Sometimes you have to go to the extreme, and no one knows that better than Rick and Crystal Whisenhunt. What started out as sharing their hobby of personal training with close friends and family rapidly morphed into something more. They quickly found themselves at a crossroads with their soon-to-be business, Galax Xtreme Fitness (GXF). Word spread about Rick, who dabbled in Ninja training, and Crystal, new to fitness but nonetheless passionate, and their personalized approach to fitness. “It all just came to a head,” Rick says. “As the community found out about us, we started picking up our activities. We got to thinking it could be something more than a hobby.”

Since its founding in 2017, GXF has been a highly regarded fitness studio in the community, with a one-on-one culture most gyms lack. Even more unique is that Rick and Crystal offer personalized training and wellness solutions without workout equipment. With their exciting new business idea, however, came the daunting task of actually opening it. That is where the Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC stepped in. “Getting it going was definitely a task. That was the panic stage for us,” Crystal says. “All those little things you don’t normally think about when opening a business until you’re faced with them — paperwork, taxes, licensing requirements — were all so daunting.”

The SBDC was integral in helping Rick and Crystal place 3rd in the Galax JUMP! Business Challenge, which helped them solidify GFX’s expansion. The fitness studio prides itself on marketing to individuals new to fitness who may be intimidated by a mainstream gym. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” Crystal says. “Our customers aren’t here to just take a class. We truly care about them.”

Even during COVID-19, GXF has stayed afloat by connecting with new and existing customers through online group classes for donations only. “The SBDC has answered every question each step of the way, especially during the pandemic,” Crystal says. “Without them, GXF simply would not be in existence. Getting to the mountain was one thing, but making sure you climb the mountain is another. They really helped us climb that mountain.”

Back in 2014, Heather Barbieri and her sister started creating furniture décor pieces by adding lichen to thrifted items. “They were unique, beautiful, and didn’t cost us much to produce,” Heather recalls. From there, Lichen or Knot took many turns, including becoming a vintage vendor, selling tables made from pallet wood and metal pipe at large retail shows from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

It wasn’t until just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit that Lichen or Knot blossomed into its current shape. According to Heather, she and her husband John began taking plants to their vintage shows, where they sold very quickly. “John and I realized that we could probably sell plants just as well without traveling to the shows,” Heather says. “People enjoyed buying plants from us so much that we could literally sell them out of the back of a truck. And we wouldn’t have to go so far from home.” After purchasing an old gray plumbing truck with a rebuilt engine from a friend, Heather and John rolled their plant-based dreams onto the road with fingers crossed and hopes high. “I knew then,” Heather says, “that I had to give it all I could. This was my chance.”

If Lichen or Knot were a budding plant, then the Roanoke Regional SBDC was the nutrient-rich food that fed it. “Community and Economic Development Director Lydeana Martin connected us with the SBDC’s business advisor, Tom Tanner, who helped us with financials,” Heather explains. “Then we contacted Cheryl Tucker, advisor for the New River Valley area. John and I met with Cheryl many times, and it’s been invaluable.” 

Cheryl’s seasoned advice made all the difference. “She walked us back from the ledge,” says Heather. “John and I were considering a lease agreement for a brick-and-mortar shop in a very prime location. It didn’t take long for Cheryl to realize the danger that we were about to get into. She gently suggested that, while it may work out fine, we shouldn’t rush into an agreement until we had done the hard work of writing a business plan,” Heather goes on. “Business plans aren’t much fun, so it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. But she was absolutely right. We simply weren’t ready.” Heather and John also participated in the C4 Program offered through the SBDC, where they received insights from professional advisors, marketing tools, and other helpful resources that they were able to use on a day-to-day basis.

As the cooler weather set in, Heather and John felt the need to move the business out of their home and into its own space; they couldn’t go through the holidays with flats of monsteras, hoyas, and pothos covering their floors. They found a location in Floyd too beautiful to pass up and opened the doors on Black Friday. Customers from Roanoke, Blacksburg, Radford, and Christiansburg poured in — all Heather and John could have hoped for and more. 

Heather explains their success: “We are offering an experience that people want to return to. Custom care, much like a tailor shop, is what we are going for. I guess that is unique coming out of an old gray plumber’s truck that drives up and down a dirt road every day to bring plants to the people who want them.”

After selling their home, Anna Metheny and her husband decided to invest $600 in a start-up kit for silver fingerprint jewelry that Anna first sold at a school PTA event. “I had no idea what I was doing. I had never done anything like it, but I walked away from that night with $850. I immediately realized that I may have found something interesting,” she says. 

As a full-time stay-at-home mom, Anna was delighted and intrigued to hit on a potential source of income that could nurture her creative side, bring in revenue, and offer flexibility at the same time. Anna was blown away by the enthusiastic response her metal artisanship received, and soon she was attending any venue that could be a market for her products.

What happened next was the fingerprint that changed the silver. “I met Anna through the Community Business Launch (CBL) held in the town of Buchanan,” says Roanoke Regional SBDC Advisor Heather Fay. “Since the end of the program, I have talked with Anna about exploring a space away from her home for her business and offering an appointment-based onsite experience for fingerprint jewelry.” 

Next, Anna placed fourth in a competition at the end of the CBL and was awarded $10,000, which financed the rental of her current business space.

Heather and the SBDC have kept pace with Anna, as things have moved rapidly for her and Patina Creek Silver, as well as Patina Creek Creative, the name of her brick-and-mortar space. Heather adds, “Anna and I have also talked through the pros and cons of expanding her business, as well as operating during a pandemic.”

Today, Anna is still in shock at how quickly things have moved. “If you would have told me in January,” she says as she gestures to the high, beautifully lit ceilings of her shop via a Zoom call, “that all this would be here now, I never would have believed you. But here we are.” Anna shares her space with another artist, and they hosted an inaugural handmade Christmas market in December. 

“Heather has always been so eager and excited to help me. Every time I think I don’t know how to do this, I just say to myself ‘I gotta call Heather,’” Anna says. Thanks to the resources and guidance of Heather and the SBDC, Anna captured her future. 

Jerry B. Peters Sales has been in the business of making names for clients for almost 50 years. With promotional products and logo apparel, the Bristol company has also made a name for itself in the community. “My father, Jerry Peters, started the business in 1973,” co-owner Kim Warren says. “I grew up in the business and started helping out as a teenager. Originally, the business focused on promotional keychains and pens for customers, like car dealers. It grew from there.” The Jerry B. Peters product line expanded extensively over the years. Upon the death of their father, Kim and her sister, Tammy Peters Jackson, took over the business. 

It continued to grow until the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread closures. When educational and service events shut down and the company was facing a loss in booked sales, Kim and Tammy wisely turned to the Virginia Highlands SBDC. “We had started working with the SBDC about ten years before that,” Kim says. “Cindy Fields, Center Director of the Virginia Highlands SBDC, worked with us to develop lists of items to market to surrounding businesses. She has been very helpful, especially during the pandemic.”

As COVID-19 continued to spread across the area, it was apparent that businesses would need items related to personal protective equipment (PPE). The Jerry B. Peters product line increased accordingly, with personalized face masks, hand sanitizers, and digital thermometers. “One event the SBDC had was especially fabulous,” Kim notes. “Representatives from a number of local industries were there, and being able to speak to representatives from all those industries resulted in about $25,000 in new business for us.”

As the pandemic evolved, the Virginia Highlands SBDC kept Kim and Tammy informed about emergency financial relief. Jerry B. Peters Sales received a PPP loan in the early funding round, which allowed the company to keep its employees working and to broaden promotional offerings to businesses. “We’ve expanded our social media presence with regular posts on Facebook and Instagram,” Kim reports. “We also held regular promotions, highlighting our products and also those of our customers. My daughter, who graduated from Virginia Tech and worked in public relations before starting a career in teaching, has helped us with our social media.”

Kim credits the SBDC for guiding her business. “I keep in touch with Cindy every few weeks,” Kim concludes. “The SBDC has been a great partner to us for so many years. We consider their services invaluable in today’s changing world.”