In March of 2022, LAT Dentistry opened its doors to a purposefully different dental experience in Roanoke. Since the practice’s beginnings, founder and dentist Dr. Lindsay Thorn set a vision: to make every patient feel heard. Her intentional, personalized approach puts relationships at the heart of her business, empowering patients to take control of their long-term wellness.

“I’d worked at a handful of different offices, and I just realized that I had more to offer,” Lindsay says. “I wanted to spend more time with people to get to know them and not feel so rushed. I got to a point where I was like, I really think that there’s a different way to go about delivering dentistry.”

With more than a decade of experience, a DMD in dentistry, a master’s degree in microbiology and immunology, and a bachelor’s in chemistry, Lindsay possesses a wealth of professional knowledge. As she began to navigate the complex process of launching a small business, a friend introduced Lindsay to Roanoke Regional SBDC Advisor Tom Tanner, who helped her begin a new journey of entrepreneurship.

“Tom walked me through every step of the process and made it feel easy and simple,” says Lindsay. “He was also really good about putting me in touch with other local business owners.”

Tom helped her find an appropriate location and analyze demographics. He introduced Lindsay to Roanoke’s small-business network, including real estate brokers and marketing professionals. The SBDC completed a complete review of LAT Dentistry’s social media campaigns and mailers, which was crucial for business growth.

“The marketing team connected us to similar businesses so that we could see what they had done,” Lindsay explains. “Our initial influx of patients were people that followed us on social media. Now, most of our new patients come from Google reviews.”

Today LAT Dentistry treats between 30 and 40 patients per week. With one part-time and two full-time employees, Lindsay built a practice committed to increasing accessibility to dental care, especially for families. Her SMILE club membership offers all-inclusive preventative care, lower rates for children, and a 10% discount on additional services.

While Lindsay acknowledges that starting a small business has been a massive undertaking, feedback from her patients confirms her decision on a daily basis.

“Hearing them say that they really feel heard and cared about — not just pushed through — has been really affirming,” she explains.

With LAT Dentistry now thriving, Lindsay consults Tom and the SBDC on an as-needed basis. She has also referred her husband, who is in the process of launching his own small business in commercial construction, to the SBDC.

“I have friends who have gone through starting their own businesses and practices in other parts of the country, and I can’t tell you how much they’ve paid for legal counsel and other things that the SBDC provided for free,” says Lindsay.

She recommends the SBDC wholeheartedly, “It’s a major gem that’s hidden in the state of Virginia that everyone should know about.”

MOVA Technologies’ selective air capture technology offers a system with nearly infinite possibilities. In the business world, however, limitless potential is not always an easy place to start. With the guidance of the Roanoke Regional SBDC and the Virginia SBDC Network’s Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), MOVA Technologies spent the past two years narrowing its focus.

Founder Steve Critchfield incorporated MOVA Technologies in 2016. Under the leadership of CEO John Schott and Communications Manager Luke Allison, the company is scaling up — in part due to the applicability of its system in a world racing against climate change. MOVA Technologies transforms pollutants into products — or as Luke puts it, turns liabilities into assets.

“We aren’t capturing air pollutants to simply throw them away,” Luke says. “Instead, we are selectively harvesting these captured pollutants in a pure form so they can be returned to the supply chain. So not only are we cleaning the air, but we are creating valuable and sustainable reuse, recycle, and resale options.”

Luke met Roanoke Regional SBDC Advisor Cheryl Tucker in 2020. Shortly after, he enrolled in the Virginia SBDC-ICAP’s introductory course, to work on defining his customer segment and value proposition.

“ICAP really helps you look at things through the eyes of the customer,” says Luke. “You could have the biggest, brightest, greatest idea, but if it doesn’t help the customer, then the customer will never buy it.”

