Small Business Big Conversations Archives - JumpStart Inc.

Small Business, Big Conversations: Tiwanna Scott-Williams of Pearl’s Kitchen and Pearlflower Catering

Freddie Coffey — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 18:38:39 +0000

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.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: Chris Harris of Black Frog Brewery

Freddie Coffey — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 15:57:38 +0000

On this episode of Small Business, Big Conversations, I sat down with Chris Harris, the entrepreneur behind Black Frog Brewery and the man making history by opening Cleveland’s first Black-owned brewery.

From Garage Hobby to Thriving Taproom

Chris’s journey began in his garage in Holland, Ohio, where brewing beer started as nothing more than a hobby. That hobby quickly became a passion project, and before long, he was serving craft beer to an eager local community. With a name inspired by his hometown’s nickname, “Frog Town,” Chris embraced the moniker and proudly calls himself the Black Frog.

What started small has grown into a thriving taproom and a story of entrepreneurial determination.

Bringing Black Frog to Cleveland

Now, Chris is bringing his brewing expertise and community-first vision to Cleveland. Inside the MidTown Collaboration Center, Black Frog Brewery will not only pour beers brewed with heart (and his signature honey malt), but also create a welcoming space where everyone feels like family.

This expansion is more than business growth, it’s a milestone in representation, making history as the city’s first Black-owned brewery.

Collaboration and Community Impact

Chris isn’t doing it alone. He’s already planning collaborations with fellow MidTown neighbors like Chef Tiwanna Scott-Williams of Pearl’s Kitchen. Together, they’re turning the neighborhood into a destination where food, drink, culture, and community intersect.

For Chris, every pint served is about more than flavor. It’s about connection, inclusion, and creating a movement that leaves a lasting impact.

Hear His Story

Chris Harris’s journey is one of passion, pride, and purpose. From garage experiments to MidTown milestones, he’s proving that entrepreneurship can bring people together in powerful ways. I hope you find his story as inspiring as I did. Watch this episode of Small Business, Big Conversations below to hear Chris share his journey in his own words.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: Ray & Anasja Vernon of VARR Studios

Freddie Coffey — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 18:02:12 +0000

Ray and Anasja Vernon share two unyielding passions: their love for each other and an insatiable drive for crafting creative content.

With a space inside the world-famous The WORD Church, this visionary duo transformed their combined zeal into a beacon of multimedia content creation: VARR Studios.

Together, they’ve not just built a business but have sculpted a legacy that melds personal commitment with professional brilliance. This harmonious blend of life and work makes their journey all the more captivating, as they push boundaries, constantly innovate and pen a story that exemplifies the power of partnership in every dimension. From video production and photography to web design, VARR Studios stands as a testament to their dedication and talent.

Watch episode seven of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring Ray and Anasja below.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: James Barnes of Immaculate Cleaning Co.

Freddie Coffey — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:28:59 +0000

James Barnes is building an empire, one mop bucket at a time. A Cleveland-area native, James’s entrepreneurial spark ignited early, propelling him into a journey of creating a business centered around his customer’s every need. It wasn’t long before 2011 saw the rise of Immaculate Cleaning Co., quickly becoming the gold standard for janitorial services in Greater Cleveland.

But James didn’t just aim for clean spaces; he aspired for perfection, tailoring each service plan to match the unique needs of every client.

Through consistent feedback and an unyielding commitment to excellence, Immaculate Cleaning Co ensures its standards never waver. The secret to their success? A blend of innovation, deep-rooted client relationships, and rigorous training – elements that together form the Immaculate Advantage.

Watch episode six of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring James Barnes of Immaculate Cleaning Co. below.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: Emily Harpel of Art of Sucre

Freddie Coffey — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 14:05:37 +0000

In 2016, Emily Harpel was inspired to give a nostalgic childhood treat a chic upgrade. Emily secured all of the social media handles, ordered her first machine and Art of Sucre was born.

Emily launched @artofsucre as an events-based business, spinning out-of-the-box flavors of cotton candy at weddings, parties and concerts. In 2020, Emily knew that she either had to pivot her business or lose everything that she worked so hard to build from the ground up.

Fast forward to today, and Emily has completely re-imagined Art of Sucre into an E-Commerce powerhouse (with a MASSIVE social following) offering hand-spun cotton candy and the oh-so-viral cotton candy glitter bombs in a variety of colors and flavors (like Island Punch, Peach Bellini and Strawberry Bubble Gum… just to name a few).

