Local guide · Northeast Ohio
Free help for starting or growing a business in Summit County
Barberton and Akron are both in Summit County. Here are the real places that help with a business plan, a startup or a storefront, with a source for each.
Where to go
The real places, with sources
Ohio SBDC at the Summit Medina Business Alliance
No-cost one-on-one counseling for Summit, Medina and Portage counties. 526 S. Main St., Akron.
SourceBounce Innovation Hub
A nonprofit startup hub in Akron, founded in 2018, with an Entrepreneur Help Desk. Akron.
SourceGreater Akron Chamber
The Akron chamber, with a small business resource hub. Akron.
SourceCity of Barberton Planning and Community Development
Incentives and financing, sites and buildings, and a How to Start a Business page. Barberton.
SourceMain Street Barberton
A nonprofit working on downtown Barberton, set up in late 2022 on the Heritage Ohio Main Street model. Barberton.
SourceBarberton Community Foundation downtown grants
Growing Downtown Barberton and Downtown Building Rehabilitation grants, for properties inside the Main Street footprint. Barberton.
SourceSouth Summit Chamber of Commerce
Serves Barberton, Norton, Doylestown and nearby communities. South Summit County.
Source
Launch League has no partnership with any organization listed here, and was not paid to list them. Details change, so confirm hours, costs and eligibility with each one.
What to do first
Four steps, in order
Step 1
Book a free counseling session with the Ohio SBDC in Akron. Bring your idea, even if it is rough.Step 2
If you are in Barberton and want a storefront downtown, read the Main Street footprint rules before looking at buildings.Step 3
Join one chamber. It costs little and puts you in front of people who buy locally.Step 4
Read how to register: see our guide to starting a business in Ohio.
Questions
Straight answers
- Is there free business counseling in Summit County?
- Yes. The Ohio SBDC at the Summit Medina Business Alliance offers no-cost counseling for Summit, Medina and Portage counties, from an office in Akron.
- Is there a business help office in Barberton itself?
- The city has a Planning and Community Development department with a How to Start a Business page. The SBDC counseling office is in nearby Akron.
- Are the Barberton downtown grants open to anyone?
- They are for properties inside the Main Street footprint, run through the Barberton Community Foundation. Check the foundation's page for the current cycle and rules.
Not confirmed, so not listed: a youth entrepreneurship program in Barberton; Junior Achievement serving Akron; dates for the Akron SBDC workshops.
Next
Want someone in your corner?
Free help gets you started. If you want an operator working with you every month, that is what business coaching is.
- Barberton, OhioBarberton has no college and no Small Business Development Center of its own, so the closest free business help is in nearby Akron, and its strongest career hook is a shared career-tech program at the high school.
- Akron, OhioAkron is the county seat and the one place on this list with a university, a startup hub and a free business counseling office in town.
- Free help for starting or growing a business in Wayne CountyFree or low-cost help starting or growing a business in Rittman, Doylestown and Wayne County, Ohio: counseling, SCORE, the county council and chambers.
- Free help for starting or growing a business in Medina CountyFree or low-cost help starting or growing a business in Wadsworth and Medina County, Ohio: the city help center, Main Street, the chamber and counseling.
- Career-tech and college-credit options for teens in Northeast OhioCareer-tech programs, college credit and early college options for high school students in Barberton, Akron, Wadsworth, Rittman and Doylestown, Ohio.
- How to start a business in OhioThe real steps and what they cost, checked against official sources.