During the ICAP course, Luke also developed an important network of connections. ICAP mentor Irfan Ali helped him determine where to broaden and narrow MOVA’s approach. ICAP Director Josh Green provided contacts for potential investors, such as venture capital firms. Additionally, ICAP connected MOVA to the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and provided strategic guidance and support for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant submission, which resulted in a $174,000 award through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Now that MOVA has defined a path from discovery to commercialization, the company plans to expand its portfolio of market-focused pollution harvesting products, grow its customer base, and grow its intellectual property. To date, MOVA has raised $1.5 million from angel investors, $420,000 in grant funding, and created three new jobs.

Both Luke and John believe that ICAP is an absolute must for small companies.

“So many small companies don’t necessarily know how to ask the right questions, discover opportunities, and then bring those forward to the market to assess market opportunity,” says John. “ICAP has been very good for us. It’s helped us pivot from some of our initial forays and really lock in on some things that the market is after.”

Child’s play is not how most entrepreneurs describe a venture into the world of small business. However, Jade Murray turned child’s play into a winning strategy by opening a children’s boutique in January 2022. With guidance from the Virginia Highlands SBDC, Little Daydreamers has doubled sales and added three employees.

Jade started Little Daydreamers as an online storefront in 2019. When transitioning from online to a brick-and-mortar location, Jade chose to include an art room and play area. While moms’ shop, kids can enjoy a playroom with a Jungle Jumparoo, slide, kitchen set, playhouse, tunnel, grocery store, LEGO bricks, and puzzles. There’s also an art room to inspire young artists.

“I saw a need for a place for kids to play and moms to socialize and have coffee while shopping,” Jade says. “When the space next door became available, we were able to expand even more.”

Jade began planning a new direction for her business in the summer of 2021 when she found the Virginia Highlands SBDC online and emailed Director Cindy Fields.

“We started meeting every week,” Jade relates. “Cindy helped find the right location and gave me a template for writing a business plan. She also helped with numbers on what I needed to make a profit.”

That advice paid off with a business loan used for purchases and to renovate her store. Marketing strategy was next on the list.

“We had a brainstorming meeting on targeting customers from groups like MOPS and home-schoolers,” Jade adds. “Cindy also suggested newspaper, radio ads, and flyers.”

Along with that traditional marketing outreach, Jade hosts special events at Little Daydreamers that have added to her customer base.

“We do a lot of birthday parties,” she says. “We also have character parties with characters from ‘Frozen’ and ‘Paw Patrol’ and employees who dress up as princesses and pose for photos.”

Fees charged for events add to store profits and customers tend to return after attending a function.

“Our children’s line is exclusive,” Jade explains. “You can’t find it anywhere else.”

Jade credits Cindy and the SBDC with much of her success.

“If Cindy can’t help, she’ll find someone who can,” Jade concludes. “The first thing I would say to anyone opening a business is: Call the SBDC!”

Leaning on years of experience in the fitness industry, Rey Perez opened Fitness Authority in Honaker last year. When the longtime trainer needed a business coach in his own corner, he turned to the Southwest Virginia SBDC.

“I’ve worked in gyms and trained a lot of people over the years — including world champion boxers,” Rey says.

His vision for a gym in Honaker, a small town of 1,500, contains all the accouterments to entice the novice gym-goer. Even if some members of Fitness Authority aren’t competing for titles, Rey’s ambition is to provide everyone with the tools to pursue and surpass their own fitness goals.

“In Honaker our goal is to get the average person off the couch to exercise,” he explains. “We have ellipticals, treadmills, a free weights section, and full-circuit training equipment.”

To help purchase equipment and outfit his gym, Rey applied for a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) grant and contacted the Southwest SBDC for advice. The SBDC helped him secure that funding, reviewed his business plan, and offered additional guidance as Fitness Authority became more established.

“Director Margie Douglass, a wonderful person to work with, assisted with the application,” he says. “I put a lot of capital into the gym, but that $6,500 grant helped.”

Now with plenty of momentum behind him, Rey is continuing to advance on new targets.

