Sue Grabowski admits to not 鈥渒nowing jack鈥� about starting a company in a male-dominated industry like marketing, but she did it anyway when the time was right.
After working at companies both small (the former Covington Communications in Akron) and large (Progressive), Grabowski realized her vision in 1997 with , a Cleveland marketing agency built to assist a variety of businesses in communicating effectively.
Back when she started the company, then known as Grabowski & Co., she had a printer, phone and a computer with dial-up internet access. Otherwise, she did not know where a new entrepreneur could find help. Nurturing relationships with local marketing groups and chambers of commerce eventually fostered her growth in a region that Grabowski believes is friendly for women owners.
The continuing hurdle for women entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio is knowing where and how to find contemporaries willing to help them succeed , Grabowski said.
鈥淚 wish I鈥檇 done that 20 years ago, because I didn鈥檛 feel safe asking questions when I had competitors in the room,鈥� said Grabowski. 鈥淪ince I started my business, groups like and have sprung up. The environment for women is rich because there are seasoned folks giving advice from the lessons they鈥檝e learned.鈥�
Kate Walsh-Dodok, proprietor of all-natural home fragrance line , got her start in Cleveland鈥檚 maker movement in the 2010s. Collaborations with boutiques did not entirely stave off feelings of isolation, though, which Walsh-Dodok attributes to her head-down focus on product creation.
Northeast Ohio could benefit from more formal mentorship programs for women owners, she said.
鈥淭here is so much we can learn from each other 鈥� we can grow so much faster and stronger through these programs,鈥� Walsh-Dodok said. 鈥淭here is some of that programming available, but I want to see more of it, because there are still a lot of small business owners who don鈥檛 seek out mentorship right away. Maybe that鈥檚 our fault, but it could be publicized more.鈥�
In a position to grow
Walsh-Dodok began Peripeti as a for-profit company, selling soy candles, reed diffusers, wax melts and room sprays. In recent years, she pivoted from a private business to a social enterprise, partnering with , a Cleveland-based nonprofit that, among other services, connects refugees with job opportunities.
A 2021 cancer diagnosis fueled the transition. Walsh-Dodok now hires refugee women for her production team. She turned to Building Hope for assistance, while getting further aid from social enterprise accelerator .
Advice from SEA Change, in particular, honed Walsh-Dodok鈥檚 mission, values and overall business model, she said. Walsh-Dodok is also bonding with female entrepreneurs through like-minded Facebook groups, as well as women-centric conference events.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been great, because everyone I鈥檝e networked with knows we are positioned to grow,鈥� said Walsh-Dodok. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e throwing ideas at us and asking if we鈥檝e talked to this person or that person. They鈥檝e been very generous with their network, which is an incredibly valuable thing for a small business.鈥�
Desidara owner Grabowski tapped a local chapter of the for the kind of peer-to-peer communication critical for any new enterprise. Simply reaching out is sometimes challenging for women owners, while getting 鈥渢ypecast鈥� into boutique lifestyle businesses by the larger community is not uncommon, she said.
Grabowski views 鈥渇emale entrepreneur鈥� as a pigeonhole term that prevents women from flourishing.
鈥淏reaking down silos would get women into spaces where they could think beyond their limitations as women and think about their limitations as business owners,鈥� Grabowski said.
鈥淲omen are amazing multi-taskers 鈥� we get stuff done. I come on the heels of women who had to fight harder than me to be at the table. Now we are at the table, so let鈥檚 (work) together.鈥�
Taking the leap
Women entrepreneurs are a major focus of Akron鈥檚 . The group鈥檚 鈥� which stands for Generating Real Opportunity and Wealth 鈥� provides women and people of color with idea generation skills, mentorship and brand development assistance.
Female founders comprise 57% of GROW鈥檚 clientele, all of whom run non-technology businesses due to the lack of high-tech startups among the demographic. Access and trust in entrepreneurship is crucial for a population often not given either, said Bounce Chief Operating Officer Jessica Sublett.
鈥�(GROW) is a place that feels safe for individual entrepreneurs, while building a community they can count on,鈥� said Sublett. 鈥淲e鈥檙e cultivating a space where women can express the unique challenges they face as entrepreneurs.鈥�
GROW participants created 140 jobs in 2022, encompassing restaurant service gigs and hairdresser jobs at personal care businesses. Though Northeast Ohio鈥檚 shortcomings for female owners are not unique 鈥� women-founded startups nationwide raised just 2.1% out of an estimated $37 billion in venture capital last year, according to Pitchbook 鈥� the region can still improve in bringing this population together.
鈥淲omen historically are homemakers, so that opportunity is not there to build professional networks,鈥� Sublett said. 鈥淔or an ecosystem to thrive, it needs entrepreneurs to connect to one another in addition to being connected to resources.鈥�
Welcoming more women into the fold means doing a better job of sharing Northeast Ohio鈥檚 attributes, added Sublett. She points to the creation of multi-faceted 鈥渟torytelling campaigns鈥� that blend digital outreach with boots on the ground.
New entrepreneurs are wise to seek out local resources, even if that means simply turning to a Google search for a potential fit, Sublett said.
鈥淏uild a support network and surround yourself with mentors, advisers and other entrepreneurs,鈥� said Sublett. 鈥淧eople who are going to help you navigate personal challenges while growing your business. And stay resilient on your journey. It鈥檚 happy and sometimes difficult, but that resilience is what will maintain a business.鈥�
Grabowski echoed that sentiment, while also encouraging women to make the leap into their dream enterprise.
鈥淲omen have more opportunities today than ever,鈥� Grabowski said. 鈥�(Entrepreneurship) is worth trying if you鈥檝e got the skill set. The joy I鈥檝e had from owning my business has been rewarding for 26 years. It鈥檚 a job I still love to get up for every day.鈥�
