Looking Forward Our Way

Over the past year, we have had some great opportunities to delve into the issues of small businesses in Ohio….who owns them, how to get them started, how to grow them, and how or when to close them!

Small businesses are the “lifeblood” of our American economy. Yet, in today’s markets, small businesses are suffering. A few weeks ago, we were participating in an event with the Tri-Village Chamber Partnership. During the event, we had the opportunity to meet, Jamie Barlett, CEO and Founder of PolyPay.

Jamie began her company in California. She gives us an overview of the steps she took to decide on the industry she wanted to tackle; credit card processing!

What challenges did she find in creating a company? How did she decide to grow the business in Ohio (and other states)? And did she feel that being a female in the business world made it harder?

When she looks back on her own journey as a small business owner, she discusses issues arising due to age - too young and too old - or just inexperience playing a role?

How does networking support her in building her company?

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Bluesky and Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2026 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

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We welcome back Thea Ewing!

She is the Chief Regional Development Officer and Senior Director of Programming, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC).

Continued growth in Central Ohio calls for research, planning, and execution of strategies for the infrastructure of the region.

We talk with Thea about...

• How MORPC deals with many functions to support economic growth and improve lives, in a collaborative process throughout the region.
• Transportation; what is the current situation of public transit, commuter pathways, new development, funding, etc.
• The funding from the recent infrastructure bill and how that is being utilized
• Master Plan is currently being updated due to the INTEL project. 
• The role of mass transportation in our city’s ability to move workers to employers?
• Specialized transportation programs, such as for the elderly and disabled, workers traveling across the region to employers, or rural communities
• Future plans under development – such as trains!

This is always a fun episode as we look into the future of transportation in Central Ohio.

A ton of resources were mentioned - we hope they are helpful for you.

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Bluesky and Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2026 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

Thea Ewing is back!

She is Chief Regional Development Officer and Senior Director of Programming, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) is our guest on the next episode of Looking Forward Our Way.

MORPC deals with many functions to support economic growth and improve lives, in a collaborative process throughout the region.

Our focus will be on transportation. Specifically, what is the current situation of public transit, commuter pathways, new development, funding, etc.

That episode will be in your podcast player Monday February 6, 2023.

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2023 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

We welcome back to the podcast Kelly Fuller, Vice President Talent and Workforce Development at the Columbus Chamber.

The need for skilled/qualified applicants to fill the Columbus pipeline is critical right now. We provide you with an overview of the current Central Ohio workforce (interviewing/hiring/retention), particularly since the pandemic.

In today’s recruiting processes, what issues do special populations face in their job search?

How has retention impacted the workforce?

And what does 2023 bring to the hiring process?

Here's a link to the resources mentioned in this episode.

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Bluesky and Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2026 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

Thank you for supporting the Looking Forward Our Way Podcast Program [LFOW]. We ask for your assistance in our future planning through the completion of this survey, which will take approximately 3 minutes. 

Participation in this survey is voluntary; your answers and personal information will be kept completely confidential and cannot be linked back to you.  

LFOW is the first podcast supporting 50+ Central Ohioans. We hope you have enjoyed the conversations with our expert guests, and the topics covered in the episodes. 

Completing this survey will provide essential information to enhance this valuable program. Should you have any questions on the survey, or have difficulty completing the tool, please contact us at [email protected]

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M866SSW

We welcome Kelly Fuller, Vice President Talent and Workforce Development, Columbus Chamber.

The critical issue right now is the need for skilled/qualified applicants to fill the Columbus pipeline. In this upcoming episode, you will hear an overview of the current Central Ohio workforce (interviewing/hiring/retention), particularly since the pandemic, plus what does 2023 bring to the hiring process?

This episode will be in your podcast player Monday 1/30/23.

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2023 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

Age-friendly projects have been created around the country. We talk with Marisa Sheldon, Director of Age-Friendly Columbus/Franklin County, and the Age-Friendly Innovation Center about the project's development here in Columbus.

What is the current situation for older adults in Franklin County? What are their needs and requests? The role Age-Friendly has played for Central Ohio has become very important over the past 6 years. We talk about the history of the development of the program. For example, what has been accomplished, and what is the most significant change the program has created?

Development of the Age-Friendly Innovation Center, with The Ohio State University, has accomplished many goals with research, internships, and an increase in students studying aging and gerontology.

What does the future hold for Age-Friendly and the Center? We talk about future local, state, and national plans, and how the Center will be supporting those plans.

Here is a link to the resources mentioned in the episode.

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Bluesky and Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2026 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

Age-friendly projects have been created around the country. We talk with Marisa Sheldon, Director of Age-Friendly Columbus/Franklin County and the Age-Friendly Innovation Center about the project's development here in Columbus.

What is the current situation for older adults in Franklin County; what are their needs and requests?

The development of the Age-Friendly Innovation Center. What is it? How is it structured/formatted? What are the goals of the Center?

And what is the future of Age-Friendly and the Center? What are the plans for 2023 for the Age-Friendly program, including locally, state-wide, and nationally?

The full episode and interview are coming to your podcast player Monday 1/16/23.

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2023 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson

This year will be the year for small business growth. And we couldn't bring you a better expert on growing your small business than Darlene Ziebell, Prominent Entrepreneur, Business Consultant, and Business Strategy Specialist, and the author of “A Dozen Avalanches Threaten Small Business: Which One Will Bury You Alive?”

In this episode, we will be providing information on the issues that challenge small business owners. Plus focus on the top tips for foundation building, vision, and success in the new year.

We are going to focus on three phases of developing/sustaining a business ~ tips that you can use in growing your business in the new year:

First ~ how do we get it started?

Second ~ how do we make it a reality?

Third ~ do we exit, or do we grow, or both?

The first questions a potential business owner will ask themself include “…how do I get this entity started and off the ground?” We delve into this phase – taking an idea from paper to structure.

Once an individual has a good understanding of what path they will take, they need to create the company – basically, they are creating the operational pieces. This second phase is making the business a reality ~ where do they start and how do they evaluate their progress?

The third phase may come as a surprise to listeners! Darlene has mentioned that every business plan has to have an exit strategy…..seems like you are closing it down before it actually gets started! Why is this needed so early in the planning? Shouldn’t we be focusing on growing the business?

Money is the top issue for every business. Are some funders open to small businesses and are some to be avoided? How can you provide yourself with a level-playing field in borrowing money – is it harder or easier for smaller businesses?

Darlene provides her expertise to female-owned businesses, through her nonprofit, the “Center for Women Business Owners”. It is extremely difficult to be successful as a female owner. What are the top tips for female-owned businesses?

One of the most sensitive topics of small business is the notion of “succession” or “preservation planning.” How does a small business owner meet such challenges?

Resources for the top tips mentioned in the podcast.

https://darleneziebell.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darleneziebell/

[email protected]

We would love to hear from you.

Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Bluesky and Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants.

Copyright 2026 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson