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Through the application
process, JumpStart seeks business candidates who are
generating revenue and have shown a commitment to growing
their business, said Ocie Irons, JumpStart’s Director of
Outreach for Northwest Ohio.
The majority of applicants
in the Toledo area, said Irons, are African American and
female.
Last week, the five cohort
members pitched their ideas to a panel of three judges and a
standing-room only crowd at the Toledo Lucas County Main
Branch Library. The judges: Catherine Crosby, chief of
staff, City of Toledo; Bret Clark, CPA, Weber Clark; Alex
Gerken, Sr. VP, Fifth Third Bank.
The other cohort members,
each of whom received $2,500 for their efforts, were Tiffany
McMorris, owner of Elegant Beauty Salon; Timiko Kiner, owner
of Mane Medic Hair Rejuvenation; Camille Harris of All 4
Kids, LLC and Ambershaun Byrd of Abyrdseyephoto Productions.
Elegant Beauty Salon,
located in west Toledo provides high standards of excellence
and updated professional haircuts, nail services and
skincare needs.
Mane Medic Hair
Rejuvenation provides comprehensive consultations and
treatments during the early stages of hair thinning and
loss, as well as treatments for scalp disorders.
All 4 Kids is a five-star
rated facility that offers a variety of part-time and
full-time early childhood programs for children ranging
from six weeks to five years of age.
Abyrdseyephoto Productions
is an inner-city photography studio that serves the
community through corporate and event photography.
The Northwest Ohio Impact
Program is an intense 12-week business assistance program
designed to provide focused business advising,
industry-specific mentoring and collaborative learning,
according to the program’s literature.
As Stewart later reflected
on her experience with the program, she said that the course
stressed “how to attract new customers and how to retain
customers.”
“Keeping people happy is
so important,” she said, and the program emphasized the
importance of keeping what you already have – “come, taste
and see,” she summarized.
In addition to the
marketing skills she learned, customer service and integrity
were also points of emphasis during her 12 weeks of
training.
Stewart now plans to
expand her operation by opening a second location,
preferably in the downtown area, using the funds provided by
JumpStart.
The application for
business assistance is online at now.jumpstartinc.org/apply-now.
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