- I just knew that I was destined to do more and on my terms.

And that feels so great to wake up every morning and to set the sails in the direction that I want to go.

Having that entrepreneurial spirit deep down is just the fuel and it keeps me going every day.

(upbeat music) I'm Tiffany Roper, owner and CEO of Eat Speak Love.

Eat Speak Love really was born out of the idea for small business to thrive again in the city of Akron.

And we like to support other women-owned and Black-owned businesses right here in our community, and we feature them in our subscription boxes and our events.

Our subscription boxes are a fun way to get the brands that exist right here in our backyard, out to the community.

The smallBIG Box is a blind box that features product samples, promotional items, business cards, and coupons from businesses that are home grown, and it could be really anything.

So we feature cafes.

We feature body essential products.

We feature different soaps.

We feature teas and lots of treats.

So you never know what you're going to get in a month, but it's always something so worthwhile, and it's just a fun way to bring awareness to what we're doing right here in our city.

The subscription is an every other month subscription, so every other month you'll get a box, either shipped to you or picked up from a local business.

And at that pickup party, as long as you bought something from them, you received a promotional item from us, and that was a really cool way for us to drive traffic into that business.

So with women in business and with minorities in business, sponsorship and mentorship are key to success.

You've got to have people who are willing to say your name in rooms that you've never been in.

You've got to have people who believe in you and wanna see you win.

Getting yourself out there as a Black woman and as a business owner, anybody that comes around me is a resource, and I try to share my resources with other business owners too.

So it's really about building a community of entrepreneurs who want to see each other win.

That's essential and that's key.

Word of mouth with small business is everything.

And when people can follow your brand because they trust that you are bringing them something high quality and that you care about the products that are featured inside, it makes me feel like this is what I was supposed to be doing with my life.

It confirms for me that I've gone in the right direction.

By supporting the women-owned and Black-owned businesses that exist in our city, we are reinvigorating our local economy and bringing brand awareness to some of the really cool things that are happening right here.

It really started with just a small, little dream, and now it's expanded and it's been able to bring awareness to so many of the brands that we work with, and that's been incredibly meaningful.

- [Narrator] Ideastream Public Media receives support from PNC Bank, which has made a home in the heart of Cleveland by investing in businesses, communities and people.

Focusing on giving back is part of an ongoing commitment to the communities that PNC serves.

PNC Bank, National Association.

Member FDIC.