There is a significant amount of investment coming into Detroit to support small business development and entrepreneurship. However, as a business owner, are you aware of the various types of programs and how to access funding to support your short and longer-term goals and needs? An example is Invest Detroit. In 1995, Detroit Renaissance (today,…

There are many entrepreneurs who have decided to start a business immediately after graduating from college or after working a couple of years in the corporate world, but decided to launch their own business to fulfill their lifelong dream of entrepreneurship–at a young age. Ann Arbor-based, TurtleCell, a mobile accessories company focused on the integration…

“Going through this season, with all the ups and downs and the amount of adversity we faced this year — that had something to do with the sigh of relief.” –Tigers second baseman, Ian Kinsler’s post-game comments, after the Tigers clinched the Central Division for the fourth consecutive year Sunday.. Well, that was exciting, wasn’t…

Young people are critical to Detroit’s revitalization. It’s a known fact this area has suffered from an” out-migration” and “brain drain” of young talent to other cities and regions across the country. However, that may be changing. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget and for 2010-2012 period, “The number of students…

Recently, I was at Eastern Market and noticed a cool storefront with a unique name and as we were walking around and got noticeably closer, I noticed 3Dogs1Cat 4 Detroit. No, there weren’t dogs and cats in front of or inside the store, but it’s the name of the business. Curious, I wandered in and…

Franchising is another path to business ownership. However, it’s not as simple as identifying a concept, opening the doors and then “…they will come…”. In fact, there are many challenges when it comes to becoming a franchisee. David Cesarini, Domino’s Pizza franchisee, owns four stores–three in Ann Arbor and one in E. Lansing– and is…

With Labor Day now history, the transition slowly taking place from Summer to Fall, we’re now headed into the last few months of this year. A time when businesses are beginning to plan and budget for 2015. And one of the challenges confronting businesses, irrespective of size, is identifying and hiring good talent. This is…

With Sister Pie recently winning the 2014 Hatch Detroit contest, I wanted to check in with a past winner to see how their business is doing since they won the contest. I recently interviewed 2012 Hatch Detroit winner, Elias Khail, owner and operator, Detroit-based La Feria Spanish Tapas, about their business and what’s happened since…

I feel conflicted. Why? Because I’m beginning to see two Detroits emerge–one with the emerging vibrancy of a growing downtown, Midtown, Corktown areas and, conversely, a city where certain neighborhoods continue to struggle while others strive. Thus, my conflict. As a native Detroiter, I have fond memories of a city that was humming with people,…

For small business owners, it’s easy to begin “working in the business” versus “working on the business”. The former is focused on focusing on the daily details while the latter addresses the longer-term vision for your company. Regardless, for most small businesses, it creates stress derived from addressing business growth, controlling expenses and attaining sustainability….