On this episode of Small Business, Big Conversations, I had the honor of sitting down with Chef Tiwanna Scott-Williams—an entrepreneur, chef, and community-builder whose journey from the ICU to the kitchen is as inspiring as it is delicious.

Rooted in Family Legacy

Tiwanna’s story begins in Cleveland, where the influence of her grandmothers, Pearline and Delores, shaped not only her love of food but her outlook on life. Their spirit of resilience and care became the foundation of everything she would later build. Even while working as a Registered Nurse in the ICU, Tiwanna found herself drawn to cooking, channeling her passion into catering on the side.

From Side Hustle to Signature Brand

What started as a small catering hustle quickly transformed into a thriving business. PearlFlower Catering became known for soulful, heartfelt food that brought people together. The demand and recognition inspired Tiwanna to take her vision further, expanding into Pearl’s Kitchen, a restaurant brand built on love, community, and grit.

Her food and leadership didn’t go unnoticed. Tiwanna soon became a featured chef at Rocket Arena and has now opened multiple Pearl’s Kitchen locations. Most recently, she launched her flagship restaurant inside Cleveland’s MidTown Collaboration Center, a milestone that marks not just growth, but permanence and legacy.

More Than Just Food

For Tiwanna, food is about more than filling plates. It’s about honoring family, serving community, and creating opportunities. Every dish carries her story, her values, and her mission to build something lasting. She’s not just feeding people, she’s feeding a movement rooted in culture and connection.

Hear Her Story

Chef Tiwanna’s journey is one of reinvention, resilience, and heart. She’s living proof that entrepreneurship isn’t always about leaving something behind… it can also be about carrying something forward, honoring the past while shaping the future.

I hope you find her story as inspiring as I did. Watch this episode of Small Business, Big Conversations below to hear Chef Tiwanna share her journey in her own words.

This season of Small Business, Big Conversations is brought to you in partnership with Erie Bank and Impressia Bank, both dedicated to helping small business owners access the capital and resources they need to grow their ventures.

As JumpStart enters our 20th year, we remain steadfast in our mission of unlocking the full potential of entrepreneurship to transform our communities.

Launched in 2016, JumpStart’s flagship Small Business Impact Program is the region’s leading business accelerator that provides hands-on advising and industry-specific mentoring to local entrepreneurs. The 12-week program focuses on helping participants overcome key business challenges, prepare financial projections and set appropriate milestones.

Seven years and 19 cohorts later, JumpStart is proud to announce the participants of our 20th Impact Program. In celebration of our 20th anniversary, JumpStart has selected five dynamic businesses and doubled the top prize to $20,000. This increase underscores JumpStart’s enduring commitment to providing capital, services and connections to help local entrepreneurs grow and its dedication to advancing growth in Northeast Ohio.

Showcasing an array of talent and innovation across various sectors, these five dynamic businesses, selected for their potential to reshape their industries, are:

Jessica Davis
Rebuilders Xchange

Rebuilders Xchange (RBX) is reshaping the landscape of home building and design by redefining how materials are sourced and utilized. Fueled by a passion for uncovering value where others might not, RBX has positioned itself as the preferred resource for the DIY, design, home building and entrepreneurship communities. Their one-of-a-kind salvaged pieces let customers create spaces with style and character, while sustainably reusing quality materials and reducing environmental impact.
rbxhub.com

Dr. Brandi Rae Hicks
SERVE-U LLC

SERVE-U LLC is on a mission to empower nonprofits through comprehensive consulting and grant writing services. With a commitment to helping nonprofits gain a competitive edge and advance their crucial missions, SERVE-U LLC stands as a valuable partner in the philanthropic landscape. Under Dr. Hicks’ leadership, the business focuses on providing essential support to enhance the effectiveness and impact of nonprofit organizations.
serveuniversity.org

