Three Tips For Naming Your Startup

When it comes to naming your startup, there is no formal methodology, or set of hard and fast rules to follow. This can make the process as frustrating as it is fun. Undoubtedly, giving the world a name to go along with the face of your company will be one of your most important early

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The Art Of Pivoting

In the beginning, a new venture is essentially a collection of hypothesis. Even with market research in hand, at its core, a business plan is mostly an educated guess about what customers want. As a result, the chances are extremely high that one or more aspects of your original business plan will be flawed in

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[PODCAST] The Well-Being Of The Citizen

On Tuesday, April 19th, Citizens Bank and Growth Opportunity Partners hosted a conversation about the best ways companies can position themselves to become anchor businesses in their community. The discussion centered around Cleveland’s historical assets, how those assets have changed throughout the city’s history and how companies can use them as a key driver in business growth. Listen

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Five Questions With hand-n-hand Founder Deborah Armstrong

Upon meeting Deborah Armstrong, one thing is clear—she is absolutely passionate about helping others. That’s why she founded hand-n-hand, a company that makes neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) swaddling blankets to provide a better experience for parents holding their premature babies. Deborah is also part of JumpStart’s Core City: Cleveland Impact program, an intensive business assistance program

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National Small Business Week Spotlight: JumpStart’s Own Entrepreneurs

Now in its 53rd year, National Small Business Week celebrates the positive impact entrepreneurs and small businesses have on the economy. In honor of this week, we’ve been profiling a group of local small businesses that are connected to our work. In our final entry, we are focusing on businesses owned and operated by our own hard-working

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National Small Business Week Spotlight: Mike Kennedy And Sibling Revelry Brewing

Now in its 53rd year, National Small Business Week celebrates the positive impact entrepreneurs and small businesses have on the economy. In honor of this week, we’ll be profiling a group of local scaleup businesses that are connected to our work. These scaleups are established small businesses who have made it through the difficult startup

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National Small Business Week Spotlight: René Polin and Balance

Now in its 53rd year, National Small Business Week celebrates the positive impact entrepreneurs and small businesses have on the economy. In honor of this week, we’ll be profiling a group of local scaleup businesses that are connected to our work. These scaleups are established small businesses who have made it through the difficult startup

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National Small Business Week Spotlight: Matt Villenauve and Labelmatch

Now in its 53rd year, National Small Business Week celebrates the positive impact entrepreneurs and small businesses have on the economy. In honor of this week, we’ll be profiling a group of local scaleup businesses that are connected to our work. These scaleups are established small businesses who have made it through the difficult startup

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Five Questions With Rust Belt Riders Co-Founder Dan Brown

Every entrepreneur needs fertile soil and a thriving ecosystem to flourish. But it’s not just a metaphor for Rust Belt Riders—the business literally converts food waste to high quality compost that enriches the soil. Recently we sat down with co-founder Dan Brown to learn more about how his business took root. What inspired you to

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How To Crowdfund For Your Venture

Over the last decade, online crowdfunding has changed the fundraising game, and small businesses are reaping the benefits. At its most basic, the concept of crowdfunding (raising small amounts of money from a large amount of people) can be broken down into two distinct categories—donation/reward-based and investment-based. Nonprofits and cause-centered organizations often use donation/reward-based crowdfunding, while

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Five Questions With Eduwear Co-Founder Nikki Mace

The most successful entrepreneurs are problem solvers. Sisters Nikki Mace and Michele Porter founded their educational apparel startup, Eduwear, because they needed to ensure the children in their lives were well-prepared for their first day of school. The duo is part of JumpStart’s Core City: Cleveland Impact program, an intensive business assistance program designed to

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Let’s Not Cry Over Phenom’s Western Success

A recent Crain’s Cleveland Business headline, reporting on local startup Phenom’s entry into the Silicon Valley accelerator, 500 Startups, led with the words “sad truth,” going on to say that Phenom probably wouldn’t have been accepted into the acclaimed West Coast accelerator unless founders Brian Verne and Mike Eppich had moved from Cleveland to San

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