Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Celebrating Michigan’s Women-Owned Small Businesses
October marks Women’s Small Business Month, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is proud to support these small business owners throughout the state through its programming and partnerships
National Women's Small Business Month is celebrated every October to recognize and support the contributions of women entrepreneurs to the economy and their communities.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is proud to support these small business owners throughout the state through the Small Business Services team and partners like the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP).
Learn about some of these standout women-owned small businesses across Michigan who are making the state a better, more beautiful and delicious place to be.
Sticky Spoons Jam (Niles, MI)
Navy veteran Aiye Akhigbe never dreamed of becoming a small business owner, and it was fate that brought her to Michigan in the first place. As the owner of Sticky Spoons Jam, she has embraced the path of entrepreneurship – and the state’s agricultural offerings. When she makes any of her jam blends, 50% of the fruit must be grown in the state, and her business works with small, family-owned farms in Southwest Michigan.
Aiye credits resources from the MEDC, Michigan SBDC and MSU Product Center with her growth and evolution as a small business owner.
North Bay Fiber (Pinconning, MI)
A dedicated knitter turned yarn maker, Jill Zielinski brings out the natural beauty of sheep’s wool and puts her design skills to work at North Bay Fiber. During lean times she turned to knitting to calm her thoughts. Now, with the support of the Michigan SBDC, she is turning wool from West Branch into skeins of hand-dyed beauty and weaving together the strands of her community.
Sweetie-licious Bakery (DeWitt, MI)
For Ellie Sutherland, general manager of Sweetie-licious Bakery in DeWitt, the mission of spreading love through pie is something very close to her heart. As the daughter of the bakery’s creator and pie queen, Linda Hundt, Ellie grew up watching her mom pursue her dream of making pies. She helped her mom sell pies at the DeWitt Farm Market and had her first job when the pie shop on Bridge Street opened in 2005.
After studying food science at Michigan State University and working in jobs around the Midwest, Ellie returned to Michigan to help run the family business. From award-winning pies to a love of family and tradition, Ellie has the recipe for sweet success.
Read Ellie’s Voices story here
Smaller Scale (Lansing, MI)
Launched in 2023 by Johanna Schuster-Craig, Smaller Scale is a handyperson service serving the greater Lansing community. After years of personal home renovation projects — while working as a tenured professor at MSU — Johanna decided to take the leap into small business ownership. Johanna saw a gap: homeowners often struggle to find help for smaller projects, and many want the option of working with women or LGBTQ+ contractors. Smaller Scale fills that need. In just over a year, Johanna has hired two part-time staff members, served more than 100 clients and created a welcoming and diverse workplace.
Through LEAP’s TREK Small Business Support Hub, Johanna received support with critical startup costs like safety training at LCC, membership in the Home Builders Association and professional equipment. Smaller Scale was also accepted into the Fund Your Acceleration program, co-led by LEAP, MEDC and other partners, which gave Johanna access to both funding and mentorship.
Read Johanna’s story from LEAP
(photo credit: Like the Planet Photography)
B. May Bags (Petoskey and Birmingham, MI)
Perched in Petoskey, designer Barbara May brings her passion for fashion to the masses with B.May Bags. Barbara pursued a Fine Arts degree in woven textiles at Boston University, studying artistic mediums from furniture making and ceramics to jewelry and weaving. After living in New York City for years, she relocated home to Michigan and moved up north, where she has been making and selling her bags ever since. In 2023, Barbara presented at the Pitti Uomo menswear trade show in Italy, one of the largest in the world, with her unisex BM.AC bag collaboration with designer Aki Choklat. The designers attended as part of a collective of Metro Detroit-area designers called Detroitissimi. The collective’s participation in Pitti Uomo was supported in part by the MEDC’s International Trade team, providing the designers with unmatched exposure in the industry.
Read Barbara’s Voices story here
Lucky Bean (Mackinac Island, MI)
Carolyn May is a native Michigander, but her childhood was unlike most who were born and raised in the mitten. That’s because Carolyn grew up on Mackinac Island, splitting her time between the island and the mainland with plenty of hours spent on ferry rides. As part of the fourth generation of a family-owned and operated candy shop on Mackinac Island, Carolyn learned her way around running a business before venturing away from sweet treats. As the owner of Lucky Bean since 2011, Carolyn is now in the business of offering sweet sips to locals and visitors.