Watch episode five of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring Emily Harpel of Art of Sucre below.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: Vic Searcy of Sauce the City

Freddie Coffey — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:20:09 +0000

Cleveland has no shortage of claims to fame, but Vic Searcy’s Chicken Sandwich stands out even in a city of bests.

With locations in University Heights, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and Cleveland Browns Stadium, you’d think Sauce the City has been around for decades. On the contrary, Chef Vic launched (almost by accident) in 2018 when he won a location in the Ohio City Gallery.

At the time, Searcy was earning advanced degrees in organizational psychology and directing social services activities for a rehabilitation center. But his passion for cooking drove his destiny and the signature hot sauces he was concocting at Kent State sealed his fate.

Only five short years from launch, Chef Vic now has many claims to fame of his own, from selling 2,500 hot chicken sandwiches to MGK for peckish Ohio City residents to feeding thousands of hungry Cleveland sports fans at three stadium locations. It’s no wonder Sauce the City was voted Ohio’s #1 Chicken Sandwich.

Watch episode four of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring Vic Searcy of Sauce the City below.

Hosted by JumpStart’s resident digital marketing expert (and recovering small business owner) Freddie Coffey, Small Business, Big Conversations spotlights ambitious entrepreneurs as they discuss their struggles, successes and life lessons that are sure to motivate and inspire anyone who wants to start or grow their own business.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned small business owner looking for new ideas, this show is for you. Tune in for a new episode each month to hear the stories, experiences, and invaluable insights of people just like you, working to start and grow their small businesses here in Ohio and beyond.

Subscribe to the show today on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or iHeartRadio.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: Sharia Livingston of Living Rich

Freddie Coffey — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 21:11:26 +0000

How do you prioritize a life on your own terms AND build a legacy of success for your family? Do what you love. Sharia Livingston has always dreamed of owning her own clothing business, but as a young mother, she opted for the safe bet and pursued a career in nursing. Her obsession with high-quality fashion never dulled and when her daughter was old enough to share her dreams, the mother-daughter duo launched their own brand, Living Rich, in 2015. Sharia Livingston and Sha’Miah Richardson are promoting a fashion empire, a vibe and a reminder to take a bet on yourself.

A combination of their last names, Living Rich is a lifestyle streetwear brand boasting comfort, quality and style. They offer unique unisex pieces that promote confidence and individuality. The business was launched as an online retailer but quickly evolved to a pop-up and ultimately a brick-and-mortar. Today, Sharia and Sha’Miah are taking Cleveland’s fashion scene by storm.

Watch episode three of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring Sharia Livingston of Living Rich below.

Subscribe to the show today on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or iHeartRadio.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: Dan Brown of Rust Belt Riders

Freddie Coffey — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:34:27 +0000

The average US family will throw away as much as $1,500 worth of perfectly edible food each year. This waste costs our economy significant sums of money, but by avoiding this needless waste, we can redirect those funds to invest in infrastructure and services to divert that material from landfills.

Since 2014, Rust Belt Riders has made it their mission to feed people, not landfills. The worker-owned social enterprise seeks to reframe waste streams as inputs to a circular and just economic model.

Aiming to actively combat climate change, improve regional food security, and create place-based dignified jobs all while building adaptive 21st-century infrastructure.

Watch episode two of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring Dan Brown of Rust Belt Riders below.

Subscribe to the show today on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or iHeartRadio.

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Small Business, Big Conversations: DaRon Henderson of LO-KEY Entertainment

Freddie Coffey — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 14:25:37 +0000

When DaRon Henderson was a sophomore in high school, he was approached by a friend about the possibility of playing music at an upcoming junior high dance. He owned a pair of speakers and a set of turntables, so they decided to give it a shot to see what they could pull off.

They brought the proverbial schoolhouse down, and from there, more opportunities came rolling in. First $20, then an offer for $40, and by the end of the year the duo had worked their way up to $75 a gig and realized they had a full-fledged business.

More than 30 years later, LO-KEY Entertainment is one of Northeast Ohio’s elite and most reliable Entertainment Companies offering DJ Service, Uplighting, Photo Booths, Promotional Printing and and more.

LO-KEY Entertainment DJ’s have performed all over the country alongside famous entertainers such as Will.I.Am, Kevin Hart, Rickey Smiley, Russell Simmons, Deray Davis, D.L. Hughley and Outkast to name a few.

Watch the debut episode of Small Business, Big Conversations featuring DaRon Henderson of LO-KEY Entertainment below.

Subscribe to the show today on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or iHeartRadio.

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