Town, gown and techies team up in Bloomington
Technology Partnership aims to boost sector, recruit employers and talent.
Small Business
Articles
Young Indy-area tech entrepreneurs enjoy deep support
MyJibe co-founder Mike Langellier is among a new generation of tech entrepreneurs in the Indianapolis area that benefits from a host of support their predecessors never enjoyed.
FirstPerson buys FlashPoint HR unit
Indianapolis-based benefits brokerage FirstPerson acquired the small-employer human resource division of Indianapolis-based consulting firm FlashPoint last week in a bid to provide a wider array of services to small businesses.
LEADING QUESTIONS: Foodie rebukes allure of ‘Plan B’
What did the founder of Cafe Patachou learn from Butler's Brad Stevens? Why not try franchises? Martha Hoover responds in Part II of her IBJ interview.
Ex-grocery exec Danny O’Malia providing service advice to sports franchises
Danny O’Malia, longtime leader of his family’s Indianapolis-based grocery store business, now offers his customer-service-driven advice through his own consulting firm.
Startups launch apps to facilitate good deeds
Two startup firms, Cause.It LLC and Trensy LLC, have created tools that link charitable behavior and consumption. Like the hit app Foursquare, the newcomers encourage users to “check in” when they show up at events or complete activities so they can earn rewards offered by local businesses.
Is entrepreneurship for the young?
Over the past 15 years, the percentage of entrepreneurs in the 20- to 34-year-old age group has dropped, according to a study released this month by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
INSIDE DISH: Patachou Inc. has full plate with expansion plans
Founder Martha Hoover expects to open two new restaurants by the end of the year and as many as six more by 2020, including eateries outside central Indiana.
New hardware store tries to carve out niche near downtown
In a city and industry dominated by big-box home-improvement chains, North Meridian Hardware owner Keith Payne hopes his independent store can build a loyal following among downtown’s denizens.
N.K. Hurst’s unsexy beans fill bottom shelf, bottom line
N.K. Hurst Co. Inc. sells roughly 20 million packages of dried beans and bean soup mixes a year, from the West McCarty Street packaging plant it has operated since 1938. It has only about 50 employees, but its products are ubiquitous in the grocery industry.
Entrepreneurs see early success with new liqueur
Blue MF is a vodka-and-rum-based liqueur concocted by three Indiana University fraternity brothers turned entrepreneurs. Their firm, Indianapolis-based More Fun Liqueur, launched its signature drink in October and now is seeking investors to help fund expansion.
Popular barbershop gets makeover from community
Whiteland residents have rallied around a beloved barber who has been cutting hair in the Johnson County community for more than four decades by helping him remodel his shop.
Motorsports marketing firm launches strategy division
The move by Zionsville-based Just Marketing International reflects growing client demand for measuring return on investment from motorsports sponsorships.
What’s New: Grateful Pet
Melissa Kelly and Zach Pierson, who opened delivery service Grateful Pet LLC in July and are bootstrapping the business through Kelly’s day job.
Local graphics firm Pratt acquired by Minnesota company
Pratt Corp., a 66-year-old Indianapolis-based retail graphics firm that saw ambitious expansion plans come up short during the recession, has been acquired by Vomela Group of St. Paul, Minn.
Angel investors love health care deals
Health care venture capital has become scarcer in Indiana the past two years, but there are indications that angel investors are picking up some of the slack.
SBA lenders optimistic about year’s loan output
Volume nevertheless is expected to fall short of last year’s record numbers
LEADING QUESTIONS: Ad exec boils down rules for success
Bruce Bryant founded Promotus Advertising with little experience as an entrepreneur. Through mentors, biblical scripture and hard-won experience, he has culled several tenets for staying solvent and keeping a clear head.
Lockhart Automotive moves Cadillac dealership to Fishers
The car retailer, rebounding from the discontinuation of some of its brands, is repurposing its former Hummer dealership.
Local associations emerging to nurture small tech firms
Hamilton County and Bloomington are among places that are nurturing small technology firms in their own back yard. Local tech-focused organizations like theirs could stoke competition among Hoosier communities vying for coveted jobs.