, the local chapter of Virginia-based nonprofit The Entrepreneurs鈥� Organization, is nothing if not incredibly active. The peer-to-peer networking group hosts over 600 events annually, a packed calendar that includes learning sessions, mentoring events and informal get-togethers designed to give budding entrepreneurs the support they need to succeed.
Finding meeting space without a centralized location has been a constant challenge for the 25-year-old organization. Scheduling nearly two events each day required borrowing office space from strategic partners, or finding room at an area coffee house or restaurant.
Under these conditions, the only logical step for EO Cleveland was to get a home of its own, said Adam Fleischer, owner of in Cleveland Heights and an EO Cleveland member since 2015.
Idea became reality in early September when EO Cleveland opened its 5,000-square-foot Think Big Space in a renovated downtown office building at 1020 Bolivar Road. Joined by chapter members from throughout the Midwest 鈥� as well as Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb 鈥� Cleveland attendees celebrated what will ideally become a 24/7 business hub, said Fleischer.
鈥淐oming out of COVID, people wanted to get back together,鈥� Fleischer said. 鈥淲e had people who hadn鈥檛 seen each other in two years. We realized that to set our legacy for the future, we had to have our own space.鈥�
EO Cleveland鈥檚 new office sits between East 9th Street and East 14th Street across from Progressive Field. The centralized location will be used for formal programming and casual gatherings alike 鈥� a rooftop patio provides a view of the ballfield and other area landmarks. Having a dedicated space in Cleveland鈥檚 downtown highlights the organization鈥檚 unique standing amid a plethora of regional small business groups, said Fleischer.
鈥淚n Northeast Ohio, there are amazing organizations like that are great resources for entrepreneurs and bring a lot of value,鈥� Fleischer said.
鈥淲hat I like about EO is that it鈥檚 a global entrepreneur program. It鈥檚 probably the most impactful program for business owners, because there鈥檚 200 chapters in 70 countries and we鈥檙e hitting 18,000 members. It鈥檚 very well connected.鈥�
About 450 global EO members are in the food and beverage industry, giving Fleischer a vast sounding board when issues arise at his retail beer and wine business.
鈥淎t EO, someone has dealt with something I鈥檝e dealt with or will be dealing with,鈥� said Fleischer. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 easy to reach out into that microcosm and get some guidance. If I call someone in India, Hong Kong or Canada and say I鈥檓 from EO, they鈥檙e going to pick up the phone. That鈥檚 a powerful aspect of the program.鈥�
Making 鈥榝ast friends鈥�
EO Cleveland members are founders or majority owners with $1 million in annual revenue. Applicants with $250,000 in revenue can also participate in an designed to take their businesses to the $1 million threshold. Members have equal standing, although a board of directors is assigned with running the group鈥檚 day-to-day operations. As a nonprofit, EO Cleveland self-funds programming via an annual fee.
Daniel Richards, CEO of Brunswick-based coolant and lubricant supplier , has been with EO Cleveland for 23 years. Whereas efforts like 10,000 Small Businesses offer annual conferences, that vision of connection is already baked into the EO model.
Monthly forum meetings link members to fellow business owners who emphasize lessons learned during their entrepreneurial journey. Forum leaders pointedly do not give advice, instead letting members draw their own conclusions on how to best proceed, said Richards.
鈥淭he difference between us and other places is our organization features the 鈥榤an in the ring,鈥欌�� said Richards. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning lessons from people who are doing what I鈥檓 doing. Our ethos is about the experience share. The value is learning about how other people deal with similar situations.鈥�
Richards said venture capital groups like focus mainly on tech startups rather than the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem. With ownership being a sometimes lonely endeavor, the camaraderie fostered at EO Cleveland goes beyond spreadsheets and bottom lines, said Richards.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e an entrepreneur, you can get isolated, and your world gets smaller,鈥� Richards said. 鈥淏ut when you stumble on a group where there鈥檚 50 other people just like you, you鈥檙e delighted. They understand what you鈥檙e going through, and you鈥檙e just fast friends immediately.鈥�
A home field advantage
EO Cleveland officials finalized plans for the Think Big Space in May 2022, and plan to share the century-old building with Leopardo Companies, a Chicago firm focused on retail, office and municipal projects. Only three other chapters nationwide 鈥� Austin, San Diego and New York 鈥� have spaces devoted specifically to EO activities, noted Wine Spot owner Fleischer.
Leading members including Fleischer visited the three offices during Think Big鈥檚 research phase. The San Diego headquarters is 30 minutes north of the city, while the Austin space is on the city's east side near a booming tech startup hub rather than downtown. New York鈥檚 office, meanwhile, is located in the Chelsea neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan. EO Cleveland鈥檚 new spot has more of a home field advantage along with a bit of symbolic meaning, said Fleischer.
鈥淎s business owners, there have been so many people that helped us get established; giving back is very important to us,鈥� Fleischer said. 鈥淚n building a space for Cleveland, we鈥檙e seeing members鈥� faces light up when we bring them in. Helping each other out is at the core of what we do.鈥�
EO Cleveland members raised $200,000 to supply the office with new furniture and cutting-edge AV equipment. Such dedication does not surprise Traci Miller, CEO of wholesale embroidery and screen print business . Miller needed a financial and emotional boost before joining EO鈥檚 accelerator program in 2009 鈥� a time of economic struggle that did not leave the then-emerging entrepreneur unaffected.
鈥淢y biggest fear at the time was that I didn鈥檛 know what I didn鈥檛 know 鈥� I had nobody to ask or bounce things off of,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淚 never watched anyone build a company before, so the critical part for me was knowing I wasn鈥檛 the only one experiencing these pain points.鈥�
A downtown presence for EO Cleveland can only elevate relationships among people Miller refers to as her 鈥渢ribe.鈥�
鈥淭he heart of downtown is where we really felt we needed to be,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have that synergy of walking by someone or sitting down and having coffee. Now that we have this space, these collisions can happen between members. The conversations that bloom are so impactful for us as individuals and as a group.鈥�
