, strengthening local

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What (or Who) Will It Take to Build a Thriving Entrepreneurial Ecosystem?

Earlier this year, the White House delivered a proclamation designating November National Entrepreneurship Month. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of entrepreneurship to transform communities. Reflecting on nearly 20 years as CEO of JumpStart, a nationally recognized entrepreneurial support organization, I’ve experienced first-hand the impact entrepreneurs have on the cities and regions they call home. Startups

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JumpStart Launches Year-End Giving Campaign To Help Tech Startups And Small Businesses Go Further, Faster

JumpStart is kicking-off its year-end giving campaign to expand entrepreneurial support services to tech founders, innovators and small business owners across Northern Ohio. As a venture development organization, JumpStart unlocks the power of entrepreneurship to transform communities, helping entrepreneurs grow, researchers commercialize and corporations innovate. When startups and small businesses face roadblocks, JumpStart helps move

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