In 1996, while a student at University of Mary Washington, Heidi Bass took a trolley ride that changed her life.

As the Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg’s trek around the city came to the end, Heidi heard her tour guide, Butch Wimmer, mention to his passengers that he was hiring drivers. A full-time student in need of income, Heidi approached Butch, who was also the founder and owner of the company, and asked if he was serious. Several months later, she earned her commercial driver’s license and started working as a part-time driver and tour guide.

“It was a fun job, a fun way to make money,” Heidi says.

It was so much fun that 25 years after she drove her first trolley route, Heidi bought the business with the help of the University of Mary Washington SBDC (UMW SBDC).

Even though Heidi had first-hand experience with all aspects of the company during more than two decades as driver, guide and general manager, she still sought out guidance for her entrepreneurial journey. UMW SBDC Director Susan Ball, who previously helped Trolley Tours with the SWaM certification process, stood ready and willing to lead the way.

“I felt confident in my understanding of the business. I felt confident in my abilities to own and operate it,” Heidi says. “But I needed guidance on, you know, getting the state corporation commission, getting established as an independent business, getting the loan paperwork, and working with the bank and getting all my ducks in a row.”

Along with helping Heidi navigate legal and procedural hurdles, Susan also put her in touch with the Bank of Charles Town in Fredericksburg. By June of 2023, Heidi had secured a loan and purchased the business, carrying forward what Butch Wimmer started nearly 30 years earlier.

Since taking over, Heidi has reinvested to upgrade her fleet of trolleys. She has continued to reach new audiences by hosting preschool classes, wedding parties, and trips to Fredericksburg’s many breweries, wineries and cideries.

Today, Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg offers the original Fredericksburg route as well as a holiday light tour, Santa trolley, and more. It appeals to people in all stages of life — in Heidi’s words, “from cradle to grave” — and has even received a request from one patron to someday transport her ashes to her funeral.

“I know how lucky I am to have purchased a thriving business,” Heidi says. “That doesn’t happen every day.”

But for all the strides Heidi made in the company, her transition to owner couldn’t have happened without the SBDC.

“Their help was essential,” Heidi says. “I am grateful for their support. I didn’t know where to start as far as buying the business. But I knew — having already met Susan and worked with her on other things — I knew that’s where I could go to find the answers I needed.”

Clinton Ward and Stephen Young worked together for years in the HVAC industry. With help from the Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC, the friends and co-workers are now co-owners of an HVAC contracting business.

“We’ve worked together for a lot of years, and it was just finally the right time to start,” Clinton says.

After planning the business together, Clinton launched Appalachian Mechanical in January 2024 with Stephen coming aboard the following May. Now the duo is managing projects in Southwest Virginia with jobs as far as two hours away from their home base in Fancy Gap.

They credit SBDC Business Advisor April Collins with laying the foundation that made their business possible, from helping them set up as an LLC to registering their Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI).

“I really can’t brag on April enough,” Clinton says.” I know the trade, but when it comes to a lot of the paperwork, the business, licensing a lot of that, they’ve helped me out a lot. It’s been the biggest learning curve, actually seeing and understanding how much goes on behind the scenes to have a business and operate it.”

Clinton has worked in HVAC, plumbing and electrical for his entire career, while Stephen is a lifelong tinkerer who entered the industry through building trades programs. And while Clinton’s father and grandfather owned a contracting business — which he credits with planting the entrepreneurship seed in his own mind — launching a company was well outside his area of expertise.

“I feel like if it weren’t for [the SBDC], we’d probably still be scratching our heads figuring out how we were going to do this,” Stephen says. “We would have figured something out, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as smooth.”

Along with the LLC and BOI setups at the start, April also connected Clinton and Stephen with Virginia’s APEX Accelerator program, which facilitates connections and contracts between businesses and government agencies. A year later, Appalachian Mechanical’s services are in high demand.

