One Entrepreneur’s Experience in Toledo

One Entrepreneur’s Experience in Toledo

When the Support System Becomes the Obstacle

They tell you that Toledo is open for business. They tell you there are incubators, accelerators, ambassadors, and non-profits all designed to catch you, fund you, and help you grow.

My story is about what happens when you actually believe them.

My background was in manufacturing; it evolved into in digital marketing. I spent years in boardrooms, strategizing campaigns and watching marketing departments throw massive budgets at branded apparel and event swag. I realized that if I could control that supply chain, I wouldn’t just be a marketer; I’d be a one-stop marketing shop.

I didn't ask for permission. I just did the work. I secured a contract with major national brand, Eddie Bauer and PacSun in Columbus, Ohio. I had a thriving business, low overhead, and high margins. But I wanted to put down roots and provide local jobs. I wanted a brick-and-mortar facility in Toledo. That revenue provided the capital to build a production facility right here in Toledo. I bought printing equipment and partnered with a struggling local embroidery shop, saving their business in the process. In my first six months, we hit $250,000 in revenue. By the end of year one, we were at half a million dollars.

That is when I made the mistake of joining the system.

I joined JumpStart and their pitch contest. I wanted to see what it would look like to launch a true manufacturing hub here. The math was solid: we found a path to buy a building and brand-new automation equipment where the monthly loan payment would equal what I was already paying in rent. It was a no-brainer. There was enough revenue on the books to justify the loan. JumpStart told me: “Go through the program, get access to our funding, and you will be successful.”

I went all in. I even joined the Toledo Ambassador Program to understand the city’s inner workings. I learned the names of the officials. I learned how the municipality functioned.

The result of all that networking? Zero.

Despite being in the "inner circle" of small business support, I did not land a single local job from those entities. The city and its partners continued to funnel their apparel budgets to the incumbent, Completely ignoring the new player they were supposedly incubating.

Then, the support system itself collapsed.

• My direct contact at the loan organization ended up in prison for fraud.

• My other mentor left for a city job and vanished.

• Jumpstarts leader passed away, leaving a void in leadership. Resulting in JumpStart effectively pulled out of Toledo.

• The Chamber of Commerce stood me up for three separate meetings.

The irony is that I eventually won the pitch contest. I was awarded the $10,000 prize. But by the time I held that check, my business had fallen apart. I had spent so much time chasing loans, filling out paperwork, and trying to "connect" with the city that I had neglected the actual sales engine that built the company in the first place. The "help" had distracted me to death.

Refusing to quit, I moved on to run the Toledo Tech Loft. I thought, surely, the tech and startup space would be different.

It wasn't.

We filled the loft with 50 to 100+ people for regular events. We were building a real, breathing community of innovators. Yet, organizations like ConnecToledo and Destination Toledo—whose literal jobs are to bring people downtown—completely ignored us. For a year and a half, we poured energy into the city’s tech ecosystem, and we received zero support from any government, state, or city entity.

I realized then that I was on an island. The "official" channels aren't there for the builders; they are there to sustain themselves. The only people on the island with me were the other entrepreneurs—the hungry spirits actually doing the work, while the institutions watched from the shore.