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!
From Church Band Guitar to a Full-Time Music Career
Trevin Sluss quit his day job three years ago with nothing but a guitar, a following, and a plan. Booked 29 times this July, he’s running a one-person business, proof that entrepreneurship comes in all different shapes and sizes around here, from grocery stores to singing.
Wants You to Meet Your Farmer
Ariel and Zach White are opening a bulk grocery store on W. Walnut Street, and they want you to walk out knowing whose hands grew what’s in your cart, and how to actually use it.
Norton Virginia Is Reshaping How Appalachian Cities Build an Outdoor Economy
I've made the early morning trip from Johnson City, up route 23 to Norton, Virginia many times in the past few years. Once you pass through Big Stone Gap, VA, the road gets steeper and the view...
High Growth or Small Business? Here’s the Real Difference
Not every business is supposed to become an empire, and not every business is supposed to stay small. Two Tennessee companies show exactly what each path looks like.
The Business That Works When You’re Not There
A tennis exhibition, a stranger’s empty seat, and a framework Kylie Wade has used twice to leave careers she’d outgrown. Now she’s using it to build a company that doesn’t need her in every room.
The Johnson City Farmers Market Is Where Businesses Are Born
For local founders, those Saturday morning tents have become one of the best launchpads a new business can have. Green Llama is proof.
This Avante Graduate Is Solving Food Insecurity in One of Virginia’s Poorest Counties
From San Francisco Pop-Ups to Taking Over Johnson City: A Conversation with Maren Close of Lazy Lady Bakery
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...
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