Read Carolyn’s Voices story here
Pioneer Machine & Technologies, Inc. (Madison Heights, MI)
Deborah Harris found herself at a crossroads when her husband, the founder of Pioneer Machine & Technologies, Inc. in Madison Heights, passed away suddenly in 2019. Determined to continue his legacy, Deborah stepped into the world of precision and custom machining. “I had no experience in this industry,” she admits, “Actually, I had never even stepped foot in this business.”
Thanks to support from the Michigan SBDC, Deborah was able to network and find her footing as a business owner to continue her husband’s legacy.
Read more about Deborah’s story from the SBDC
Choate Marketplace (Brooklyn, MI)
Kate Manville-Schwartz and her husband Matt have transformed a corner of their town boulevard into the vibrant and expansive Choate Marketplace in Brooklyn. Designed to offer bold, creative and rich artisan experiences, this creative hub is more than you’d imagine from the outside. Kate connected with the Michigan SBDC and Greater Washtenaw Region Associate Regional Director Shawn Preissle for guidance to navigate the complexities of her ambitious vision.
Read more about Kate’s story from the SBDC
Zo’s Mini Donuts (Sawyer, New Buffalo and St. Joseph, MI)
For sisters Zoey and Lydia Heyn, the mission of Zo’s Mini Donuts is simple and sweet: bring hot and fresh donuts to the community. What started in 2023 as a single food truck in Sawyer has blossomed into a thriving business with three mobile food trucks and a plan to double that number in the next year. After winning the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber HYPE pitch competition, the Heyn sisters got connected to resources through the SBDC, including a business consultant who helped with their financial management.
Read more about Zo’s Mini Donuts’ sweet success
Bamboo (Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Royal Oak, MI)
In 2015, Amanda Lewan founded coworking space company Bamboo as a statewide platform aimed at growing Michigan’s creative and innovation community in the wake of remote work. Since then, the team has successfully opened and operated four locations including two in Detroit, Royal Oak and Ann Arbor, with its latest location in Grand Rapids announced in May 2025. The proposed redevelopment at 2 Fulton Street is within walking distance of Van Andel Arena and serves as the gateway between the financial and entertainment districts.
In addition to receiving over $1.25 million in Revitalization and Placemaking funds, the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is also supporting the project, reflecting the MEDC’s commitment to uplifting communities and small businesses. Through SSBCI’s collateral support program, the Michigan Strategic Fund is pledging up to $2.4 million through a cash deposit at Bank Michigan; this loan to Bamboo will help fund the cost of the building’s renovation and provide the company with more opportunities to create connections within communities.
Read more about Bamboo’s latest project
RADD Foods (Marquette, MI)
RADD Foods, a Marquette-based small business co-founded by Emily and Cole Williams and specializing in dairy-free cheese, is expanding its reach beyond the U.P. thanks to support from the MEDC. The Williamses reached out to the MEDC for resources to assist with the development of their small business. The MEDC provided $200,000 in SSBCI loan guarantee support in November 2024, which went toward start-up operating costs such as nationwide distributor set-up, trade show registration fees, travel expenses, sample products, McCormick licensing fees and inventory.
Today, RADD Foods can be found in 40 stores around Michigan and Indiana, with plans to expand including Meijer Market Format Stores and release new products, including different formats and more unique flavors.
Read more about how RADD Foods is bringing home the cheese thanks to MEDC support
Schindy’s at Diamond Lake (White Cloud, MI)
When life gave them an old gas station, Diane Schindlbeck and husband Eric made one of the best laid-back pizza joints in West Michigan – Schindy’s at Diamond Lake. They opened the bar and restaurant in November 2021, after stepping away from their previous restaurant following pandemic shutdowns. With support and guidance from the Michigan SBDC, Schindy’s has won accolades for the quality of its thin-crust pizza and recognition as one of Michigan’s best small businesses.
Read Diane’s Voices story here
Groovy Donuts (East Lansing and Williamston, MI)
Over the past decade, Groovy Donuts has built a reputation for its delectable pastries and retro branding. Owners and Michigan State University alumni Monica and Andrew Gauthier have been recognized with multiple awards for their business, including Small Business Development Center Capitol Region Best Small Business at the 2023 Michigan Celebrates Small Business gala and a Greater Lansing Entrepreneur of the Year award. They celebrated 10 years in business in September 2025, thanks in part to support from the Lansing Economic Area Partnership’s TREK Small Business Support Hub, part of a statewide network of Small Business Support Hubs supported by the MEDC.
Groovy Donuts has also received support through MEDC’s Second-Stage Growth Solutions programming as well as support in the form of a grant, a free tech assessment and a Free Essentials membership to Automation Alley through the I4.0 Signature Initiative.