Brand Camp Detroit is back this year with a new focus, one on making meaningful brands for people and cities. The topic this year is “Humans, Design, Technology and Grit to make Detroit a city for all people.” There certainly is a diverse lineup of speakers to help you prepare your brand or role in […]

As I watched another Independent Lens documentary, my eyes began to be filled with water. It was heavy of emotions that included a combination of tears of joy and triumph. That is what watching the recent showing of A Ballerina’s Tale, a documentary following the career span of principal American Ballet dancer Misty Copeland did […]

When it comes to crafting a good story there are a lot of elements that naturally take place. When it comes to crafting your story as an entrepreneur, it can get tricky. Many times business owners allow the face of the company to lead the story. Christa Chambers-Price, founder of Entre-SLAM, is here to help […]

Marketing is often the last thing an early stage startup worries about, yet it can be a key factor to helping you get your product into the marketplace. If you don’t brand a product or service, how can you customer relate? How can you communicate your value, and stand out among competitors? Brand Buds, a […]

Public relations is as simple as communicating messages between an organization and its audience, but all that entails isn’t quite so simply expressed. Relationship building has many facets; bringing together the optimal strategies for creating and relaying information from a business or non-profit to its intended audience can be tricky. Brian Burch, founder of Burch […]

Nothing happens until a sale is made.  This is a mantra that I lived by when I was building and owning businesses.  It is also a mantra I preach with entrepreneurs, inventors, and Stage 1 business owners.  It matters not what product you build, what service you offer, or what app you create.  If it […]

When you’re on a mission to solve a problem in the world you have to always be open to new solutions. Forgotten Harvest is on a mission to help end hunger. As one of the largest fresh food rescue organizations in the U.S., they are also providing support for new food entrepreneurs. Why? Because it’s another way to grow […]

With the city of Grand Rapids growing into a local business centric atmosphere, Aaron VanderGalien and his team at Deksia are here with one mission: to help small businesses thrive. With such a strong local small business presence, Deksia are using their business intelligence and skills to aid the community. “Deksia’s passion is working with […]

While at SXSW 2015 earlier this month we had the opportunity to hear a great talk featuring Dao Nguyen, BuzzFeed’s Publisher. BuzzFeed has taken over the market when it comes to creating sharable content. Now, companies on their own are producing blogs, videos, and managing social media. How can we learn from BuzzFeed’s success? A […]

Social media is not a fad anymore.  It is continuing to expand and reach larger segments of the market. Most business owners are comfortable using social networking sites for personal use however, the concept of incorporating it into their business seems foreign, daunting and confusing. According to a recent article on Social Times, 46% of web […]

A group of Michigan State University students want to build a student startup bus that they can take to one of our nation’s largest tech conferences, SXSW 2015, and for other educational uses on campus and around the state. Twelve students will be able to live and work out of the bus. Patrick Chouinard who […]

Twelve years ago Jim McCarthy and his co-founders had the idea to transform ecommerce, creating a better way for live events to be distributed online. At the time, there wasn’t a great way to stay up to date with live events.  The team first tackled marketing events through email targeting people based on what they […]

Building a new website for your company is vital in today’s world, and for a small business owner it can often be a hassle. A new startup in Detroit called Compass has created an easier approach for those in need of a new website. The company connects talented local freelancers to small business owners who […]

Today, it’s easier than ever to start your business. Digital tools are constantly available to manage our teams remotely, hire freelance talent, pitch ideas and reach investors. Sometimes the simpliest tools can make a difference. Blogging is one of these tools. As a founder or creative you can tell your own story. You can create […]

Entrepreneurs always have to take risks. That’s the nature of the work. Mobile technology, however, has made it easier for entrepreneurs to manage their work. If you want to make the most of your entrepreneurial journey, consider how you might benefit from the following technology. #1: Mobile Credit Card Payments Taking credit card payments outside of […]