Indy firm aims to take the hassle out of home repair
Indianapolis-based tech entrepreneur Dan Hanrahan has set out to find a way to make the home repair process more efficient for homeowners and home services.
Small Business
Q&A: John Payne gives stages to the stars from years ago and perhaps the stars of tomorrow
Payne’s company, Mad Hatter Shows, puts artists such as John Schneider and Jimmie “JJ” Walker in front of audiences who remember the actors’ heydays in “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Good Times,” respectively.
Q&A: Love of adventure fuels Brittany Smith both on and off the job
As the senior director of community engagement at Yelp Inc., a website that helps users connect with local businesses, Smith oversees activities in the 100 or so U.S. and Canadian cities where Yelp has a presence.
Zionsville company building new HQ at city’s Creekside Corporate Park
Zionsville-based Intelligent Living Solutions, which currently operates from two different local sites, plans to bring everything under one roof in a new 20,000-square-foot location on 106th Street in Creekside Corporate Park.
Butler to host conference on entrepreneurship through acquisition
Buying a business is nothing new, but entrepreneurship through acquisition—or ETA—has caught on in recent years among those who want to become business owners but don’t want to start a company from scratch.
Dormakaba to acquire Clarksville-based turnstile company
Avant-Garde Systems Inc. has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the Louisville area in recent years.
Small-business optimism rises on brighter sales outlook
Inflation concerns ranked as the second-biggest problem for small firms behind labor quality.
Holiday shopping at small businesses driven by online sales, social media focus
Small businesses are being impacted by economic instability, despite national predictions that call for record spending at small businesses this holiday season.
Mom-and-pop business bankruptcies hit record as debts rise
More than 2,200 people and small firms filed bankruptcy this year under the so-called Subchapter V rules, which make it cheaper and faster to win relief from creditors.
With their government contracts in limbo, small businesses await historic shutdown’s end
Small business owners with government contracts say the shutdown has caused payment delays and the cancellation of some projects, and they will be working to make up for lost time and money, if the government reopens.
Health care premium spikes set to squeeze small businesses
Premiums for Affordable Care Act plans, which are used for thousands of small businesses, are expected to jump 114% on average in the new year, when COVID-era tax credits expire.
Hirons CEO talks crisis communications, female leadership and AI
Deana Haworth has been able to combine her passion for helping clients tell their stories with the entrepreneurial skills she learned watching and working with her parents.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.