“I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but we’re both very skilled at what we do,” Clinton says. “We’re really focused very heavily on our quality and making sure we do things right. By being small and keeping our overhead low, we’re able to provide that quality at a more affordable price than a lot of the major companies.”

And while Clinton and Stephen are currently the sole employees, their early success has them planning to expand to a four or five-person operation.

“You have to make money. You have to make a living. But in my mind, being able to help people, your community, friends and neighbors — that stuff is honestly more important than the money,” Clinton says. “I don’t care about being a big millionaire running a massive empire. As long as I’ve got enough to pay the bills and go buy a cheeseburger once in a while, I’m just fat and happy.”

As a banker, Lucia Resendiz Garcia was inspired by her entrepreneurial customers to start her own business. After working with the Laurel Ridge SBDC to establish Lucy’s Custom Arrangements, business is now in full bloom.

“I wasn’t sure at first what I even wanted my business to be, but I started to see these people on social media making these kinds of arrangements and bouquets,” Lucy says. “I fell in love with them. At first, I didn’t think it was possible because I was working full time, my son was three and I just didn’t feel like I had the time.’

“But then I said, let me do just one. I tried it and fell in love with it right away.”

That first arrangement proved to be the spark that ignited Lucy’s entrepreneurial spirit. She debuted her work on her own social media channels, and soon orders started to pour in. With the help of her mother, who is also a business owner, Lucy launched Lucy’s Custom Arrangements in June 2020.

In less than a year, demand grew to the point where Lucy needed to officially establish her business. That led her to the Laurel Ridge SBDC and Business Advisor Diana Patterson, who helped her set up Lucy’s Custom Arrangements as a registered company.

“Diana was a huge help at first,” Lucy says. “She made everything so easy and just very simple.”

With her business foundation established, Lucy’s sales continued to grow. She and her mother began selling their arrangements at pop-up shops during holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. But her company soon outgrew that model, which prompted Lucy to consider a big next step.

“We did pop-ups at physical locations, and it was just a huge success,” Lucy says. “So many people were able to find us at our pop-ups, even if it wasn’t a known location, so I said we needed to have a physical space.”

After finding an available location on Costello Drive in Winchester, Lucy returned to the SBDC for guidance.

“Diana and I talked about opening a physical location, and she let me know all the steps I needed to take to make it happen,” Lucy says. “There was a lot [I hadn’t thought about], like getting renters insurance, finding a good CPA, that I could request rent abatement for the first month, and things like that. Getting [rent abatement] was a huge help; I didn’t even know that was an option until she told me.”

Since her grand opening in September 2024, Lucy has been working to make the new location her own. Her customer base has expanded into Richmond and Washington, D.C., while also retaining many of her original clients.

“A lot of my customers come in and they’re like, ‘I remember when you were working from home,’” Lucy says.

Just like her bouquets, Lucy’s business is blooming.

If you are looking for the face of the future, you will find it at Beach Baby Ultrasound. Run by ultrasound technologist-turned-business owner Karen Devlin, the Virginia Beach business introduces babies — complete with chubby cheeks and smiles — to parents and other family members before birth.

“This ultrasound studio is a happy environment,” Devlin says. “It’s very different from working as an ultrasound tech in the hospital where you’re looking for problems. At the Beach Baby studio, we focus on cute baby features.”

Beach Baby Ultrasound offers parents-to-be a large ultrasound room with ample space, a comfortable seating area and a large TV that provides 3D, 4D and 5D tracking of a baby’s development from seven to 30 weeks. That’s part of the peaceful, celebratory vibe Karen envisioned when she purchased the facility in December 2023.

“I had always wanted to be a business owner,” says Karen, whose pre-entrepreneurial career was as a licensed ultrasound technologist. “I thought it would be a great opportunity.”

As a new business owner, Karen first found the Virginia SBDC Network through the organization’s online resources for starting a business. However, she soon realized she needed more personalized guidance, which led her to contact the Hampton Roads SBDC and advisors Bill Holloran and Donna Norman. While Bill worked with Karen on the key elements of buying a business and arranging a business loan; Donna offered guidance on human resources, business management, and marketing.

