Whether your business is large or small, new or seasoned, growth is often a very exciting prospect. It can also be risky and rewarding. Through my years of experience—from starting my career at Ernst & Young to being CEO of a company that found success through sound and rapid growth—I discovered a pattern when it comes… Read more
Illinois nonprofit Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse shares how its “sustainable deconstruction” model—taking buildings apart and repurposing their parts—not only conserves resources but also empowers people with barriers to employment to find their niche as home contractors. Key business takeaways Success doesn’t always look like starting from scratch—building on the work of others can save money, time,… Read more
Local businesses have the power to make LGBTQ people feel safe and valued—from a small-town gay bar that raises funds for the community to the barber who affirms each client’s identity. “I look back to when I was younger and knowing that I had a bookstore in my neighborhood that was affirming and inclusive, a… Read more
Today, Jove Meyer is a successful, New York-based wedding planner who prides himself on challenging the antiquated norms of the wedding industry. But working a corporate job just a few years prior, he felt continually exhausted from having to police his identity in the workplace. As a gay man who grew up in a conservative… Read more
Women make up only 9.9% of the construction industry, and Judaline Cassidy is on a mission to change that. She is a feminist plumber, public speaker, activist, and the founder of Tools & Tiaras, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing the interest of young girls and women in the trade industry. We spoke with Judaline… Read more
“With the pandemic, a lot of people saw Asian Americans as the virus itself which hurts a lot because there’s hate,” said Mathew Wong, co-founder of Tea and Milk in New York City. “As an Asian-American business owner, it’s rough because we don’t know what’s going to happen to our staff and business. All we… Read more
Most of the regulars at Mina’s World have never stepped foot inside. The Philadelphia cafe opened just 18 days before COVID-19 shut down the city, dashing any hopes for a bustling hangout spot. Knowing they had to reimagine their business model, co-owners Sonam Parikh and Kate Egghart found a way to serve the community from… Read more
Female entrepreneurs are at the forefront of shaping a new business landscape—from identifying opportunities that serve specific customer needs to representing and providing for marginalized communities. Women represent 42% of all business owners (2019). To put that in perspective, that number was only 4.6% in 1972 (AMEX, State of Women-Owned Business Report). And although women… Read more
Out-of-the-box thinking, growth from mistakes, and quick pivots have helped businesses find success during the pandemic, serving as bright spots in a time that has been difficult for local businesses. Businesses have discovered new ways to service their customers, from expanding into new services to offering virtual experiences—which has pleasantly surprised and accommodated customers and… Read more
Akera Sellers traveled extensively as a young professional in finance—and during that time, he had his fair share of coffee. He soon became fixated not only on the quality of the coffee beans, but on the freshness in which each cup was served. Exchanging banks for beans, Sellers founded Brickhouse Gourmet Coffee Tea & Co.,… Read more