Dr. William Washington
Washington Wellness Institute LLC

The Washington Wellness redefines health and wellness with a holistic and contemporary approach. Through services such as Hypno Therapy, Individual and Couples Counseling, and Cultural Therapy sessions, the institute provides dynamic and overlapping options tailored to meet the needs of each client. The focus is on fostering well-being and resilience through innovative strategies, reflecting a commitment to modern and comprehensive psychological well-being.
washingtonwellnessinstitute.org

Abbie SWisher
Crochet Kitty

Born out of a commitment to pet safety, Crochet Kitty took shape when Abbie Elando-Swisher, disheartened by finding rocks inside a torn cat toy, set out to create thousands of safe and enjoyable alternatives. The result has been a widespread spread of joy to cats, not only within Ohio but also across the globe. Crochet Kitty remains dedicated to ensuring secure play experiences for pets, emphasizing their commitment to the well-being of feline friends worldwide.
crochetkitty.com

Melissa Garrett
UnBar Café

UnBar introduces a novel outlook to café culture, establishing a lively community space. Acknowledging the growing awareness of the harmful impacts of excessive alcohol and sugar consumption, UnBar is dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals opting to abstain or moderate their intake. The establishment provides healthier alternatives, reflecting a commitment to supporting a mindful and balanced lifestyle.
unbarcafe.com

Entrepreneurship is not always predetermined. Sometimes, opportunities present themselves and enterprising individuals see a chance to make a career move. Owner and lead tattoo artist of Toledo-based Art Bound Studio, Dawn Miller is a perfect example of an accidental – but no less deserving – entrepreneur.

In 2019, Dawn stumbled into the tattoo industry quite unexpectedly. She took on what she thought was a supportive role at a struggling shop but ended up buying out the other owner, learning how to tattoo and turning the business around less than a year later.

A Northwest Ohio native and graduate of Bowling Green State University, Dawn holds dual majors in jewelry and metals, and interior design. She is an intrinsic artist with more than 15 years of experience as a blacksmith and metalsmith, and six years as a bench jeweler.

“You have to have an extremely steady hand to be a jeweler,” says Dawn. “Being a tattoo artist is no different.”

While Dawn’s professional journey may have taken an unexpected turn, she embraced the challenge, connected with business support resources and is now cultivating a different type of tattoo parlor; one defined by carefully curated comfort and a commitment to the art of tattooing.

Since Dawn acquired the shop, Art Bound Studio has surpassed new heights. She has worked to position Art Bound as a welcoming, female-friendly tattoo studio with an emphasis on positivity, warmth and shop cleanliness. Now, thanks to Dawn’s interior design skills, the space features soft accents, an open floor plan and a relaxing atmosphere.

Dawn and her staff tattoo people of all different backgrounds. Whether it’s their first or 50th, Dawn says that not only are clients usually nervous to get inked, but they generally have to expose parts of their body that they may feel shy about. Art Bound offers a feeling of ease that some clients may not feel at traditional tattoo parlors.

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“My philosophy is that I can teach people art, but I can’t teach people how to be a good person. So, I hire good people and then we work on our skills together.”

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In the male-dominated industry, women currently make up about 25% of tattoo artists, but Dawn says the tide is turning. Not only are more women entering the industry as professionals, but more women are getting tattoos. According to a poll last year from Pew Research Center, 38% of American women have at least one tattoo, compared to just 27% of men.

“Compared to men, women tattoo artists tend to have a lighter hand and different understanding of the artwork,” Dawn explains. “Their bedside manner is often more nurturing and patient.” In 2021, Dawn reached out to JumpStart and was accepted into the Small Business Impact Program where she received 12 weeks of hands-on, peer-to-peer learning. After graduating, she qualified for JumpStart’s relationship-based Impact Loan Fund, which provides non-dilutive capital to established small business clients.

Thanks to the Impact Loan, Dawn was able to expand her studio space and says the extra square footage will help her meet her next business milestones; primarily bringing her metal-working operation into the studio to make high-quality body jewelry out of precious metals and gemstones on-site.

