INDIANAPOLIS — It’s Small Business Week in Indiana, which recognizes and celebrates small businesses throughout the state.
Small businesses represent a majority of businesses in the Hoosier state. Indiana is home to more than 570,000 small businesses and those companies employ 1.2 million people.
“The environment itself is very formidable in terms of the tax environment, cost of living, things of that nature, but I think we have a lot services here to help support either budding entrepreneurs or existing businesses,” said David Adams Indiana Secretary of Commerce.
This past legislative session, state lawmakers created an Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation to support current and aspiring small business owners.
“We’re going to be able to bring everything together on a state wide basis to really have a one stop shop if you will to help support the entrepreneurs at all levels,” said Adams.
One of those growing small businesses is Ceramica Inc, a masonry engraving and supply company. Three years ago, it was taken over by Zack and Shana Light. It’s a family business that was owned by Zack’s aunt. The Lights lived in New York for 13 years, working in consulting and fashion before coming back to the Midwest.
"Zack definitely had this ambition to become an entrepreneur or own his own business and when Ceramica was going up for sale from his Aunt Marian he said ‘hey, this is a great idea lets go after this’ and I agreed,” said Shana.
The goal is to keep growing and improving the business and supporting other entrepreneurs along the way.
“Because we are a small business, we can be scrappy and do things other people often say no to,” said Shana.
“The fact that we get to own this, grow it, hopefully improve the lives of the people that work here and give people a nice place to work every day, especially here in Indianapolis, it brings me a lot of joy and a lot of pride,” said Zack.
