Small Business News & Tips

Building Community Through Movement—and Opportunity

Cleveland School of Rhythmic Arts owner Claire Falkov with some of her students. The first time Claire Falkov saw rhythmic gymnastics, it didn’t look like anything she’d seen before. On a television screen, athletes moved across the floor with a kind of effortless precision—leaping, turning, and bending in ways that felt almost unreal, all while tossing ribbons, hoops, and balls high into the air and catching them in perfect rhythm. It was equal parts sport and art, disciplin

Sep 185 min read

Miss Abbie's Pet Treats: A Business That Kept Growing

Beth Kramer, Owner of Miss Abbie's Pet Treats in Woodville, OH At 7, Abbie Kramer rarely made it through a shopping trip without finding something she wanted. “Every time we went to the store, it was, ‘I want, I want, I want,’” her mother, Beth Kramer, said. Eventually, she joked, “You’re gonna need to get a job.” Abbie took the suggestion seriously. After considering selling lotion and soap, she and her mother tried dog treats at a friend’s suggestion. They called the busine

Sep 184 min read

Built on Family, Focused on the Future

Khalid Joshua Jr, Owner of KRA Designs in Dayton, Ohio After his crew had spent weeks on a demanding commercial painting project, Khalid Joshua Jr. began rotating them through a nearby construction cleanup job for a couple of days at a time. They cleared debris from apartments and kept the site tidy behind the construction crews. The change of pace let them talk more and take lunch when they wanted. It also gave them a break from the constant scrutiny of finish work. “They al

Sep 174 min read

A Story in Every Cookie

Khadija Adams, Founder of Deez Cookies in Columbus, OH Khadija Adams was watching the Oscars when the cinematography award was announced. The winner’s face caught her attention. Adams looked her up, out of curiosity, and learned Autumn Durald Arkapaw was half Filipino and half Black Creole. “There’s a cookie there, I think,” she said. There was. It paired pandan, a fragrant plant used in Filipino sweets, with pralines, a flavor rooted in New Orleans. “We like to say we are a

Sep 174 min read

Making Space for Creativity

Ryan Blanski | Columbus From the street, MADFUN Studios looks exactly like what it used to be. A mid-century bank, low and flat, with a deep overhang and a row of narrow concrete columns out front. Stone, glass, and nothing that gives anything away. It sits there like it hasn’t changed in decades. You wouldn’t expect a photo and production studio inside. You definitely wouldn’t expect what they’ve done with it. “There's this monstrous vault door, it weighs, like, 700 pounds…”

Sep 174 min read

More Than a Market: How Olive Branch Is Bringing Olive Hill Together

MaKaylen Genung, Owner of The Olive Branch Market in Olive Hill, KY MaKaylen Genung has lived in Olive Hill her whole life. “I have no plans to ever move,” said MaKaylen Genung, owner of The Olive Branch Market. “I couldn’t imagine my life anywhere else.” Olive Hill sits among wooded ridges in eastern Kentucky, with brick storefronts lining a few blocks of Main Street. The town has a Save A Lot, but residents often drive 30 minutes to Walmart or Kroger for a wider selection

Sep 174 min read

Preparing Cleveland's Kids for Kindergarten, One Classroom at a Time

Tiarrah Kent, co-Founder of A Better Day Academy By 9 a.m., the doors at A Better Day Academy are closed. For founder Tiarrah Kent, structure starts early. Children line up for Morning Circle. Preschoolers raise their hands before speaking. Homework goes home. Parents are expected to participate. Even the infant classrooms follow a curriculum. “We’ve transitioned a six-classroom childcare center into a six-classroom school,” Kent said. “Our goal is to bridge the gap for child

Sep 44 min read

A Safer and Healthier Way to Clean

Evody Tshimanga Kabedi and Michee Tshimanga of Phera When Evody Tshimanga and her brother, Michee, needed a new way to support their family, they turned to cleaning, something their mother had taught them long before either of them thought about starting a business. The cleaning company they started became the foundation for Phera, a Cincinnati company that makes refillable cleaning products using powder-based formulas. Their mother had found work cleaning hospitals, banks, a

Sep 13 min read

From Fired to Founder: Evelin Johnson’s Bold Move into Entrepreneurship

Evelin Johnson of CMI-HR Facility Solutions When Evelin Johnson looks back on the moment she was fired from her job, she can’t help but laugh a little. “I couldn’t believe it,” Johnson recalls. “I said, Are you firing me? I’m the rockstar here!” At the time, that news felt both unbelievable and devastating. Evelin spent four years at one of the top staffing firms in the country. She loved the work she did there and had grown strong relationships with clients. Suddenly, all of

May 74 min read

Taking Flight: How Brent Cochran Built Sky Foto from the Ground Up

On any given weekend, you can find Brent Cochran with his head in the clouds. “What you can do with drones is only limited by your imagination,” he shared. “I feel like Superman, but my feet stay on the ground.”

Apr 163 min read

Leading with Love: Te'Aira Mallory's Mission to Redefine Care

For Te'Aira Mallory of Foundations Total Care in Union, OH. When sitting down for a job interview with Te’Aira Mallory, your years of experience aren't her top priority. What she’s looking for is something far more innate and harder to teach: genuine compassion...

Apr 34 min read

The Heart of Stylish LéNese

Click to watch Shawnte's spotlight video. Shawnte Barker’s mother thought it was silly that her 8-year-old daughter asked for a sewing machine for her birthday. Little did she know that Shawnte would follow her dream to New York City to be a fashion designer, working at major retailers for 15 years. When her company downsized, she decided to move back home to Cincinnati to pursue her dream of opening her own boutique. Stylish LéNese Boutique launched online and once Shawnte

Nov 18, 20252 min read