There was perhaps some optimism brewing in Ohio at the beginning of the year, as entrepreneurs resolved to take the leap and start their own businesses. According to Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office, there were 17,006 new business filings in January.

“This new state record is a testament to the resilience of Ohio’s job creators and the work we’ve done to support new business growth,” LaRose said. “We will keep innovating, breaking down barriers, and cultivating our state as a destination for entrepreneurship to thrive.”

Goodness, we need a little good news right now, don’t we? And one can see why LaRose’s office would seek to take some credit for the burst of new businesses. The office has streamlined certification for minority, women and veteran-owned businesses and modernized the process for limited liability companies to incorporate. It has kept the cost of a new business filing lower than Ohio’s neighboring states, and processed applications quickly.

Those are the kinds of things that can encourage new business filings, yes. But the bottom line is nothing happens unless someone has an idea — someone sees a need and thinks they know how to fill it. Nothing happens unless that person has enough faith in themselves, their idea, their community and the workforce to set that idea in motion.