Amplifying Delaware Small-Business Voices: Our Experience at the Roundtable on Expanding Entrepreneurship in America
From left to right: Stephanie Eldridge, CEO of Delaware-based Code Differently; Michelle Askin, Co-Founder of bloom daily planners; Delaware Representative Sarah McBride; Kaylyn DiNardo, Co-Founder of bloom daily planners; and Jude Udeozor, CEO of Delaware small business Aboniki — at the Delaware Roundtable on Expanding Entrepreneurship in America, hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity.
As a Co-Founder of bloom daily planners, I’ve always believed that small businesses are the backbone of local communities. This week, my fellow co-founder Kaylyn DiNardo and I were honored to represent bloom daily planners and share our perspective at the Delaware Roundtable on Expanding Entrepreneurship in America.
The event, hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity (CEO) in Wilmington, Delaware, brought together small-business founders, Delaware policymakers, and community leaders. It was an inspiring afternoon focused on how we can create a stronger environment for entrepreneurs to start, grow, and thrive!
Discussing the Future of Entrepreneurship in Delaware
The roundtable explored some of the most pressing topics facing today’s small businesses, including:
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How technology can help small businesses launch and scale more efficiently
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The opportunities and barriers that many small businesses still face — from funding, to regulations, to knowledge gaps in emerging tools like Ai, and more
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Ways that collaboration between private-sector leaders and policymakers can open doors for the next generation of small businesses to thrive
Grateful to Have a Seat at the Table
It was truly an honor to contribute our voice to these discussions. We’re deeply thankful to Rep. Sarah McBride, Imani Augustus, Gabe Horwitz, and the entire Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity (CEO) team for bringing together such a thoughtful and solutions-driven group. We were also inspired by the many other leaders who shared their insights and experiences, including:
• Bryon Short from Rep. McBride’s office
• Sam duPont from Senator Chris Coons’ office
• John Gentile from Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester’s office
• Jude U. from Delaware-based small business Aboniki
• Stephanie Eldridge, CEO of Code Differently
• Emily Duran, Program Director of West End Neighborhood House
• Charles A. Madden from Delaware Prosperity Partnership
• C.J. Bell from the Delaware Division of Small Business
• Stephanie DeVane from the National Urban League
• Jennifer Thompkins from the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League
• Dr. Ronaldo Tello, Founder and President of the Delaware Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Suzanne Beall, Erin Cohan, and Kaitlyn Hill from Amazon's Policy Team
• Ryan Bouchard from Wells Fargo
We left the event encouraged by the dedication and collaboration we saw from so many partners working together to strengthen entrepreneurship and create more opportunities for small businesses across Delaware.
We, of course, brought a full table of bloom favorites to share our story, mission, and the planning tools we’ve created to help others thrive.
Finding New Local Connections
One of our favorite parts of being a Delaware-based small business is meeting the incredible local leaders who are working every day to strengthen our community. At the roundtable, we were thrilled to meet Ronaldo Tello, Founder and President of the Delaware Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Conversations like these remind us why it’s so important for small businesses to lift each other up. We’re excited to begin supporting Ronaldo’s efforts and are proud to share that his organization will now be one of bloom’s newest donation recipients, receiving bloom products to help empower and equip the entrepreneurs they serve.
Building relationships with local changemakers like Ronaldo inspires us to keep finding ways to give back and create more opportunities for others in Delaware.
Ronaldo Tello, Founder & President of the Delaware Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (and new bloom fan!)
Delaware Represenative Sarah McBride with all her new bloom daily planners goodies to gift to her team.
Spreading the bloom love
We came to the roundtable prepared with a table full of bloom daily planners goodies to help introduce our brand, mission, and products. We believe that planning tools aren’t just stationery; they’re tools for calming overwhelm, staying organized, and living with intention. Sharing those tools is one of our favorite ways to connect.
Of course, we brought enough to give away to other attendees. One of the highlights was meeting Representative Sarah McBride, who served as a thoughtful and compassionate guest of honor. She listened closely to the challenges that small-business owners and the organizations supporting them expressed throughout the discussion.
We’re so grateful for Rep. McBride’s strong, empathetic leadership and were thrilled to send her home with a stack of bloom favorites, ready to inspire organization and intentional living in her office too.
Proud to Represent Delaware Small Businesses
At bloom, we’ve always been proud to call Delaware home. Being part of this roundtable reaffirmed how important it is for small-business voices to be heard in shaping policies that affect us. We left the event feeling hopeful about the future and even more committed to paying forward the support we’ve received by encouraging and empowering other entrepreneurs.
If you’d like to learn more about the event or the important work being done by the Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity, we encourage you to visit their website.
We’re so grateful for the opportunity to represent our community and to share what it’s like to build and grow a small business in Delaware. Together founders, policymakers, and community leaders can make entrepreneurship more accessible and more successful for everyone to let their wildest small business dreams bloom.
- Michelle Askin, Co-Founder of bloom daily planners
bloom daily planners: Empowering and inspiring you with beautiful, functional tools to dream, plan, and bloom into your best self every day.
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