Written by On EntryPoint’s weekly livestream, The Cackle, we meet with small businesses, startups, and people having an impact on communities across the Midwest to connect the dots between economic trends and the lived experiences of people navigating them. In 2020, EntryPoint had great conversations with thought leaders from across the country and in 2021, we are digging a little deeper with those guests in a blog series we call: Keep Cackling!
Check out the blog series below along with our conversation when they were a guest on The Cackle!
BAKE! at Zingerman’s Bakehouse – Bringing Joy and Connectivity Through Baked Goods
The pandemic could have forced our hands-on teaching kitchen BAKE! to shut down. Instead we transformed how we taught in order to survive. Our idea to start BAKE! in 2006 came in response to challenging circumstances. There had been a downturn in the economy that alarmed us. In hindsight, with experience of the 2008 financial crisis and our current pandemic, we can see that 2006 was a minor setback, but at the time, we were concerned. Among the challenges were that we lost a potential tenant for a space in the building next to the Bakehouse that we were leasing. We had 3,200 square feet, and the rent that went with it, and no plan for how to use it. So what to do?…Keep Cackling with Amy Emberling from Zingerman’s Bakehouse
Adapting to the New Normal: The long-term impact of COVID on startup talent
It has been one year since we went into quarantine. Startups across the world experienced the transition from busy team offices, frequent travel to conferences, and in-person sales meetings to managing a workforce all remotely. Predictions had people back at work in May or June of 2020, then September, then January 2021, and now most are saying it will likely be this fall before enough workers are immunized to risk having teams fully back together in one office…Keep Cackling with Patti Glaza from ID Ventures
Serving Small Businesses and Startups: The Easy Button, it’s up to you to push it
In my conversation with Emily Heintz in July 2020, I shared that the goal of Lakeshore Advantage in serving small businesses and startups in our community is that they see us as the “Easy Button”… Keep Cackling with Jennifer Owens from Lakeshore Advantage
A Tipping Point for Values-Based Investing
When Emily Heintz and I spoke in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift in the world was already afoot. We had no idea what the following year would bring societal energy to put our money where our values are…. Keep Cackling with Angela Barbash from Revalue
Work Styles and Company Culture in a Post-Pandemic World
Last year when I was on The Cackle, the world was just adjusting to life in quarantine. A year later, in many ways, the end of the pandemic is on the horizon. At Bamboo, we’ve witnessed firsthand the trends of new and hybrid work styles emerge, and we are continuing to see them take shape today. While much about the future of work remains unknown, it’s clear that work for many will remain more flexible than before the pandemic…. Keep Cackling with Amanda Lewan from Bamboo
The Recruiting Industry is Changing—And it’s not Just Because of COVID-19
There’s no doubt that 2020 changed the way we do a lot of things. How we shop, see our friends, and of course, how we work. Not only did the Covid-19 pandemic cause an abrupt shift in where we work, as millions of people were forced to work from home. But it’s also creating some lasting changes in the way we work, look for jobs, hire, and treat employees. The recruiting industry is changing… Keep Cackling with Ryan Landau from Purpose Jobs
Michigan’s University Research Corridor: The impact of research institutions on the entrepreneurial ecosystem
The road from an idea or invention to a fully formed company that delivers products or services, creates jobs and drives a regional economy is long, complex and involves many different people, organizations and resources to come together. This is why we tend to refer to a region’s entrepreneurial activities and players as an “ecosystem.” As part of this complex network, Michigan’s University Research Corridor – an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University – plays a critical role that includes research and development, technology transfer and talent development… Keep Cackling with Dr. Britany Affolter-Caine, PhD from Michigan’s University Research Corridor
So, you’re interested in starting a business in Detroit…
I chatted about my entrepreneurial journey in Detroit with Emily on an episode of The Cackle, but let’s dig deeper into some of the details about starting a business in Detroit… Keep Cackling with Amy Peterson from Rebel Nell
Multiply Your Impact: Supporting Scaleup Companies
In 2007, on one of my daily walks to work, I saw a long line emerge outside of the iconic cube-shaped Apple Store on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue. People were camped out—with actual tents and camping gear—to buy the first release of the iPhone. Day after day, I would watch that line grow, with young techies anxiously awaiting this new innovation that would inevitably transform our lives… Keep Cackling with Diana M. Callaghan from Endeavor Detroit
Entrepreneurs, Live Out Your Purpose: It Is The Essential Core Of Everything You Are And Hope To Be
Entrepreneurship is an interesting, yet beautiful beast. Why do I say this? Because in my six years as an entrepreneur, I have found that embarking on an entrepreneurial endeavor reveals everything about who we are within. Anything left unsaid, will be said. Anything left unraveled, will have to be straightened… Keep Cackling with Ashley M. Williams from RIZZARR
Michigan’s University Research Corridor: The impact of research institutions on the entrepreneurial ecosystem
The road from an idea or invention to a fully formed company that delivers products or services, creates jobs and drives a regional economy is long, complex and involves many different people, organizations and resources to come together. This is why we tend to refer to a region’s entrepreneurial activities and players as an “ecosystem.” As part of this complex network, Michigan’s University Research Corridor – an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University – plays a critical role that includes research and development, technology transfer and talent development… Keep Cackling with Britany Affolter-Caine, PhD from Michigan’s University Research Corridor
A few of my favorite Michigan investors
I grew up in Michigan and love the state like a sports team. And while Michigan pioneered some of the alternative investment strategies that are now the norm, few realize some of the new points of view emerging among a new breed of investors emanating from the state. Here are some of the people I follow closely, yet aren’t often considered as the center for Michigan’s traditional venture capital ecosystem… Keep Cackling with Reilly Brennan from Trucks Venture Capital