“Bill was a wealth of knowledge and gave me suggestions for lawyers and accountants and introduced me to Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, which I eventually went with,” she notes.

Making the transition from employee to business owner, Karen renamed her newly purchased business to Beach Baby Ultrasound, updated the website, and changed the packages offered to clients.

With an existing client database in hand, Karen focused next on marketing.

“Bill and Donna suggested flyers and business cards as well as email marketing campaigns,” Karen explains. “I’ve done two email campaigns that brought in a lot of customers.”

Turning to human resources, Karen increased the employee pay scale and changed a random work schedule to regular four-hour shifts.

“Donna helped me create an employee handbook and advised me on situations like firing an employee, which I had to do,” Karen continues. “She also helped with social media and encouraged me to start and post on an Instagram account. I was able to grab some new clients from that. All her suggestions were really helpful.”

Since signing on with the SBDC, Beach Baby Ultrasound has realized a 29% increase in sales and hired three more technologists and a receptionist.

“Working with the SBDC has been wonderful, and I learned a lot,” Karen concludes. “Working with the SBDC, I don’t feel alone. I know I can turn to them for advice — a good feeling for a first-time business owner like myself.”

Shortly after they first struck up their relationship in 2019, Michael and Mary Blevins discovered that their skillsets and passion for developing luxury spaces complemented each other professionally and personally. After decades of high-end design and marketing strategies for the real estate and economic development sector, building and designing spaces for themselves, the now-married couple felt was the next natural progression to intertwine their skillsets from the ground up.

“Once we got together, we instantly recognized both of our skillsets and how well they played together,” Michael said.

With Michael’s 25-year background in real estate development and marketing complemented by his love of architecture and building plus Mary’s career in hospitality and interior design, the couple launched their own contracting company in 2022: Mason Dixon Brothers. They began by purchasing and renovating a historic storefront on Tazewell’s Main Street to create Haus of Taylor, an art gallery that doubles as an Airbnb and a showcase for the design and building skills of Mason Dixon Brothers.

As they completed Haus of Taylor, however, a larger vision began to take shape—one that extended beyond a single property and aimed to breathe new life into their hometown and the entire Southwest Virginia region. Ground zero for this revitalization is an 87-acre property they own, dubbed Ruakh Resort. They and Mason Dixon Brothers’ master carpenter Scott Fry are in the process of converting Ruakh into a getaway destination for concerts, events, and vacations.

This vision led Michael and Mary to the SBDC.

“Everything Mason Dixon does is focused toward making Ruakh a success and one of the biggest things to hit Southwest Virginia,” Michael says. “Mason Dixon really exists to fund that. In 10 years, we hope to have a little Red Rock in the back of the property – an outdoor amphitheater that attracts big names to a place where people may think there’s nothing.”

To secure funding that would make those first steps possible, Michael and Mary began working with the SBDC in February 2024 through a recommendation from the Tazewell County IEDA. Mt Empire SBDC Director Becki O’Quinn-Purdie and Southwest Virginia SBDC Director Denise Harmon helped them apply for a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) tourism grant. VCEDA approved a $10,000 grant that helped Michael and Mary build Ruakh Resort’s first luxury geodesic dome.

The Blevins’ 10-year plan is to erect more geodesic domes at Ruakh in proximity to other amenities like a common house kitchen and the aforementioned concert venue. And with Mason Dixon Brothers’ capabilities and the SBDC’s resources and funding connections, they intend to do all the work themselves.

“We just thought, we have 87 acres of fun land. How do we turn that into something that’s an attraction, that holds events like Bristol has and other places like that?” Michael said. “That’s what will help the community. Our ultimate goal is to have art and culture, art and music festivals, fall festivals and weddings. If we can get more lodging here, then that money stays in our community, in our county.”