“The SBDC gave us a clear vision of what our goals should be,” Rey adds. “This year’s goal is to increase membership and offer corporate packages.”

Those goals are coming to fruition as Fitness Authority has grown steadily since its 2021 opening. The gym recently signed its 100th member, and Rey added another employee. He also purchased $3,000 in equipment without incurring debt and projects to add more positions within the next five years.

And even with the success Fitness Authority has experienced, Rey still relies on the guidance of Margie and the SBDC to continue moving toward future goals.

“I give the SBDC five stars across the board,” Rey says. “Margie did a great job of explaining things to us — and her friendliness was unsurpassed!”

Rey thinks every small business should start with a visit to the SBDC. That’s high praise from a championship trainer who knows the importance of a good advisor.

“I highly recommend the SBDC to anyone starting a business,” he concludes. “I’d advise every new business owner to go the SBDC route first. There’s a lot of help behind what they have to offer.”

After losing his job due to COVID cutbacks early in the pandemic, Henry Morris returned to what he knew best — selling produce. He credits the Mountain Empire Community College SBDC for making Henry’s Produce and Market the thriving success it is today.

“I’ve been in produce most of my life,” Henry says. “I sold produce with my father from the back of an old station wagon when I was 10.”

Henry’s latest venture started in Duffield, with three tables, two tents and — as his wife, Renee, put it — a dream.

“Customers told us about Becki O’Quinn at the SBDC,” Henry relates. “She’s helped us like no other!”

Becki’s first step was advising Henry and Renee on putting together a business plan.

“It’s great to have a dream, but getting it on paper makes it real,” Renee says.

Next, Becki helped Renee write a grant application. The result was a $6,500 award from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA). This award allowed Henry and Renee to purchase a heating and cooling unit, walk in cooler, roadside and other signs, which bolstered the business.

Henry and Renee additionally applied for and received a $25,000 Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) Grant, which is a program that aims to improve fresh food availability in low-income areas. This allowed them to upgrade their building with additional walls, insulation, and a covered porch.

Together, these improvements have allowed Henry’s Produce to operate year-round with produce procured from Florida and Georgia during the winter months.

“We also started the Virginia Fresh Match, a program to discount fresh produce 50 percent for customers using an EBT card,” Renee says. “I’ve had customers cry when they got a bushel of beans for $24.”

In July 2021, Henry’s Produce marked a successful first year with a visit by Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Joseph Guthrie.

“Mr. Guthrie was pleased with what we’d done,” Renee notes.

Others in the community have also noticed their efforts. Henry’s Produce now supports four employees and created a local hub for fresh foods. The business continues to successfully grow.

“Becki told us other businesses have looked at us and said, ‘If Henry can do it, we can do it!’” says Renee.

Henry and Renee are pleased that Henry’s Produce has shown others what a successful business in Duffield looks like and inspiring them on their own entrepreneurship journeys.

“We couldn’t have done it without the SBDC,” Henry concluded. “The SBDC is a fantastic organization — we hope it’s around forever.”

Growing up in the back of his dad’s Brooklyn pizzeria, Joe LaMonaca cultivated a taste for the culinary arts and close-knit relationships. Today, he’s brought an authentic, New York-style neighborhood deli to the small town of Hillsville, serving up delicious, scratch-made bagels with a heaping side of community.

Soon after launching Toasters Deli in April 2021, Joe sought marketing support from Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC Advisor Teresa Catron.

“We started to build a relationship,” Joe explains. “She’s given me a lot of insight and information on different marketing channels.”

Teresa’s advice initially helped Joe connect directly with his audience through mailers and social media. Long-term goals include increasing online presence and community support.

For Joe, the work of developing community comes naturally. As a vendor with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the City of Galax, he spent eight months providing meals for the local nonprofit God’s Storehouse and Soup Kitchen. For the deli’s six-month anniversary, he donated 15 percent of the company’s net profit from that day to the town’s inclusive playground project, Britni’s Discovery Park. Recently, Joe has begun donating cookies and milk to the Carroll County Public Library’s story time.

