“Through our engagement with Oakland Thrive, we strengthened our financial foundation, a critical component of our business. By leveraging Oakland Thrive’s B2B services, we worked with Jessica Smith of JLS Vision Services to organize and refine our financials, making us well-prepared and competitive for funding opportunities. That preparation paid off. With our financials in order, we were able to successfully apply for—and win—this highly competitive grant,” said Cassie Morrison, owner of The Culinary Studio.

When Cynthia Dane, Founder and CEO of Recipes For A Reason, was looking to sell her jars of organic vegan soup in retail shops and online, our consultant connected her with a valued Resource Partner for Oakland County who used their relationship with Whole Foods to give Dane an opportunity to present samples for consideration. Recipes For A Reason has a fully functional online store as well.

Vicky Winkler, owner of The Marketing Shop said “Oakland Thrive has been amazing. I’ve been working with them since April 2024. Even though I've had my business for over 20 years, when I came to Joyce and said, "There's certain areas that I just feel like I need to up my game or there's certain areas I felt like I'm just not sure if I'm doing the right thing," she set me up with Oakland Thrive Consultants on numerous occasions that have been just immensely helpful and really helping me to move in the right direction. They provided me with training on Co-pilot, Excel, Word, business strategies, and more.”

Tamara Antishin, Co-Owner/Therapist of Dynamic Wellness Collaborative LLC, connected with Oakland Thrive for small business assistance. Tamara said, “If you own a business in Oakland County, you need to call Oakland Thrive. Their free support in areas like legal, marketing, and accounting has helped us strengthen critical parts of our operations that aren’t our area of expertise. Whether you're looking for reassurance that you're on the right track or want expert input to make things more efficient, working with Oakland Thrive’s team is an incredible opportunity for any business owner.”

Carmen Luna, owner of Luna Spanish Center, shared, “I want to thank Oakland Thrive for supporting me by clarifying my doubts last year for tax season. It was my first year filing taxes with my LLC, Luna Spanish, and I had many questions. I feel very happy to be part of Oakland Thrive because they are a great support for small businesses in the community.”

Oakland Thrive started working with Carmelita Samuel, owner of Mental Balance and Wellness Practice in July 2025. "Oakland Thrive played a critical role in supporting the growth of my small business. They connected me with the right professionals who provided high-quality HR and legal support tailored to my practice. Through this assistance, I received professional documentation needed to hire therapists and guidance on how to grow my business both ethically and effectively. Without Oakland Thrive’s support, this process would have cost thousands of dollars and presented significant barriers to transitioning from a solo practice to a group practice. As a result, I am now in a position to hire a contractor and will officially be operating as a group practice. Their resources and connections made sustainable growth possible." said Carmelita Samuel.