For fishing rod entrepreneur, fun is the bottom line
In fact, Smith founded and sold his first fishing-based company, which made lures, before he graduated from college.
Small Business
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Growth mindset: How adding staff moves solo entrepreneurs from overwhelmed to opportunity
More than 80% of small businesses in the United States operate without employees, and many entrepreneurs thrive by staying solo. For others, it’s not a sustainable path. But deciding when and how to grow the team can be challenging.
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IBJ Podcast: ‘It all comes back to relationships,’ says banker turned small-biz owner
Something was missing from her career as a commercial lender, and Cindy Schum found it in a small firm that sold janitorial and cleaning supplies. After early trepidation, she realized she already had the key to entrepreneurship.
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Q&A with Debbie Locklear on four decades as an event planner
The founder of Meeting Services Unlimited launched her company at a time when Indiana had no established firms in the field, turning it into a go-to planning partner for major conferences and associations.
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IBJ Podcast: ‘Am I crazy for doing this?’ asks attorney turned bookstore owner
Tiffany Phillips discusses how she got Wild Geese Bookshop off the ground, developed a national reputation and fights fears that championing the printed word in retail “doesn’t make any sense.”
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Articles
Skip the startup: Focus turns to entrepreneurship by acquisition
For a variety of reasons, a growing number of aspiring entrepreneurs are choosing to become business owners by acquiring a company rather than starting one from scratch.
Business owners express optimism amid economic challenges, PNC survey shows
PNC Chief Economist Gus Faucher said business owners nationally and in the Indianapolis area are optimistic about their prospects despite ongoing concerns about inflation and possible recession.
Indianapolis biz leader picked to lead new state Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Indiana’s new Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is expected to focus on Main Street businesses—small businesses that are not venture-backed, not easily scaled and found in many towns and cities across the state.
Indiana’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation to be ‘front door’ for entrepreneurs, small business owners
But with that two-year spending plan set to take effect on July 1, it’s still not clear what the office will do and who will lead it.
Q&A with IU Innovate’s Julie Heath: Using entrepreneurship as a way to drive Indiana’s economy
IBJ talked with Heath last week during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress at the Indiana Convention Center about what IU Innovates has accomplished in its first two years and what’s next for the effort.
Noblesville-based Telemetry Sports acquired by North Carolina-based sports tech firm
Telemetry provides artificial intelligence, video and tracking analytics to help football programs with player evaluation, scouting, recruiting and planning. It’s used by 25 NFL teams.
Turchetti’s meat brand shifts focus to wholesale expansion
The company launched its production facility in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood in August, focused on building a nationally recognized meat brand.
Through experiences abroad, 29-year-old brings new insights to family business
Christian Huber, 29, could have been complacent in riding the continued success of his family’s seventh-generation business, Huber’s Orchard and Winery. But he feels strongly that that isn’t the way to learn the crafts of winemaking and distilling.
Franklin’s Wild Geese Bookshop has energy that keeps authors, readers coming back
The small bookstore is regularly drawing big authors and bigger audiences. A close-knit community of readers has coalesced around the shop and around Phillips.
A wave of new owners brings fresh energy to independent bookselling
In 2016, there were 1,244 members in the American Booksellers Association trade group, at 1,749 locations. As of this month, the ABA has 2,863 individual members, at 3,281 locations.
2025 Innovation Issue: What’s a startup? Most say it’s a company that’s young, disruptive and scalable
Even seasoned entrepreneurs and business executives have different takes about exactly what constitutes a startup—or at least a successful one.
Guided by canned cocktail success, Hi & Mighty distillery rebrands
The distillery, which previously planned to open a year-round bar at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, now operates as a retail-only concept.
Opening a record store is next project for Everything, Now! vocalist
Jon Rogers plans to open his shop, Take Care Records, by the summer near the intersection of 62nd Street and Allisonville Road.
Award-winning pastry chef opens Filigree Bakery shop in Broad Ripple
Known for its macarons and cakes served at the Broad Ripple Farmers Market, Filigree Bakery now has a brick-and-mortar location at 6331 Carrollton Ave.
For pair of crafty firefighters, old hoses provide the spark for something special
Scott Carr and Robert Demlow started Brotherhood Designs by repurposing retired fire hoses into American flags and honoring the legacy of those who have served.
Indianapolis tech startup Ekkobar selected for international sports tech development program
More than 1,600 companies applied for this year’s cohort of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech program, and Ekkobar was the only Midwest-based company chosen.
Small Business Administration to reorganize, cut about 2,700 jobs
The layoffs are part of a larger campaign by the Trump Administration to shrink the federal workforce.
Maven Space to close after relocation plan falls through
Indy Maven Founder Leslie Bailey said in a social media post that unspecified challenges “made it impossible to move forward” with a lease for a new co-working and social hub.
Trump moves to gut several agencies focused on museums, libraries, Voice of America
One order signed Friday night calls for the agencies—some of which are focused on minority business enterprises, museum and library services, and homelessness prevention—to “be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”