At a time when college graduates and aspiring young professionals are facing significant challenges in the job search, two UMW students found a way to creatively invest in a venture of their own. Wes Cantrall and Ethan Dillon are Business Administration majors completing their degrees at UMW while growing their business, literally. Their company, Sunnyside Supply Co, produces locally-grown hemp and CBD products. After the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill which eased regulations in the industry, Ethan and Wes were curious about the potential to start their own hemp and CBD business. They had friends who experienced success in the industry, and they acted as mentors to Ethan and Wes. In early 2020, Ethan and Wes participated in StartUpUMW which inspired them to get started right away. Before the closure of UMW due to the pandemic in March, they established their legal entity, developed plans for their products, secured a business name, and pitched their idea upon completion of the … [Read more...]

Crêpes, the French street-food staple, are an easy and delicious way to satisfy sweet and savory cravings with countless filling options. Irene Psaras brought crêpes to Fredericksburg when she and her husband Frankie opened Renee's Crêpes and Cakes in the Eagle Village Shopping Center in 2015. The eatery attracts Fredericksburg residents and tourists who enjoy the wide variety of lunch, dinner, and dessert crêpes served up by Irene and Frankie. The restaurant has been so well received that the couple was considering opening a second location in Richmond earlier this year. COVID-19 put a halt to those plans and threatened the viability of Renee's Crêpes and Cakes. Irene recalled how the pandemic impacted their business: “First [UMW] shutdown, then offices and there were no visitors traveling through Fredericksburg. We were doing just carry out, Grubhub and curbside.” A few weeks into the pandemic, with dwindling customer orders, Irene and Frankie realized they would need … [Read more...]

The UMW CED is preparing to teach their student entrepreneur program – StartUpUMW – goes online this fall semester. An important piece of the college experience is extra-curricular activities and experiential learning. StartUpUMW provides an opportunity for students to learn how to start their own business from local business professionals and entrepreneurs. Students receive internship experience and get a “real-world” perspective on what it takes to launch and manage a company. Kelsey Whitman, the StartUpUMW instructor, is a little anxious about the fully virtual experience, but optimistic that she will meet the programs’ objectives: “You can’t fully replicate the experience of networking, building relationships, and learning exciting information through Zoom, but with some adjustments to the content and use of special technology features, I’m confident that students will learn just as much and enjoy the program as well,” Kelsey said. Throughout the semester, students learn … [Read more...]

The slowdown in business due to the pandemic has provided business owners with time to explore new ideas and develop new products. UMW EagleWorks client, Barbara Gustavson, founder of Discover Next Step and certified leadership coach, is one such owner. During the past few months, she has been working with Dr. Daniel G. Amen, MD, one of America’s leading psychiatrists and Founder of Amen Clinics, BrainMD, and Amen University, to develop resources for coaches and trainers. Barbara experienced the profound benefits of brain rehabilitation firsthand. The process improved her memory, focus, attention, and anxiety management. Last year she became a certified Brain Health Coach and now collaborates with Dr. Amen. She is inspired to help others in the leadership, medical, business and coaching industries incorporate brain health and neuroscience into their skillsets. Barbara worked with Dr. Amen and his team to develop resources that are tailored for a corporate audience. Barbara … [Read more...]

The retail sector was hit hard during the pandemic and retail companies continue to face declining consumer demand from online businesses. Marc Willson, a retail and hospitality consultant with the Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network, presented his seminar ‘Not Business As Usual’ for the University of Mary Washington SBDC clients recently. Marc shares best practices to keep your business strong with detailed steps that business owners can take to thrive in the current environment. Build enthusiasm with your customers using Facebook Live and Zoom to highlight new products. One suggestion is to live stream while unpacking new arrivals. Post daily on social media and make it easier for your customers to make purchases directly from your social media platforms. Set aside time for your best customers to shop by appointment. Determine what hours are the slowest for in-person shopping and set aside those hours one or two days a week for your best customers to … [Read more...]

The Center for Economic Development (CED) and the UMW Small Business Development Center (SBDC) have partnered with the College of Business to create a new business support program, UMW CARES. The program is being supported by COVID-19 funding from the SBA to the SBDC network. The program promotes projects that best meet the needs of their small business communities. Through UMW CARES, UMW business professors will provide education, training and business advising to small businesses that have experienced supply chain disruptions, staffing challenges, a decrease in sales or customers, or a continuity of operation problems as a result of COVID-19. The specialized training will be in the following areas: Accounting and Finance Continuity & Disaster Preparedness Planning Consulting Marketing and Digital Commerce, Sales, Distribution, and Supply Chain Consulting Intellectual Property Protection Consulting Human Resource Management One of the faculty members … [Read more...]

The UMW SBDC is excited to host a new webinar this August, Not Business as Usual. The discussion-based webinar will cover business re-openings during Phases 2 and 3 of the pandemic, with an emphasis on retail, restaurant, and hospitality businesses. The webinar focuses on how to manage a small business during a pandemic in terms of: · Safety · Sales · Marketing · Customers · Best practices and everyday operations during this challenging time Marc Willson, the webinar speaker, is a Small Business Strategist and published keynote speaker, with 40 years of experience in helping retail, restaurant and tourism-related small businesses refine and promote their concepts to the public. In 1975, Mr. Willson began his retail career as co-owner of the largest distributor of Earth Shoes in North America. Since then he has held executive positions with retailers such as Britches of Georgetowne, Crown Books, Willson’s Leather, Circuit City, The Bicycle Exchange, Ecampus.com … [Read more...]

When the town of Warsaw launched a revitalization plan for the downtown area that was the motivation Anna and Bobby Moore needed to take a leap of faith and move forward with the business idea Bobby had been mulling over. Anna and Bobby Moore, Owners of Bubba B’s Ice Creamery, opened their business July 8, 2019, and were one of the first businesses to open as part of the downtown revitalization plan. Since this was their first time running a small business, they turned to the local University of Mary Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Warsaw for guidance. Joy Corprew, the SBDC Warsaw Director, helped the Moore’s bring Bubba B’s to life. “Joy has been an invaluable resource; in overcoming hurdles along the way and helping [Anna] with financial tracking, bookkeeping, and tax issues,” the Moore’s shared. Joy also helped them apply for local funding, and they received a Northern Neck Planning District Commission Town Business Loan and a Town of Warsaw Economic … [Read more...]

With spring 2020 around the corner, Roxanna and George Snead, Owners of Braehead Farm, and their staff prepared for events around the farm that would host a couple of thousand people over the coming weeks. In the blink of an eye, all events were canceled and they found themselves in an unprecedented situation wondering how they would keep the business going. They sent their staff home, and began canceling field trips, weddings, and one of the largest Easter egg hunts in Fredericksburg, VA. “We had to cancel the Easter Event.  We had to cut back hours for our employees that we just brought back. We had to give back all of the barn rental booking deposits.  The school groups started canceling the spring field trips. We barely had income, some days operating in the negative.” Roxanna worked with their SBDC consultant, Brian Baker, and applied for grants and loans to help keep the business afloat during the pandemic. While she waited for a response, she knew the business would … [Read more...]

Effective October 15, 2020, all businesses seeking Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) or Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) status will have to be certified by the SBA or an approved third-party certifier. Previously, companies that do business with the government have been able to self-certify as WOSB or EDWOSB online in the Certify.SBA.Gov portal.  While the new certification portal is slated to open on July 15, initial review decisions will not be issued until October 15. Therefore, the SBA recommends that eligible business continue to self-certify until October 15. Businesses looking to apply for contracts that have been set aside for WOSB and EDWOSB should take note of the following: SBA certification will be free and the application will be submitted through a new online portal to be opened on July 15. All businesses that are currently self-certified will need to reapply for certification in the new portal by October 15. Third-party … [Read more...]