A community partnership has provided a one-stop portal for central Ohio startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses since 2007.
But
CentralOhioEntrepreneurs.org thinks it could reach more central Ohio business leaders if they knew more about the site, says April McCollum.
McCollum, the website's business librarian and primary interface with site users, says more than 1,600 distinct visitors have used the website since May, when the website began keeping stats. But she says the resources available on the site to plan, start and grow a business have the potential to reach many more.
The website is a collaboration among
TechColumbus, the
Small Business Development Centers, the
Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the
Columbus Metropolitan Library and
OCLC.
"The SBDC is our newest partner, and we are collaborating with the SBDC to reach out to entrepreneurs," McCollum says.
Financed and led through TechColumbus -- a Columbus-based technology business incubator -- the site is geared primarily to central Ohio businesses in the TechColumbus and Small Business Development Centers regional service areas, McCollum says. But, she says, much of the information on the site is helpful to any new or emerging small business in Ohio.
While the partners serve as information points, the site lists a host of other resources, including federal and state contacts for everything from obtaining licenses and grants to tax resources, regulations, and government contracting.
"I've seen other Ohio websites that are directories, but have never seen one that is as robust as this," McCollum says, noting that CentralOhioEntrepreneurs.org provides both a human component (McCollum) and extensive information directories.
Source: April McCollum, CentralOhioEntrepreneurs.org
Writer: Gene Monteith