Every small business has a story. From the conception of an idea, to the struggle to find lending, to the joy of a first sale, the path for small business owners is rarely smooth. That’s why, to celebrate Small Business Saturday, we’re highlighting several of the thousands of small business owners in our communities who
Hermila Solano was ready to take the next step in her cosmetology career. After getting her cosmetology license and working for others, Solano decided to branch out and open her own cosmetology academy. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but Solano couldn’t have anticipated just how difficult it would be Solano struggled with financing and
Verlissa Schrepfer has long been a part of the Wheaton community. Her association with Wheaton began nearly 15 years ago when, after working in retail for more than three decades, she switched careers and was about to earn a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Chicago’s Harrington College of Design. Needing on-the-job training to finish
Growing up, Sophie Evanoff’s love of pastries was about more than a simple sweet tooth. It was about spending time in the kitchen with her mother and grandmothers baking for family gatherings and church events. Those hours Evanoff spent in the kitchen created more than lifelong memories. They also represented the beginning of a successful
Nothing beats getting stuck in the slow-lane for the self-checkout machine—or in the endless loop of an automated phone system that keeps disconnecting you—to underline how much more convenient interacting with a real person can be. While automation saves businesses time and money, it also inflicts very real frustrations on everyday people who are forced
Social media marketing may feel daunting to some small-business owners — there’s a lot of competition in the race to gain followers and translate that into sales. Plus, when you’re just starting out, it may not always be in the budget to hire someone to create content for you. Mastercard conducted research to learn what