“Once I got set up with piercing, I focused on sourcing high-quality jewelry,” she says, explaining its importance as cheap jewelry can lead to infections. “Not a lot of piercers know this but the infections that people get are usually caused by Chinese stainless steel, which has nickel silver in it and can lead to adverse reactions. We use titanium piercing jewelry because it does not cause these infections.”

Entrepreneurship looks different for everyone. Dawn may be an unorthodox business owner, but the leadership skills, financial acumen and growth mindset she’s learned have led her to her own iteration of the role. She has adopted a kinder, conscientious approach, taking her time to hire the right people and figuring out how she defines success.

“My philosophy is that I can teach people art, but I can’t teach people how to be a good person,” Dawn rationalizes. “So, I hire good people and then we work on our skills together.”

Recently, Dawn created and began selling a petroleum-free tattoo aftercare ointment she calls ‘Art Balm.’ Additionally, she’s teaching her 21-year-old daughter the ins-and-outs of business ownership at Art Bound Studio.

By staying true to herself, tapping into Northwest Ohio’s integrated business support network and leaning into kindness, Dawn has managed to strike a balance of business ownership and artistry, while also building Art Bound Studio into a successful pillar of the Toledo-area community.

Welcome to 2024, where embracing the mobile-first world is no longer optional for small businesses; it’s imperative. With a significant shift in consumer behavior toward mobile usage, it’s beyond time to ensure that your business not only has an online presence but is also optimized for mobile devices.

Here are 10 actionable steps you can take this month to get you up to speed with mobile optimization.

Acknowledge and Embrace Mobile’s Dominance

First and foremost, acknowledge the mobile revolution. The switch flipped a couple years ago, and now at least 56% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, a number projected to rise up to 70% by the end of 2025. This trend underscores the importance of having a mobile-optimized online presence for your business.

Make A Mobile-Friendly Website Your Top Marketing Priority

Your website is often the first point of interaction with your customers. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly, with a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes. Neglecting this can hurt in a big way. In fact, Google reported that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a site with mobile accessibility issues and 40% will instantly jump to a competitor instead. Considering that’s an older study, those numbers are likely much higher in 2024.

Enhance Mobile Load Speed

Speed is of the essence in the mobile world. Optimize your website’s loading time by compressing images, minimizing heavy scripts and using responsive design. This not only enhances user experience but also contributes to better search engine rankings.

Open The Online Shop

With more than 50% of online shopping now done via mobile devices, if it’s possible to sell your product or services online then let’s get e-commerce-ing. On that note, your e-commerce platform must be mobile-optimized with easy navigation, secure and straightforward checkout processes, and clear product information. Consider using premade plugins and templates like Shopify or Squarespace (better yet, just build your whole site on their respective content management system).

Go Local With Your SEO Strategy

For businesses with a physical presence, local SEO is your lifeline. Most mobile searches are actually for real-time “near me” local information, so double-check that your business is easily findable on local listings and (more importantly) Google Business Profile.

Be Consistently Social

Leverage the power of social media, where the vast majority of users are on mobile. Regularly engage with your audience through platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and consider mobile-focused ads on all three of these platforms. Speaking of which…

Unleash The Power of Mobile Advertising

With significant marketing budgets being allocated to mobile advertising, small businesses can’t afford (see what I did there?) to underestimate the power of targeted mobile ads. These can be a cost-effective way to reach your audience and, if you already have the creative content, they can be set up in just a few hours.

Encourage Online Reviews and Engagement

Positive online reviews are worth their weight in gold. Encourage satisfied customers (that’s all your customers, right?) to leave feedback while on location and through receipt email. Then, engage with them actively online. Thank you for thanking me.

Track and Adapt Through Analytics

While it should be effective regardless, all this work won’t live up to its ultimate potential unless you pay attention to the results. Use analytics tools to track how customers interact with your site and social media on mobile. This data is invaluable for making informed decisions and adapting your strategies.

Keep Learning and Adapting

The digital world is ever-evolving. Stay informed about the latest mobile and digital marketing trends to keep your business competitive.

Mobile optimization is not just a trend; it’s a business necessity. By focusing on these key areas, you can significantly enhance your online presence while catering to the growing number of mobile users.

It’s also not just about keeping up with the times; it’s about actively engaging with your customers where they are most comfortable and available. In the constantly changing digital landscape, staying ahead of your competition means being just like your web presence—adaptable, responsive and mobile-friendly.

A strong small business network has the potential to propel an entrepreneur to new heights, especially if they run a retail shop. For artisans and makers, particularly those in the early stages, things like rent, utilities and staffing can add up quickly. Plus setting up shop in the right location is paramount since foot traffic is a significant factor in the success of their businesses.

When Sam Friedman launched City Goods earlier this year in Cleveland’s Hingetown District to provide local makers, sellers and small businesses a place in the retail real-world, he was no stranger to the limited rental options available for local retailers. Sam knows all about the obstacles of running a retail business.

Sam owns and operates Chagrin Valley Soaps & Salves, USDA-Organic Certified, all-natural skincare products. As a 20-year-old operation started by Sam’s mother, Chagrin Valley Soaps & Salves has literally and figuratively been around the block in Northeast Ohio, bouncing from shop space in the Arcade downtown to their current headquarters in Solon.

For years, he and his mother whipped up hand-made, small-batch soaps, shampoos and salves as Sam navigated the challenges of small business ownership, trying to recalculate an equation that always left local entrepreneurs in the red. What he landed on was co-operative-type business model; an entity that could meet the needs and objectives of hyper-local business owners while promoting economic sustainability and community enrichment.

City Goods, the open-air market space tucked into the burgeoning Hingetown District, boasts seven “hangars” that can each hold up to five local brands. Sam says in its shortest form, City Goods is a concept designed to both support and showcase local, handmade, artisan businesses.

According to Sam, City Goods operates a sort of dual system co-op – a shared/subsidized model where basic costs, including rent and utilities, are shared and all other operating costs are generated by the proceeds from the bar that are re-invested into the organization.

“The business plan is a bit of a Frankenstein,” says Sam.

A key aspect of Sam’s vision is the Hanger Bar at City Goods, an outpost among the stores that exclusively features local products from a curated list of 17 local distilleries, six local wineries and over a dozen local breweries. Patrons are encouraged to take their drinks out of the Hanger Bar and explore the entire licensed area for a sip-and-shop experience that makes supporting local businesses easy.

Not only does the bar extend the mission of City Goods, but it also plays a crucial role in the self-sustaining model; the proceeds generated from the drinks go back into the collective and help subsidize rent.

In this way, with low rent, minimal overhead and pedestrians, City Goods is providing early-stage entrepreneurs with the opportunity to determine what is – and often more importantly, what isn’t – possible in their retail concepts.

“I think a lot of people have had fantasies about what they could or couldn’t do or might or might not do,” Sam says. “And you never know what might have been when you’re standing behind a plastic table at a craft market.”

Currently, there are 30 small businesses in City Good’s hangers that span multiple industries, including Linda’s Bee Farm, a family-owned apiary that makes honey-infused health and beauty products, Capsoul Co, a cutting-edge luggage brand, the Cleveland Print Room, a nonprofit dedicated to photography and many more. Sam’s vision goes beyond providing affordable rental opportunities and the stats offer proof; 70 percent of the shops in the hangers are female-owned businesses and 30 percent are minority-owned.

His resume may say otherwise, but Sam swears up and down that he never intended to be a business owner.

“I was supposed to be an artist,” Sam explains. By the time he was nineteen, he had founded a theater company and nonprofit, and was directing performances and producing plays. “I have always had an entrepreneurial-type spirit, but it was never about business, and it certainly was never about money or profit.”

When Sam set out to implement the concept of City Goods last year, he contacted Cleveland State University’s Small Business Development Center, where he was able to get assistance with basic accounting, help setting up QuickBooks and a recommendation to connect with JumpStart.

Since then, Sam and his business partner Liz, have been meeting with JumpStart’s advisors and getting help with the complexities of determining financial projections in a co-op model. Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial network is organically interconnected, in fact, current JumpStart Small Business Impact Program participant Funktini, an eclectic collection of local and vintage artwork, home goods and more, is occupying Hanger 3 at City Goods.

City Goods is more than just a marketplace. It’s a holistic business support system for small business owners, artisans, designers, makers and creators – a plug-and-play opportunity to showcase their talents and products. City Goods isn’t just a snapshot of entrepreneurship, it’s a movement that nurtures Cleveland’s small business economy and encourages consumers to purchase with a purpose.

Like much in life, entrepreneurship often depends on knowing the right people. In Northeast Ohio’s Hispanic-Latino business community, the old adage rings especially true. Hermes Ortiz, owner of Ortiz Art Drafts Designs, is purposefully intertwined with his community. These days, Hermes is an established business owner, and he serves as an ambassador of sorts for Cleveland’s Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs, actively working to strengthen networks, build relationships and foster opportunities.

Along with his wife Jeanette, Hermes started Ortiz Art Drafts Designs in 2017 and for years fulfilled custom embroidery orders out of their basement. Jeanette handles all the administrative requirements – managing payroll, running invoices, processing orders and more.

While the Ortiz’s are originally from Puerto Rico, they moved to Cleveland eight years ago in the dead of winter. Though the lake effect snow gave them a run for their money, the Ortiz’s didn’t leave.

Instead, Hermes settled his family, started a visual design and marketing business and now, less than a decade later, he is a staple in Greater Cleveland’s Hispanic community. Quietly—and earnestly—he connects with others; giving referrals, offering counsel, uncovering opportunities and providing graphic design and marketing services for local entrepreneurs.

Hermes launched his brick-and-mortar as part of Las Tienditas del Mercado, the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development’s incubator space in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. In 2020, Hermes again upgraded his operations to his own location in suburban Brooklyn, where he serves his clients in a modest strip of storefronts alongside a nail salon, barbershop and others.

As a Latino-owned company, Spanish-speaking business owners started coming to Ortiz Art Drafts Designs for their marketing collateral – branded pens, stickers, t-shirts, door decals and more. Then came orders for bilingual signs, requests for logo designs and even custom PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon, Hermes was helping contractors who started construction companies but had trouble reading renderings and floor plans as non-native English speakers.

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“The Spanish community helped me make my business. I’m returning the favor.”

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Hermes got involved with JumpStart soon after his 2020 relocation and has since participated in educational programming, secured grants from ECDI and capitalized on available accounting services.

Today, Jeanette and Hermes run an efficient operation and are a fixture in Cleveland’s hyper-local, Hispanic entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing support wherever and however they can. Whether in a Latino business development accelerator or their Ridge Road location, Hermes prefers to remain proximate to his customers, and more importantly his community.

Last month, Hermes served as a panelist for Conversando con la Comunidad: Navegando Conversaciones con Prestamistas, a discussion focused on funding resources for Spanish-speaking Northeast Ohio small business owners. Hermes discussed his experience, improving financial literacy and the importance of a trusted support network.

“Take advantage of every available resource,” Hermes told the crowd. “Keep your books in order and be ready to strike once opportunities reveal themselves.”

The preemptive approach has served Ortiz Art Drafts Designs well. A diligent entrepreneur who understands that conservative spending and commitment to craftsmanship are paramount to success, Hermes has been able to effectively scale his enterprise in just a few short years. He stressesF the importance of paying off expenses and reinvesting profits back into the business.

Not long ago, Hermes be-friended an architect from Honduras who was unsure how her training would translate in America. So, every Saturday, he welcomed her into his shop so she could practice her designs on his computer, where she had access to up-to-date software. Additionally, Hermes has plans to develop workshops and create mentorship programs for budding Spanish-speaking graphic designers in Northeast Ohio.

But the way Hermes tells it, he’s indebted to his community, and is just trying to pay it forward.

“The Spanish community helped me make my business,” he says. “I’m returning the favor.”