the founder’s
Blog
Looking for advice, stories from real startups, or unique perspectives on our region’s entrepreneurial growth? You’ve come to the right place!
The iBUCS Pitch Competition Just Proved Northeast Tennessee’s Student Founders Are the Real Deal
We talk a lot about building a startup ecosystem in this region. What happened at ETSU's 9th annual iBUCS pitch competition is proof it's working. 14 student founders took the stage. From idea-stage...
The Emotional Rollercoaster of Entrepreneurship
At my first startup, our very first customer was Diageo’s Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. We hit it BIG right out of the gate. After three years, it turned out that this company was the greatest company...
The 130-Storefront Ecosystem Hiding Inside One Johnson City Building
We love to celebrate entrepreneurship at its loudest. The ribbon cuttings.The million-dollar Series A investments.The founders who quit their job to pursue their dream. But sometimes the most...
You Can Build Big Things In Small Places
For a long time, success has been sold as a departure. If you want to build something meaningful, the advice is almost always the same: move. Bigger city. Bigger market. Bigger network. The message...
The Bush House: What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Building with Vision
In a region where small businesses are the backbone of the community, the most successful ones are not always the loudest or the biggest. More often, they are the most intentional. The Bush House is...
Economic Development Is Broken—Entrepreneurs Are the Fix
The economic development landscape for communities of all sizes is constantly changing, just like the economy itself. Technology continues to evolve, people are more mobile than ever, and a new wave...
2025: A Year in Review with an Epic Year Ahead
Now that every company seems to have its own version of Spotify Rewind, it’s hard not to reflect on the previous 12 months. As I look back on 2025, it feels less like a single year and more like a...
Kevin Sommers and the Story Behind Some Apparel
Some Apparel is a play on the word “Some,” a nod to founder Kevin Sommers’ last name—but the story behind the brand goes far deeper than the name. At its core, it’s about choosing freedom: freedom...
How Calli Rose Found it’s Home on East Main Street
327 East Main Street didn’t sit empty for long. Just a month after Some Apparel closed, ETSU senior Calli Hall stepped into the very same space with her brand-new storefront, Calli Rose, and with it...
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