ECDI Blog

This holiday season, you can spread joy and make a positive impact by choosing gifts from small businesses.

OH3C, a place-based development program, created real impact in Ohio neighborhoods What happens when you bring together four of Ohio’s...

New Women’s Business Center is First to Support an HBCU in Ohio, and Will Provide Training, Assistance and Loan Capital to Women-Owned...

Within her first year of teaching fitness classes at a Pure Barre studio when she was 23, Kendra Northgard realized she had found...

Gina Piunno thought she was safe from widespread layoffs at Allstate Insurance in early 2020. When she was laid off despite her 13 years...

“I get a lot of confusion from like pure capitalist business people like, ‘Wait — you want to work with a clientele that doesn’t have...

To Dr. Constance Longmire, her personal and professional coaching skills are more than just a business endeavor – they’re a gift from...

“Here in Cleveland, we want to be the premier supplier of aggregate and trucking company and provide our customers with the best possible...

As ECDI reflects on 20 years of service, we want to celebrate the success of an early client, Jean-François Flechet, founder of Taste of...

For some families, a nightly dinner table discussion about engravings from the 1800s, where in India to source the best tamarinds, or the...

Village of Healing is unlike any medical organization in Ohio. Dána M Langford, CEO & Medical Director, and Tenisha Gaines, Director of...

Just Northwest of Portsmouth, Ohio, in Otway, you’ll find fields full of tulips, dahlias and sunflowers. This is KB Flower Farm. Its...

“Any home brewer will tell you that they’ve wondered what it would be like to open a brewery.” Chris Harris, owner of Black Frog...

"This is gonna sound crazy, but in 1998, at 14 years old, I had this idea for a gaming center,” said Kyle James, co-owner of The Vault,...

ECDI now provides an inclusive online experience to enable website visitors to access online content and services barrier-free. As part...

Running a food truck or a similar mobile food business is not as simple as setting up shop in a parking lot. There are several steps that...

Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift or date night? Explore our selection from ECDI clients and spread the love to small businesses

While it is the framework of your business, your business plan isn't carved in stone. It should be re-examined, amended, or sometimes...

As a small business owner in an era of staffing shortages, finding good workers quickly is more difficult than ever. You may have to keep...

Really, what is it? Does the whole prospect feel overwhelming? Do you not have much money to start a business? Are you unsure your idea...

Tis the Season to Shop Local With the holiday season approaching, now is the perfect moment to support our amazing small business clients...

“Matija was my great-grandfather — this mythic figure who brought the family over from Slovenia. He had a farm and a general store,...

“If an unwed mother has a female child, that child has a 70% chance of becoming an unwed mother herself,” said Valerie Nutter, Owner of...

Have you ever purchased skincare products from a store owned and operated by three children? No? You’ve got to try Skin District Store, a...

“The Kenmore neighborhood in Akron is amazing. It's so beautiful with its wonderful jazz and Caribbean and Latin culture,” said Monaqui...

“There's nothing that humbles you like running a company,” Gazelle Mechanical and Logistics Proprietor Trey Ellington said. Although...

AJL Group started with an $8,000 contract to fix rain gutters. Only two years later, the Cincinnati-based commercial roofing company...

“I've wanted to own a bakery since I was 12 years old,” said Selena Hunt, proprietor of Flour Girls Baking Company, a Gallipolis, Ohio...

“I’ve always been pretty handy,” said Eric Ray, Owner of Rays Reconditioning, a Massillon, Ohio remodeling company. "I was the guy my mom...

Whether you're a local or just passing through, this list is your go-to guide for supporting Latinx-owned businesses in the Buckeye State.

Explore the wealth of tips and advice shared by our clients, specifically for fellow small business owners like yourself.

“Karate isn’t about fighting,” said David Anders, Sensei and Owner of Karate Works, A Maumee, Ohio dojo founded in 2016. “It’s an art...

Hermes Ortiz is not just a drafting engineer and graphic designer — the man is a visualizer. He leaves a physical copy of his business...

Imagine the smell of a fishing bait and tackle shop. If you aren’t detecting notes of gourmet roasted coffee, therapeutic-grade essential...

Discover AAPI-owned businesses that are ECDI clients and members of the Food Fort in Columbus, Ohio.

Discover unique businesses owned by members of the Women's Business Centers of Ohio

OH3C, a place-based development program, created real impact in Ohio neighborhoods What happens when you bring together four of Ohio’s...

There's no place like local for the holidays! It's easy to order from big box stores, but local businesses offer unique, curated...

As a female entrepreneur, one of the most critical elements to success is finding a good work-life balance. Unfortunately, this can be...

"I remember my family dealing with a lot of health issues growing up," said Anique Russell, founder of Too Good Eats, an artisanal...

To many Americans, when we think of Latin American food, we think Mexican cuisine. However, there are many more styles and flavors,...

If you’ve gone into a bar in Columbus and ordered a ginger beer or a Moscow mule, there’s a good chance it came from The Rambling House....

If you're looking for an art quilt to hang on your wall instead of your bed, Barbara's Fiber Art has you covered. Barbara Huff makes...

In conventionally male-dominated fields such as construction and engineering, you will not often encounter a 100% minority- and...

On the 16th floor of the Franklin County Municipal Court sits Café Overlook, a restaurant-to-be with a great view of Columbus’ skyline....

When Rodney Dennis opened Levels Barber College in 2020, he wanted it to be more than a business, but a benevolent force in the...

“When I say I’ve got people who come in and we talk for hours, that’s not an exaggeration,” Krazzy Comics proprietor Allen Harrington...

If you are in Frankfort, Ohio and would like to meet a friend for coffee, there is only one place in town: Deeply Rooted Café. When...

There are only so many generations of people who have lived through a pandemic, and even fewer who grew up in one. Young adults are...

“My daughter attends [Little Arrows Childcare Center] and we love it! I enjoy getting pictures of her activities and interactions with...