“You gotta take care of the kids,” he says. “It’s nothing big. It doesn’t cost me much, but it puts a smile on all the kids’ faces.”

Joe’s community engagement has garnered Hillsville’s support. However, recent inflation has posed a major challenge for his business, with costs rising 60 percent. That has prompted Joe to develop more environmentally friendly practices, including switching plastic containers for fully compostable sugarcane boxes and purchasing fresh produce from local orchards.

“We try our best to be good stewards of the earth and the community,” he explains.

As Toasters Deli pivots to meet recent challenges, the Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC has supported Joe with industry research, marketing guidance, and training on tools such as Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp and Tripadvisor.

In turn, Joe has built a strong online presence and created seven jobs, retaining happy employees during a time when many businesses have struggled with labor shortages.

“One of the best assets you have as a business owner is the great people around you,” Joe explains. “Toasters is helping to support them, and the community is helping to support us.”

Toasters Deli continues to thrive, in large part due to Joe’s ability to cultivate relationships with his employees, his community and the SBDC, which he readily recommends to potential business owners.

“The SBDC is a great tool with a lot of information and a lot of helpful people. It’s a very good idea to be connected with them if you’re going to open a new business.”

Tim Ray and the Weber City Discount Tire staff are a team. “We call ourselves Team Weber City Discount Tire,” Tim says. “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’ — we wouldn’t succeed without each other.” Early on, Tim added the Mount Empire SBDC to his team, a decision he calls one of the best he’s made.

Retired after 20 years in law enforcement, Tim decided to open a tire business with the assistance of his relatives Donald and Mary Billings of Kingsport, TN. The building previously housed a tire business.

It was 2019, shortly before the pandemic started, and Tim was ready to get his tire business on the road. First, he decided to contact the SBDC. “I’m really glad I did,” he says. “Tim Blankenbecler at the SBDC helped me do a business plan, and the new center director, Becki O’Quinn, helped a lot with the Economic Development Authority (EDA) loan process.” The $25,000 EDA loan was used to purchase a heavy-duty truck and tire changer. “It was a needed piece of equipment,” Tim notes.

With help from the SBDC, Team Weber City was ready to roll. Unfortunately, so was the COVID pandemic. “We were shut down a week and a half before they decided we were an essential business,” Tim recalls. With safety precautions in place, the tire team was back the next day, servicing commercial trucks, farm tractors, and emergency vehicles. “Essential business doesn’t stop in a pandemic,” Tim says. “We saw a little decrease, but thanks to the SBDC and the EDA we were able to keep going.”

The SBDC continued to notify Tim when funding became available. “We’re currently talking to Becki O’Quinn about loan funds to purchase an adjacent building with five additional auto bays and an alignment machine,” Tim adds. That alignment machine, Tim explains, will bring jobs to Weber City, no small feat in a town of 1,300. Along with alignment services, future plans include adding a service truck. “Both will grow our business and bring money and jobs to the county,” Tim says. “The more people we put to work, the better we are.”

Tim credits the SBDC with the growth of his business to date. “The SBDC’s help with a business plan allowed us to purchase necessary equipment,” Tim explains. “Having that heavy-duty tire changer was a good boost coming out of COVID — and just in time for hay season. Tim also credits his manager, Eric Sawyers, with his excellent professional customer service and management skills.

Tim recommends the SBDC with an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “I hope the SBDC is around for many years to come,” he concludes. “Their consultants always give the best advice and assistance. Small business owners really need the SBDC.”

For small business owners, good help is vital. As a sole employee, it’s essential. For an entrepreneur like Renee Perkins, who runs not one but two businesses on her own, assistance has been a lifeline.

Renee is the founder, owner, and operator of the Red Roof Home and the Tazewell Test Center, two drastically different businesses. The Red Roof Home is a lodging establishment, while the Tazewell Test Center is a proctoring hub that administers professional exams and employee certifications.

With two businesses, Renee has her hands full. But luckily, she says, she’s not alone: She has the Director of the Southwest Community College SBDC in her corner.

“Margie [Douglass] is just a wonderful person,” Renee says. “She’ll go out of her way to help you with whatever it is you need to do. It’s so great knowing you can just pick up the phone and call. You have a resource for whatever comes up.”

The initial partnership between Renee and the SBDC began in 2017 when she was navigating the early stages of planning for the Tazewell Test Center. That process was well underway until an unexpected project came her way, causing her to change course. That project was the future Red Roof Home, which Renee won at auction.

“The house basically fell into my lap,” she says. “I started thinking about the possibilities — what I would need to do with it and what I could do with it. I had already started working with the ladies at the SBDC for the test center, but once I discussed with Margie what I had in mind for the home, the test center went on the back burner.”

Renee began renovations on the Red Roof Home in January of 2018 and, with assistance from the Southwest trio of Margie, Brittani Clarke-Cayman, and Misty Brandy, hosted her first guests by August of that same year.

But even as Renee’s shift from the test center to the Red Roof Home turned into a full-time endeavor, she still aimed to one day follow through with her initial business plan. When she was ready, the SBDC was waiting to help her get started and to provide encouragement along the way.

“There were times when I was going through the test center working on my business plan where I decided I was going to give up,” she says. “You can’t be an expert on everything. I was already operating the Red Roof Home so, when it came to those financials, I was just ready to throw my hands up. But Brittani said, ‘Renee, you’ve worked so hard. You’ve come so far.’

“Misty told me she’d developed a spreadsheet and that — if I wanted to send her my numbers and give her an idea of what I foresaw happening with my business — she would plug them in, and we would come up with the numbers together. At that point, I was just ready to stop. I was too overwhelmed, but I gave her those numbers, she plugged them in, and it was like a miracle.”

That miracle led to the Tazewell Test Center’s grand opening in September 2021 and the realization of a dream deferred. Renee has since heard from mayors, business owners, and officials from state agencies, all requesting her services to certify new hires or recertify current employees.

Certainly, it’s a lot to handle. But even as a solo business owner, Renee has found she isn’t alone.

“Margie, Brittani, and Misty encourage you to stick with it, and I love that about those ladies,” she says. “I can’t sing their praises enough.”

Wanting to offer a “one-stop shop” customer experience, brother and sister duo Eugene McCurdy and April Cope decided to operate their respective businesses under one roof last fall. Eugene launched two22 Production and Marketing (formerly Manna Graphics) in 2014; April Cope joined her brother with a complementary business, Manna Tees, in 2020. Adding the Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC to the team helped work out the details.

“Previously, my training was architectural drafting,” Eugene says. “In 2008, I was laid off and had to figure out what to do next.” After working for a local graphic design company for a time, Eugene decided to start his own business. One of his first stops was the SBDC.

At the SBDC, Eugene received advice on a variety of topics related to starting a business from Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC Director Mandy Archer and Administrative Assistant Ginny Plant. “They showed me everything it would take to operate a business,” Eugene recalls. “That started with a business plan to see what my business should offer. The SBDC followed that with analytics on local competition. The SBDC really spelled it all out.”

Advice from the SBDC allowed Eugene to open and grow his business without accumulating business debt. “I didn’t need funding at the start,” he recalls. “Basically, all I needed was me and a computer. There wasn’t a lot of overhead.”

While graphics was the focus of the business, website design turned out to be the name of the game for Eugene. “The SBDC helped me see my biggest income producer,” Eugene says. “For me, website design offered the most return on investment.”