Gwendolyn Shelton left a career in banking to start a health care staffing business in 2022. It was a career change that’s paid dividends in more than dollars and cents, and one that, eventually, connected her with a helpful business partner in the Virginia SBDC.

“My teenage daughter graduated high school a year early to take up nursing,” Gwendolyn says. “After she started working for a nursing facility, she came home almost every day upset that clients weren’t properly cared for. That opened my eyes to health care.”

Gwendolyn took her daughter’s words to heart and decided to do something about the issue.

“I talked to my husband about starting a medical staffing agency,” Gwendolyn says. “In 2022 we invested our savings and started United Choice Healthcare Staffing.”

A sign she had made the right choice came a week later.

“The week after I started putting my own business plan into place, I was laid off from my job,” she says.

Starting her business from scratch, Gwendolyn sought out a mentorship program to expand her knowledge of the health care industry and learn how to run a business. That empowered her to launch the medical staffing agency. In 2023 she decided to switch gears and began seeking licensure for home health care.

This switch led her to the University of Mary Washington SBDC and Director Susan Ball.

“I knew the basics of business when I reached out to the SBDC,” she notes. “Susan opened my eyes to the areas of home health care I could provide and introduced me to certifications that would help my business.”

Susan also assisted Gwendolyn through the certification process for the Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned Business (SWaM) certification, a state program to enhance procurement opportunities in state-funded projects, and System for Award Management (SAM), a government-wide registry for vendors doing business with the federal government.

The SBDC also provided step-by-step guidance through the micro-loan application process.

“Susan explained each piece of the micro loan application, and we did write a business plan to apply for one,” Gwendolyn notes. “We did not complete the loan application process because we decided we should wait on that. At first, I worked cases myself and saved enough to allow me to hire other individuals.”

United Choice Healthcare Staffing started with three employees in October 2023; currently the employee count is 18. Since March, Gwendolyn’s business has also reached the six-figure income level. And even as the company continues to grow, Gwendolyn plans to keep her connection with the SBDC.

“Since I started with the SBDC, Susan Ball has not left my side,” Gwendoly says. “Without the SBDC, I really don’t know where I’d be today. I still meet Susan monthly. I always have questions, and she’s there to answer them.”

In 2019, Crystal Barker was searching for an underserved area to expand her CPB Behavioral Therapy services. A cash-prize finish in a local pitch competition and connecting with the Longwood SBDC – Western Region made that possible.

“CPB Behavioral Therapy offers behavioral analysis for ages 2 to 21,” Crystal explains. “We work on reducing disruptive behaviors as well as increasing communication and social skills — or anything else a child with developmental delays or a disability needs.”

Crystal still maintains an office in Stafford but her decision to expand the business with an office in Stuart, a town of 1,400 in the Blue Ridge Mountains, was twofold.

“It was the beauty of the mountains plus a push to bring behavioral services to rural areas of Virginia,” she notes. “We moved right before the pandemic.”

When COVID-19 slowed her plans, Crystal used the time to enroll in the Patrick County Business Builders business boot camp. The Longwood SBDC was one of the boot camp sponsors. The course culminated in a business pitch competition that saw CPB Behavioral Therapy win a cash prize as the third-place finisher.

While Crystal was pleased at CPB Therapy’s performance in the competition, she already considered herself a winner.

“That’s where I met Longwood SBDC Business Analyst Michael Scales,” she says. “Michael helped with everything from a business plan to making connections with local banks and others in the business community.”

Crystal used the $2,000 cash prize from the Business Builders competition to lease her first office space and started seeing clients in Patrick County in 2022.

“Being in a rural area you have to approach things differently,” she notes. “Having Michael, who really knows the rural community, is very helpful. It’s nice to have that sounding board.”

Michael also assisted Crystal with obtaining a working capital loan for $25,000 that will help CPB Behavioral Therapy’s future growth, which she’s already planning for.

