About 40,000 people a year apply to be on “Shark Tank,” but only about 150 of those applicants make it onto the show. Undeterred by those numbers, inventors and prior BAC clients Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust pitched their Turbo Trusser as an ideal tool for cooking flavorful turkey and chicken. They learned they were being considered for the show a couple of months after they sent in their application.  Several weeks after that notification, they were invited to a filming of “Shark Tank,” but were told there was no guarantee the episode would air on TV. Fast forward to July 2022, when B ..read more

Congratulations! All of your preparations for a successful Small Business Saturday on November 26 are done. Plan to get a good night’s rest on Black Friday and enjoy engaging with current and new clients on this special day. But what comes next? Creating a plan for your follow-up to Small Business Saturday is just as important as the planning you put into the actual day. Assessing your overall achievements and seeing where you could have made greater strides will go a long way to ensuring your success in future Small Business Saturday events. Plus building connections with customers and potent ..read more

Small Business Saturday on November 26 is only 6 weeks away! Do you have a strategy in place?  If you’re worried you don’t have enough time, you really do, as long as you create a plan in the next few days and diligently stick to it. Is it worth the effort? Consider this: Since its inception 11 years ago, Small Business Saturday has seen more than $120 billion in spending. So it’s definitely in your best interest to make this annual event work for you. Get started with the week-by-week to-do list below. Between now and Small Business Saturday, November 26, prepare to make the most of this ..read more

Nestled between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday gives local vendors the chance to court consumers in their area. The annual event, which takes place this year on November 26, is a chance to build name recognition, gain traction in the local market and increase sales.  Established by American Express in 2010 in response to the Great Recession, Small Business Saturday has steadily grown through the years and is currently held in all 50 states. All types of businesses can take part in the event: retail stores, restaurants, grocery stores, salons and service-based busin ..read more

Business Advisers of Cleveland will host its annual party and fundraiser on Wed., Aug. 17, from 5 to 9 PM at Chagrin Valley Athletic Club. Contributing to our fundraiser is like investing in small businesses throughout Northeast Ohio. Here’s why. All of the services BAC provides, from consulting to mentoring, are free but our clients consider them invaluable. There aren’t many places where you can pick the brains of some of the most successful professionals in Northeast Ohio on issues like finance, marketing, manufacturing, pricing, growth and competitive benchmarking at no cost to you or your ..read more

When Thair Henry Afaneh couldn’t afford a pair of high-end crocodile loafers, he made his own. “Leatherwork has always been something I enjoyed doing,” he says. Then he began to make other leather items. “I learned by playing around with leather.” As he perfected his craft, Thair realized he might be able to launch a new career. Although he enjoyed the work he had done for years with the VA, he had been searching for a way to make something tangible that would leave a lasting impression. High-end leather goods seemed to be the answer, and Thair launched Leaf on the Wind Leather Company in ..read more

Sometimes a professional passion is born from a very personal experience. Leigh Goldie transformed her struggles with seizures into a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping people with epilepsy and their families find resources and compassion. Founded in 2014, Empowering Epilepsy serves Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown and recently opened its headquarters facility in Beachwood. Leigh suffered from seizures after being hit by a car when she was 8 years old. She took medication and followed her doctor’s instructions, but she continued to struggle through her teens and early adulth ..read more

“It’s like stepping into the boxing ring with these guys, and after a few rounds, they’re like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ and I’m like, ‘Cut me, cut me! I’m going back in!”  That’s how Dave Sokoll explains working with his BAC mentors to help grow seven-year-old Oberlin Food Hub. Dave’s colorful description of working with BAC mentors John Nunnari and Jim LeMay also encompasses the exhilarating feeling when the match ends and your arm is raised as the winner. The hard work encountered along the way makes the fight worthwhile. In Dave’s case, the fight involves supporting local ..read more