Small Business Development

Operation HOPE Helps a Michigan Entrepreneur Solve the Puzzle of Scaling Up
May 23, 2025Written by: Lisa Karel Lisa Schilthius is the classic innovator-type of person our small business coaches at Operation HOPE get to work with every day. With years of experience in …

Sadie’s “Maid”-to-Order Dream Comes to Life
September 14, 2023Leaving home is rarely an easy thing to do. But when mom calls and asks that you move from one state to another to assist with her growing business, you …

The Little Lady Driving Big Success
August 11, 2023They say big things come in small packages. Cora Cleasants agrees and would be the first to tell you that that saying is about her. This 5’3”, grandmother of four …

LaTonia Reaps the Rewards of a Financially Responsible Life
December 10, 2021LaTonia Walker is a powerhouse. For years, she has been working towards building the life that she’s always dreamed of for herself and her teenage daughter all on her own. …

When Nothing Else Could Help…HOPE Lifted Me
December 3, 2021Operation HOPE helped change my life. I launched my dream coffee business in November of 2019 and then COVID hit. The shutdown devastated my industry and my business income. With …

Cooking Like Grandma Used To
November 24, 2021Written by Stephanie Leak, Owner of Southern Noodle, HOPE Inside First Horizon Bank, Columbia SC I have always had a dream of following in my grandmother’s footsteps by cooking and …

Planting, Nurturing, and Growing One Dream at a Time
October 15, 2021Adriana Rodriguez-Rivera is a nurturer, cultivator, and entrepreneur at heart. This 23-year old, stay at home mom has spent her adult life nurturing everything she comes in contact with and …

“I understood that if I can dream it, I can achieve it.”
September 30, 2021In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Operation HOPE is highlighting a few of our clients who have made significant strides in their journey towards financial empowerment and success. This week’s …

Virginia Lands Huge Contract with Operation HOPE’s Help
July 23, 2021Virginia Baket-Jeffcoat joined the Operation HOPE family in December, 2020 when she enrolled in the Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) facilitated by Ms. Judie Hayes, her financial wellbeing coach. Virginia has …