“We’ve already moved to a larger location down the street that allowed us to double our staff and client base,” she says. “We’re also talking about adding additional services not specifically healthcare based.”

Crystal explained that many in the community had expressed a need for a family activity center.

“We want to add what is most beneficial here,” she adds. “That’s the next project we’ll consult Michael about.”

Crystal credits Michael and the SBDC for a successful start to her business in Stuart.

“We’re definitely growing and looking to diversify,” she says. “Since we started working with the SBDC, we’ve tripled our service delivery and our staff has grown to 20 employees.”

Crystal still takes advantage of SBDC services and encourages others to do the same.

“I plan to work with the SBDC for many years to come,” Crystal concludes. “I tell other business owners — call the SBDC. They’ll help you figure out the right plan for your business.”

In business, patience is a major virtue. For Ashley Rushing – therapist and owner of Evolve: A Behavioral Health Center – patience, a passion for helping people overcome addiction, and an assist from the Loudoun SBDC guided her on a years-long journey to opening her own practice.

As a licensed therapist specializing in substance dependence, Ashley’s plan for Evolve was an all-encompassing suite of mental health and medical assistance services to help those individuals evolve beyond their addictions and return to productive, normal lives.

“Addiction treatment is where I started my career, and I’ve had a passion for that population,” Ashley says. “Prior to the pandemic, there was an opioid epidemic, which is still quite frankly going on. [Before opening Evolve] I had already been working with that population, treating them, providing group therapy and recommendations for medication-assisted treatment.”

That passion fueled a years-long journey to launch Evolve, and it also led her to Eric Byrd Manager of the Loudoun SBDC. Those initial consultations, which began in 2018, inspired Ashley to streamline her ideas for the business and gave her direction on what she needed to eventually open a physical space for her center and offer the many interconnected services her patients would require.

As that dream for Evolve continued to take shape throughout 2018 and 2019, so too did Ashley’s foundations as a therapist and business owner. She grew her clientele through telehealth, and when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, demand for those virtual therapy services increased.

By June 2022, Ashley officially launched Evolve as a telehealth-based practice. By December 2022 she began accepting new patients. In 2023 she was ready to seek capital for her expansion into a physical location, prompting her to reconnect with the SBDC.

Eric and the Loudoun SBDC team connected Ashley with the Community Business Partnership Business Finance Center, which approved her for a $50,000 microloan. That supported her quest to consolidate her services “under one roof.”

“The SBDC was essentially a bridge between me and the Community Business Partnership (CPB),” Ashley says. “And by way of the SBDC, I was able to connect with CPB and look into the process of securing capital through them.”

The loan allowed Ashley to find office space that will soon serve as the new home of Evolve. She will continue to provide services for addiction counseling, couples counseling, mental health therapy services, perinatal and postpartum therapy, teen counseling and trauma counseling, and has hired two full-time clinicians to expand those services.

“It was a lengthy process, but I’m happy that I stuck with it,” Ashley says of the SBDC. “It’s a great option to have for small businesses that may need a more creative, more flexible way of obtaining capital to jump start or enhance their small business needs.”

Inspired by the recent surge of city-dwellers seeking new ways to experience the outdoors, Kevin Wilson decided to put his entrepreneurial experience to use in a new venture. With help from the Capital Region SBDC, his plans to provide a luxury “glamping” experience through Camp Yellow Cardinal are taking flight.

The idea for a glamping location near Farmville, an hour from Richmond and three hours from Washington, D.C., was a “meeting of the minds” between former Boy Scout Kevin and wife Laura.

“I’d be happy with a sleeping bag and the stars, but I think a Holiday Inn is about as close to camping as my wife wants to be,” he says. “Glamping really blends both worlds — you have the luxury of a high-end hotel in the great outdoors. With Millennials and Gen Z looking for these adventures, we felt this was the right time to capitalize on our idea.”

As a former restaurant owner, Kevin understands the stressors of opening and running a business. However, for his first foray into glamping and hospitality, he sought out the SBDC and business advisor Korinn Carter.

