By Kayla Sosa For Jenea Irvin, cooking is more than a job - it's a passion. As the owner of Diversity's Kitchen - a takeout food service - wife, and mother of four children, Irvin spends a lot of her…
Read More Diversity’s Kitchen: Serving homemade foods inspired by grandmother’s recipes
By Kayla Sosa Empowering students, honing in on skills and boosting small businesses is all part of the work done through Lend GR at Grand Valley State University. The program piloted over a year ago, with a focus on providing…
Read More GVSU students ‘lend a hand’ to entrepreneurs in need
(Featured Photo Courtesy of 77 Idea Lab Youtube Page) By Kayla Sosa Students who want to solve a problem in their community or society through a product or service have a new opportunity through the 77 Idea Lab at Grand…
Read More First GVSU student entrepreneur accelerator program finishes strong despite setbacks
By Kayla Sosa Shannon Cohen is known around West Michigan for her positive attitude and inspiring leadership by the work she’s done through her book, podcast and public speaking engagements. With the recent societal shift due to coronavirus, Cohen has…
Read More GV alum, business owner spreads positivity through snail mail
[Pictured above is: Zawadi Leya, Zizi Matanda and Lisa Knight.] By Kayla Sosa West Michigan business owners, skilled workers and community members are coming together to volunteer to help Public Thread create PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) masks for healthcare professionals…
Read More Entrepreneurs, community members lend skills, resources to create masks
Because there’s a lot of information out there, we compiled some of the most available funding resources for West Michigan small businesses. Note: This list will continue to update as we see more resources and as applications close. All of…
By Kayla Sosa Listen to the full podcast this story is accompanied by below: https://soundcloud.com/user-533504696/what-the-hustle-podcast-ep-1-gvsu-small-businesses-and-covid19 With the virus COVID-19 causing a global pandemic, colleges around the country have closed and moved online, including Grand Valley State University. In the…
Read More PODCAST: How Local Entrepreneurs Are Responding to a Global Pandemic
By Kayla Sosa Jermale Eddie is a GVSU graduate and owner of Malamiah Juice Bar in downtown Grand Rapids. The family business began in 2012 with Eddie’s interest in juicing and then his wife, Anissa Eddie’s, idea to start…
Read More 5 tips from GVSU alum, business owner Jermale Eddie
By Kayla Sosa For Jenea Irvin, cooking is more than a job - it's a passion. As the owner of Diversity's Kitchen - a takeout food service - wife, and mother of four children, Irvin spends a lot of her…
Read More Diversity’s Kitchen: Serving homemade foods inspired by grandmother’s recipes
By Kayla Sosa In Grand Rapids, there are many entrepreneurs and organizations that support their work and needs, but there’s not always a steady connection between the two. Corey Hart, local entrepreneur, is looking to bridge that gap as the…
Read More Local Start Up Grind chapter exists to uplift entrepreneurial communities
NEU 