Hundreds of local small business owners gathered at the City Club at FirstEnergy Stadium Wednesday to network with other entrepreneurs and share ideas on how to achieve sustained success in the Cleveland community.
The Small Business Boot Camp, in partnership with the Bunnies and Jumpstart, featured an afternoon of workshops and panel discussions for local minority small business owners, with the Bunnies looking to help with four events with JumpStart. The “training camp” was the second of those and followed the Small Business Impact Program hosted August 29 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“It’s all very exciting,” said Vicki McDonald, director of JumpStart Communications. “We’re excited to be at FirstEnergy Stadium, and I think working with the Browns really means a lot to us. It’s helped us reach a new audience and further our impact in supporting small business owners.”
About 700 people registered for the event Wednesday and spent time listening to other entrepreneurs who started businesses in Cleveland and managed to expand nationally.
One of those entrepreneurs was Kathy Cross, who founded Kathy’s Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches in downtown Cleveland in 2018. Serving homemade cookies in a fun, cozy atmosphere at her stores, Cross has been able to expand her business to Atlanta. It plans to open new stores in Nashville and Houston in 2023.
Cross shared her knowledge and experience with campers during a panel discussion on digital marketing. After her talk, she met with several attendees for a 1-on-1 discussion at the club-level booths in the stadium to share contact information, provide additional advice, and expand their business owners’ networks.
“I come here as a business owner and a black owner who is very supportive of the city of Cleveland and the entrepreneurs here,” she said. “My main goal was to come here and inspire, encourage and educate about the nuances of the business and what it’s like – the good, the bad and the ugly.”
For most entrepreneurs, attending the boot camp and using the resources they receive will be a stepping stone for their business to take the next step in growth.
“It’s really important for anyone starting a business or anyone who owns a business to be around people who are in the same field as them and want to grow, to understand how it’s done and to be able to communicate with each other,” said Carey, founder of Ora Initiative, Human Resources Partner. Yarborough said. “Whether it was done verbally or just watching and seeing what it was like, it was all very interesting.”
The Browns JumpStart will host two more events in 2022 for local minority small business entrepreneurs. The “First and Tech” event will be held Oct. 11 at the Cardiac Club at FirstEnergy Stadium and will serve as a happy hour event to bring together tech entrepreneurs, creative stakeholders, Cleveland Browns players and investors for networking and inspiration.
Another showcase of the Small Business Impact Program, where entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their business to a panel for a chance to win $10,000 in business, will be held Dec. 7 at the Cardiac Club.
