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SCCF Blog
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Chris Lassiter
Aug 19, 2024
Coushatta’s Creations: Adding to the family recipe
Photo by Chris Lassiter It’s a taste of Texas just like Mama used to make. Otis Hawkins and Coushatta Hawkins moved from Houston, TX, to...
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Chris Lassiter
Aug 12, 2024
Carlton Melton: Making a pivot
Once Carlton pictured a new vision for his business, he picked up a camera. The founder of Take One Imaging – a company that caters to...
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Chris Lassiter
Jul 29, 2024
Kyle Alston and Sunqueet Pepper: A serendipitous partnership
Photo by Chris Lassiter Kyle Alston and Sunqueet Pepper made good on their fresh idea. Now they’ve got the juice. The friends and...
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Chris Lassiter
Jul 22, 2024
Taylor Redmond and Whitney Vaughn: Running the numbers
They had a fresh idea to squeeze out more income. Now the husband-and-wife tandem, co-owners of Nolia’s Lemonade, are reaping the fruits...
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Chris Lassiter
Jul 15, 2024
Eric Vasson: Cooking up an idea
Photo by Chris Lassiter Eric Vasson just wants to be the second-best cook in his family. The number one position isn’t up for debate. The...
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Chris Lassiter
Jul 8, 2024
Simone McKelvey: Building a homemade business
Photo by Chris Lassiter Simone McKelvey went from gifting soaps to becoming a gifted soap maker. The founder of Simone & Tuesday LLC,...
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Chris Lassiter
Jun 27, 2024
The Goodmans: From passion to paycheck
Photo by Chris Lassiter Ray Goodman told his wife Charlotte to turn her passion into a paycheck — the result: Charlotte’s Kitchenette....
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Chris Lassiter
Jun 20, 2024
Staunton Black Business Collective
A group of community stakeholders has organized to help grow Black business in Staunton. The Staunton Black Business Collective was...
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Chris Lassiter
Jun 13, 2024
Nadia Ware: All-natural entrepreneur
Photo by Chris Lassiter It started as making a strawberry mask for her niece. Now Nadia Ware, founder of Honey Sweet Face and Body LLC,...
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Chris Lassiter
Jun 6, 2024
Tony Davenport: Turning a skill into a business
Photo by Chris Lassiter Tony Davenport found a silver lining during the pandemic. He also found a black turntable. A huge music fan – who...
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Anika Horn
Jan 15, 2024
Building the ecosystem for underserved entrepreneurs in the Valley
Reviewing two years of the Community Navigator Pilot Program From December 2021 to November 2023, a consortium of six entrepreneurial...
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Jessica Bond
Oct 2, 2023
Teaming up with the NAACP
This past summer, SCCF partnered with the NAACP and People Inc. to facilitate our Business Bootcamp entrepreneurship program for Black...
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Anika Horn
Aug 29, 2023
Vocal About What Matters
“When I first explored my creative side, I bought a silhouette cutter (device for printing on apparel) and immediately hated it. What had...
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Ashley Wenger
Jul 30, 2023
Building a strong foundation
Last summer, we met Daniel Kelly II, the founder of M.E. Opus, a music and entertainment venture in the Northern Valley. M.E. Opus is the...
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Anika Horn
Feb 21, 2023
RISE
When you first visit RISE Organization in Waynesboro, you don’t simply walk into an office. Upon entering, Founders Sharon Fitz and...
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Anika Horn
Feb 6, 2023
B-Cubed: Black and Brown-owned Business Growth Program
When COVID-19 broke out in March 2020, small businesses struggled to remain open during lockdowns and the subsequent economic standstill....
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Anika Horn
Jan 31, 2023
Building an Ecosystem for Black Business Support: Year 1 of Community Navigator Pilot Program
“In order for there to be a great America, there must be a great Black America. In order for there to be a great Black America, we need...
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Anika Horn
Nov 28, 2022
The Walker Program: A renaissance of Black business in the Southern Valley
Once an important destination in the Motorist Green Book, Black-owned businesses dwindled for a half-century in Lexington, VA, until the...
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Ashley Wenger
Nov 21, 2022
Axe Warehouse
Starting a business is time-consuming enough as it is. Starting a business while you’re a student in school is even busier still. But...
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Ashley Wenger
Nov 15, 2022
Simply Clean
When Mallory Douglas moved her cleaning business, Simply Clean, from Virginia Beach to Lexington, she had 40 dollars and the...
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