The RISE Grapevine Virtual Meetup was hosted on Thursday, April 25, 2024, 12pm-1pm on Zoom.
To recap, here is a brief summary of this virtual meetup:
- We discussed recent events and upcoming opportunities for entrepreneurs who are starting or growing businesses in Southern Virginia.
- This virtual meetup was co-hosted by Natalie Hodge Davis of Rudy’s Girl Media and Hope Harris-Gayles of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center and the Longwood SBDC, with support from the SOVA Innovation Hub.
- Our featured business resource provider was Dana Knott of the Longwood SBDC who shared how to apply for the RISE Business Pitch Competition.
- We also heard from Mallory Lawter of the SOVA Innovation Hub about how to join the coworking space and reserve the meeting spaces to host your business meetings and events.
Top Takeaways
1. The RISE Business Pitch Competition is giving away over $10,000 in prize funds to entrepreneurs in Southern Virginia!
The 2024 RISE Business Pitch Competition will award over $10,000 in total prizes, to entrepreneurs who pitch at the event on June 26 at an in-person event in South Boston, VA. The prizes vary for each business, ranging from $250 up to $5,000 per business. The Longwood SBDC is available for one-on-one consulting to help you prepare your application and pitch. The deadline to submit your application to pitch is May 10 at 11:59pm. Learn more and apply >
Apply by May 10
Pitch on June 26
2. Conferences are a great opportunity to connect with other innovators and grow your network.
Natalie Hodge Davis of Rudy’s Girl Media recently attended the TomTom Festival and Together Conference in Charlottesville, VA, where she was the emcee for the Crowdfunded Pitch Night hosted by CIC – Community Investment Collaborative. Natalie was also part of a panel of entrepreneurs facilitated by Ilsa Loeser of Letterpress Communications. These two powerhouse entrepreneurs will team up again as part of the Federal Reserve of Richmond’s Investing in Rural America Conference, May 21-22 in Roanoke, VA. Bringing conference energy closer to home is part of the vision of the RISE Summit, October 18-29, 2024 in Danville, VA. Learn More >
3. It’s easy to book meeting space or reserve a coworking space at the SOVA Innovation Hub.
Mallory Lawter of the SOVA Innovation Hub reviewed the various membership options available at the SOVA Innovation Hub located in downtown South Boston, VA. Becoming a Community Member is free, and booking a daily flex pass for the coworking space is only $20. Meeting spaces include The Spark (perfect for 5 people) and the Training Space (15-30 people depending on the layout you need). Learn more and join the coworking community >
SOVA Innovation Hub
Regional Non-Profit & Coworking Space in South Boston, VA
4. Start small with short and sweet video content.
Entrepreneur and Community Health Worker Jeanette Grimes of LEZEAL asked a great question about how to get started with sharing useful video content to clients. Natalie Hodge Davis of Rudy’s Girl Media responded with sage advice to start small with short video content, because sharing short nuggets of information is proven to perform well on multiple digital platforms. For an example of this short and sweet strategy, checkout “On the Spot” on Rudy’s Girl Media’s YouTube channel >>
Rudy's Girl Media
5. Save the Date for the RISE Regional Innovation Summit for Entrepreneurs!
Planning is underway for the inaugural RISE Regional Innovation Summit for Entrepreneurs. Save the Date! October 18-19, 2024 in Danville, VA. There will be pre-conference activities on Friday, October 18. The main event is Saturday, October 19, 8:30am-3pm. More information >
RISE Innovation Summit for Entrepreneurs
October 18-19, 2024 - Danville, VA
Featured Resources
Dana Knott, MBA
Longwood SBDC Central Region Director
Longwood Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
SOVA Innovation Hub
Regional Non-Profit & Coworking Space in South Boston, VA
Rudy's Girl Media
Upcoming Events
Apply by May 10
Pitch on June 26
Applications Due for the RISE Business Pitch Competition
Applications Due: Friday, May 10, 2024 | 11:59pm | f6s.com
The RISE Business Pitch Competition on June 26, 2024 will award over $10,000 in funding to entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas to startup a new venture or scale-up their existing business.
May 16
RISE Grapevine Monthly Virtual Meetup
Thursday, May 16 | 12:00-1:00pm | Zoom
The RISE Grapevine Monthly Virtual Meetup is a virtual gathering of diverse, creative, and inclusive entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders from across Southern Virginia. During each monthly meeting, we share updates from local and regional entrepreneurs support organizations.
May 21
QuickBooks 101 Workshop
Tuesday, May 21 | 9:00-10:30am | SOVA Innovation Hub (715 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, VA)
Join Longwood SBDC for this beginner-friendly course.
Subscribed to Quickbooks Online but not sure where to start? Or better yet, unsure if you’re ready to make the leap to using a paid accounting software?
If so, join us for a highly interactive and hands-on program where we’ll go through all of the basics of Quickbooks Online. By the end of our time together, you will be able to:
- customize your chart of accounts
- link bank feeds
- categorize transactions
- create automatic categorization rule
- reconcile accounts
- customize reports
YOU MUST BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP!!!
May 22
QuickBooks 201 Workshop
Wednesday, May 22 | 9:00-10:30am | SOVA Innovation Hub (715 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, VA)
Join Longwood SBDC for this valuable course.
Already feel like you have a handle on your monthly tasks within Quickbooks Online and now looking to get more out of your use?
In this course, we’ll explore added functions of QB, such as:
- receipt management
- recurring transactions
- tags
- classes
- locations
- advanced reporting
- payroll, and much more
As this is a highly interactive and hands-on program, make sure you have your Quickbooks account pulled up, or Quickbooks Online Test Drive: https://qbo.intuit.com/redir/testdrive.
YOU MUST BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP!!!
Upcoming Events for Entrepreneurs and Businesses
Find out what’s happening in the RISE Southern Virginia ecosystem on our blog.