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Good Company » Growth Studio

Founded 1999: Collaborative Marketing Services Builds Growth Through Shared Resources

By pooling resources and expertise, this firm has turned collaboration into a growth engine for small businesses.

By:

Anna Baluch , Contributor

A photo of a networking event where groups of people are sitting at tables in a restaurant. The lower third of the photo has the logos for Hour of Power Speed Networking (at left, written in red above the words "Leave Better Connected") and Twisted Olive (at right, written in black script above the words "italian american kitchen"). — **An advertisement for Hour of Power Speed Networking, a program designed by Collaborative Marketing Services to help make networking quick and fun.** — Collaborative Marketing Services

Welcome to our year‑long series celebrating the entrepreneurs and small businesses that have shaped the nation’s economy for 250 years. You can view the entire series here.

Based in North Canton, Ohio, Collaborative Marketing Services, LLC, was created to help businesses share marketing support and reduce the costs associated with scaling. The company focuses on enabling professionals and small organizations to leverage the “power of scale” through shared resources, strategic partnerships, and community-driven collaboration.

Founder Jeri Vespoli says the company was born out of a common challenge faced by small and micro businesses: limited resources that make growth difficult to sustain. As she explains:

“The challenge that prompted me to start my business was the catch-22 of many small and micro businesses—a lack of the resources needed to scale,” said Vespoli.

Today, Collaborative Marketing Services continues to focus on building connection-driven growth strategies that help small businesses thrive through cooperation rather than competition.

That insight led her to develop a model centered on collaboration, especially through local chambers of commerce and structured networking systems. One of her key innovations was creating a more efficient approach to professional networking:

“I discovered that while networking is valuable, it is rarely structured efficiently,” explained Vespoli.

This inspired the development of the Hour of Power Speed Networking® model, designed to make networking faster, more comfortable, and more productive for participants.

Looking ahead, Vespoli emphasizes that sustainable growth is rooted not just in financial resources, but in relationships and shared value across networks.

“While having and building financial resources is important, it's the people, knowledge, tools, ideas, and opportunities that are the most vital resources,” Vespoli added.

Today, Collaborative Marketing Services continues to focus on building connection-driven growth strategies that help small businesses thrive through cooperation rather than competition.

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