With the SBDC onboarding process helping him organize the “big picture” of his business, Eugene was able to concentrate on graphics and website design. “I have a tendency to work in the business but not on the business,” Eugene admits. “The SBDC really helped me with that.” Website development brought in more business. “I started with a small handful of clients,” Eugene notes. “Today I have over a hundred website customers.”

April Cope joined her brother’s entrepreneurial venture last year. Following Eugene’s example, she went to the SBDC first. “I started talking to the SBDC last fall,” April says. “Manna Tees had a grand opening in November 2020.”

An interest in t-shirt design started at a Christian concert some years before, and it grew into a business for April. She was excited to get started but needed direction. “I had a lot of ideas, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do,” she relates. “Mandy Archer at the SBDC really helped me with that. She’s really good at thinking outside the box. For me, it’s been a learning process.”

April’s learning process included funding. With help from the SBDC, April applied for a loan to secure needed equipment. “Mandy Archer walked me through the application process step by step,” April says. “The loan I received for $5,000 was huge for the business.”

Manna Tees was also able to take advantage of the SBA Debt Relief Program. “The SBA paid off half of the loan for equipment,” she adds. “The SBDC also helped with that process.” Overall, the SBDC assisted April in the creation of one job and a total of $7,500 in capital for her business. “I started from zero six months ago, and I now work with about 30 clients,” she says.

Like her brother, April credits the SBDC with turning her toward success. “The SBDC pointed me in the right direction,” she says. “The SBDC really does stay on top of things,” Eugene adds. “Not only do they know every angle, they spell out every detail for you.”

Both Eugene and April appreciate the SBDC’s proactive approach. “The SBDC kept us informed during COVID,” Eugene says. “Mandy definitely keeps up with everything.” Eugene and April also enjoy the creative vibe they share. “We bounce ideas off each other,” Eugene says. “When you’re in a creative business, it helps to have another set of eyes.”

Despite the pandemic, business has been picking up for both businesses. “We recently got spirit-wear orders from a local school,” April notes. “That includes t-shirts, shorts, and bags. Hopefully, that will continue next year as well.”

“Since I started in 2014, my business has doubled,” Eugene concludes. “Anyone who comes in the door for a website — I tell them to go to the SBDC. When you’re starting a business, the SBDC has a huge amount of knowledge for you. It really helps to take advantage of that.”

It is not every day that you encounter a child fascinated by monuments and cemeteries, but Burke Greear was one of them. “I can go all the way back to being a child, really, and having some sort of reverence or feeling for cemeteries — that they are places that need to be taken care of and maintained,” says Burke.

This fascination led him to start Highland Monument Conservation, a business offering professional maintenance and conservation for historic stones. Burke’s childhood admiration for these stones influences how he conducts business.

“I don’t just take these stones as objects,” he explains. “I think about the person. Every death was a life, and every life was a death, and that deserves to be remembered.”

As the only business of its kind in the area, Highland Monuments has no shortage of work. Customers frequently contact Burke after seeing the poor condition of family members’ graves. However, new projects necessitate additional equipment.

Burke contacted the Mt. Empire SBDC hoping to find funding for this equipment. His wife works at Mt. Empire Community College, where a friend of Burke’s had previously been the SBDC’s director. He introduced Burke to Becki O’Quinn, the new director who became Burke’s advisor.

In one-on-one meetings, Becki guided Burke through the application process for a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) grant. He received $6,500, which he described as “a godsend.” He used the money to purchase a tripod and a jack system to lift and level stones safely. The SBDC also helped him prepare project updates and progress reports to present to his local town council.

“Being a beneficiary of the SBDC has really made all the difference in the work I’m able to do,” he explains. His new tools expanded the services he can offer to municipalities, historical societies, churches, and entire cemeteries.

With the new equipment, Burke was able to complete a $40k contract with Gate City Cemetery. He will also use the equipment in an upcoming project with 350 town monuments.

As for the SBDC, Burke comments, “Folks don’t really realize everything that they have to offer, and it would benefit them if they would get to know their local SBDC.”