Marketer applies engineering skills to lead creative firm
Kathy Cabello left a lucrative IT career to start Cabello Associates Inc., a marketing consultancy celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
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Startup coaches clients on dating
Miss Pivot is a social-skills training company that offers one-on-one coaching from professional “wing” women, group classes on topics like starting conversations, and now a mobile app that promises users the knowledge they need to “Fire Cupid.”
What’s New: Snappening.com
This week, meet Crystal Grave, who left a corporate marketing career to start event-planning resource Snappening.com.
A morning-after question: Now what?
The Indianapolis community undoubtedly will benefit from hosting the Super Bowl, but no one can just sit back and wait for the payoff. Lots of work remains—especially for small businesses.
DeveloperTown sees sale of first company it helped fund, coach
Daily Lunch Deal sold last month after just a year in business, marking a milestone for its venture-firm mentor.
Techies aim to make money from memories
Two DePauw University graduates are launching a website they hope will preserve the world’s memories, through a virtual bank of shared experiences.
Stout’s Shoes expects website to become its largest ‘store’
After years of failed attempts to create a viable Web presence, Stout’s Shoes has finally plunged into cyberspace using the route experts say many small companies follow: giving the job to a young, tech-savvy family member with an aptitude for social media.
Travel club startup patterned after Ambassadair trying to raise $5 million
A former employee of Ambassadair travel club is trying to raise $5.3 million to finance the first six months of a business created in its image.
Startups vie for Super Bowl exposure
One Indianapolis entrepreneur will spend Super Bowl Sunday huddled with startup guru Scott Case and another corporate combatant, working on a game plan for growth.
Contractor uses ‘process mapping’ to overhaul business
ProClad Inc. founder Brad Hitzfield invested in a 30-year business veteran to help him remake his
specialty construction firm when profits couldn’t keep pace with revenue.
What’s New: Happy Dog Hotel and Spa
This week, meet Bev Schroeder, who opened Happy Dog Hotel and Spa in Carmel last month.
Small businesses angle for piece of the big game
More than 400 companies statewide qualified for this year’s NFL Emerging Business program, an initiative that aims to open doors for minority- and women-owned enterprises seeking a sliver of Super Bowl spending.
House bill would cut barber licensing requirement
Besides no longer requiring barbers and cosmetologists to be licensed, the bill also exempts dieticians, hearing aid dealers, private investigators and security guards.
Indianapolis-area mergers and acquisitions in 2011
A number of acquisitions last year disclosed no sale price. In the Indianapolis area, those deals ranged from MacAllister Machinery’s purchase of a Caterpillar dealership in Michigan to Herff Jones’ acquisition of a Memphis, Tenn.-headquartered maker of cheerleading uniforms.
Indiana deals ranged upward of $800 million
Mergers and acquisitions in 2011 ranged from WellPoint’s acquisition of CareMore to a trucking company merger.
Entrepreneurs take risks without betting the farm
Some small-business owners are taking divergent paths to build revenue during difficult economic times. Some are adding products and services, while others are focusing on core competencies. What’s your take on the different strategies?
INSIDE DISH: Noodle readies for Super Bowl rush
Owner Hal Yeagy expects at least three months of business over 10 days at the newly nonsmoking Slippery Noodle Inn, and he's spending nearly $300,000 on physical improvements and a temporary tent to make sure it rocks.
Extras help small firms boost business
Small businesses like KnowSweat Workouts increasingly are adding products and services to keep revenue flowing during tight economic times.
What’s New: Violet Vintage
This week, we meet Vanessa Grider, who opened Violet Vintage this fall. The company collects and rents out unusual—and often time-tested—party supplies.
Brugge owners eye downtown buildings for brewery, eatery
Owners of Broad Ripple’s Brugge Brasserie want to bring a new restaurant concept to the Massachusetts Avenue district downtown, where they also plan to relocate the craft brewery that supplies beer to Brugge.