“I learned about the SBDC in 2024 at a finance seminar at the Henrico County Public Library,” Kevin explains. “It had been 16 years since I wrote a business plan. The SBDC helped me with that as well as the financial projections. Having another set of eyes on the business plan and financial piece was absolutely invaluable. With the SBDC’s help, I applied for and have been conditionally approved for a Small Business Administration 7(a) loan.”

And, even as a seasoned business owner, Kevin found the SBDC’s educational resources beneficial.

“It’s always good to have a refresher” he says. “In an hour-long webinar, there might be 59 minutes of information that was already familiar, but that one minute of advice I’d never thought about before made the whole hour worthwhile.”

Kevin has targeted a plot of land in Prince Edward County near Keysville as Camp Yellow Cardinal’s headquarters. While he waits for zoning approval, he continues to make plans for a luxury camping destination that will include six geodesic domes. Each will have its own hot tub, fire pit and grill, king-size beds, private bathroom, kitchenette, air-conditioning and wireless internet.

“Our goal is a boutique experience from the time guests hear about us until they leave with smiles on their faces,” Kevin says.

Kevin is also smiling as he recalls insights gained from the SBDC.

“I’ve told business friends about the SBDC and encouraged them to reach out,” he concludes. “Services are free, and you’ll get insights and support often lacking in the business world. The SBDC is staffed by entrepreneurs and experts. It’s advice you can take to heart —that’s been transformative for me.”

A teacher for 30 years, Mariela Formiconi knows the value of education. When Mariela and her business partner Celeste Diaz decided to add a childcare center to their Spanish Lab and Learning Center, Mariela sought out the Shenandoah Valley SBDC to learn specifics about the project.

“I’m from Argentina where I taught English as a Second Language,” Mariela explains. “Myriam was an early education teacher in Paraguay and liked the idea of adding childcare. That’s how we got into this place— and we’re super excited to be here.”

Established in 2023, the Spanish Lab and Learning Center offers group Spanish classes for children, teens and adults; private tutoring in Spanish and English; and day camps and summer camps for children in Spanish. But, in expanding their center to include childcare support, Mariela and Celeste needed a mentor of their own, which led them to the Shenandoah Valley SBDC and Business Advisor Diane McCarthy.

“Diane offered to meet with us, and my answer was — of course!” Mariela said.

Starting with an initial meeting in April 2024, Diane provided the business partners with a roadmap to open their Childcare and Preschool Center, as well as a plan to apply for a Harrisonburg City Childcare American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant. That grant, which included enrollment in the six-week Harrisonburg Childcare Business Training Program, helped fund their new childcare endeavor.

“Diane helped us through the whole process,” Mariela says. “She was instrumental in creating a business plan and took the time to meet with me many times. She directed us to an architect who helped pick the right building and subsequent change of use of the building. Diane helped us through the application process [for the ARPA grant]. I don’t have a business background. Without help from the SBDC, I would have given up.”

A successful application resulted in two ARPA grants that totaled $89,000.

“We are using that money to renovate our building,” Mariela says. “Once that’s done, the Spanish Lab and Learning Center will open its doors to the Spanish Immersion Preschool and Childcare Center.”

Diane has also continued to support Mariela and Myriam by helping them work on new ideas for the Spanish Learning Lab.

“She continues to offer ideas to make that side of the business grow,” Mariela says, “and we’ve already seen growth since we started working with the SBDC in April 2024. Our workshops and day camps idea, now impactful in our business, started with a discussion with Diane. We’re currently in the process of building a Childcare and Preschool Center and will add seven employees.”

As their business grows, Mariela and Celeste will continue to look to the SBDC.

“The SBDC is amazing,” Mariela concludes. “Working with the SBDC, I never felt alone; their advice gave me direction. If we hadn’t had the SBDC’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to work out all the details for a childcare business. It’s a great resource — and it’s free!”