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• High-speed internet to keep you connected at all times.
• Kitchenette with complimentary drinks and snacks.
• Reception area with friendly staff to assist you.
• Notary services for your business needs.
• Outdoor patio workspace with Wi-Fi for a refreshing change of scenery.
• Free parking with electric vehicle charging stations.
• Private phone booths for calls and meetings.
• Print, copy, and scan facilities for all your document needs.
• Wellness and mother’s room for your comfort.
• Modern office furniture that ensures ergonomic support.
• Advanced technology setup for seamless presentations.

Comfortable seating areas and open spaces to spread out and collaborate.

Flexible Memberships to Suit Your Needs

We understand that every professional has different work styles and requirements. That’s why we offer a variety of flexible membership plans. Whether you need a dedicated desk, a private office, or just a drop-in space a few times a week, we have options that cater to your unique needs. Plus, our plans are adjustable, so you can evolve your membership as your needs change.

Join a Thriving Professional Community

One of the greatest advantages of co-working at the SOVA Innovation Hub is the opportunity to become part of a supportive and inspiring community. You’ll be surrounded by motivated professionals from various industries, fostering a positive and energetic atmosphere. We regularly host events, workshops, and social gatherings, providing ample opportunities to network, learn, and collaborate. 

Coworking spaces expose you to chance and opportunity, making every interaction a potential stepping stone toward new ideas and ventures”​ (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)

Boost Your Productivity and Work-Life Balance

Working from home can blur the boundaries between personal and professional life, making it difficult to maintain focus and productivity. By choosing to co-work at the SOVA Innovation Hub, you’ll benefit from a clear separation between work and home, helping you maintain a healthier work-life balance. Our professional setting is designed to foster concentration, allowing you to accomplish more in less time, so you can enjoy your personal time without distractions.

The post Your Ideal Workspace Awaits: Discover SOVA Innovation Hub’s Coworking Opportunities appeared first on SOVA Innovation Hub.

Melanie Saunders | Educator, Business Owner, Realtor

About Melanie Saunders

Melanie is a Halifax County native and in addition to opening her own business, she has been a teacher for 27 years. One of the things teaches at Halifax County High School is a leadership class – she says her students were the motivation she needed to start Saunders Safe Driving School. It was important for her to model the behavior she teaches – that you constantly need to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone or risk becoming stagnant in your life or career. Halifax County High School students will tell you that Melanie applied this teaching in her 20-year tenure as varsity softball coach for Halifax County High School. Her former softball players will tell you that this is what motivated them to play hard to clench multiple district championship titles and be contenders in a number of regional and state tournament runs during her time as coach.

Starting a Business from Scratch

Today marks her third year running Saunders Safe Driving School, and she has grown to include one other instructor part-time. Together they teach lessons before and after school, as well as on Saturdays. 

Saunders Safe Driving School fills a need in Halifax County for out-of-school driver education.

It wasn’t a blind leap of faith to start a business, but rather a well-planned leap of faith. Melanie explained that with any business, it’s important to “go in prepared – especially with the driving business because there is a lot of money involved with insurance”. The planning paid off and Melanie says the car she uses paid for itself in the first year.  She credits her success on a couple of things: first, she is passionate about education and has experience teaching driver education within the school system. Second, there was a need for driver education outside of school and she was already fielding requests from parents and teachers for additional instruction hours. 

Another Venture for Melanie

For many, teaching and running a business would be enough. Melanie is also a newly minted realtor. She explained that a local broker, Scotty Felton, had reached out to ask her if she was interest in becoming a real estate agent. When COVID hit, Melanie had time to take a few classes and passed the licensing exam. She hadn’t planned to become active for another few years but was encouraged to work part time with Long and Foster. Real estate is a challenging field to break in to, and Melanie describes the current market as especially challenging – more people need homes locally than there is inventory, which means homes sell extremely quickly. As a part-time realtor she has to juggle those the fast-paced market with her other responsibilities, but Melanie says she enjoys it and plans to continue with it through retirement. It has helped her to have a role model and trusted friend as a support system.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 

Melanie encourages every aspiring entrepreneur to find that person you can bounce ideas off of, a mentor you can trust and talk to, to help guide you on your journey. Being able to learn from someone in the same industry is “invaluable”. Melanie will be a speaker at the Youth Entrepreneurship Kickoff Event on May 5. This event is tailored for 8th through 12th grade students who want to learn about entrepreneurship as a possible career pathway in a variety of industries. Melanie will be speaking about “Finding Your Path to Entrepreneurship” at the beginning of the event. For more information, or to register, visit: sovainnovationhub.com/ye.

Get in Touch

Saunders Safe Driving School | Facebook & Website

Melanie Saunders, Realtor | Facebook & Website

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Julia Weir’s Journey

Julia is using a ChangeX grant to go completely bee-friendly!

While this is Julia’s first year farming under her own name and company, she is not new to the flower farming world. Growing up in Warrenton, Virginia, she always planted flowers and vegetables at home, and when Julia graduated high school, it was the perfect opportunity to take an internship at a cut flower farm and learn from the experts.  

She now lives in Republican Grove in Halifax County where she has room to grow on her mother’s fields. She says, “I was inspired by my tobacco farming neighbors to pursue my passion and dream of flower farming.” When asked what she is most proud of, Julia said, “Just doing this. I’ve come up with a million excuses not to put myself out there as a grower.” This year, her passion to grow became stronger than her excuses and pushed her to start her business. 

You can expect fresh, seasonal arrangements from Julia.

Julia knows farming is not easy – during her internship she learned all the hard work that goes into operating a flower farm. Fields produce

flowers from April to October, but prep work needs to be done all year round. Access to capital is also a challenge. Julia says, “I need to develop more capital to invest into extending my grow season.” Additional capital would allow for the purchase of row covers, hoop houses, and a larger greenhouse. How is she funding her venture now? Julia is using her personal savings as well as a Pollinator Project grant through ChangeX. The ChangeX grant will help her plant more native species and make her completely bee–friendly.  

Beyond supporting bees, native plants support the ecosystem and provide food and habitat for a variety of pollinators, including hummingbirds, butterflies, and bats. When shoppers buy flowers from Julia, they are supporting the local ecological system. “A purchase from me is a purchase for happy pollinators and beautiful birdsong,” said Julia. While Julia realizes that flowers are a luxury purchase for many people, she also strives to make her flowers affordable. 

Support from the Agricultural Community

“The best thing about farming,” Julia describes, “is that I’ve learned the most from farmers themselves. The growing and gardening community has a wealth of life hacks and secrets learned from a lifetime of trial and error.” As a young entrepreneur, Julia is not afraid to ask for help from a variety of experts. She says help comes from everywhere: from Bob Wollam, Jillian McFayden, and Hillary Gottemoeller – her mentors at Wollam Gardens, from Abbott Farm Suppliers in Halifax, from every person she talks to at garden centers and nurseries, and

Visit Julia at the Downtown South Boston Farmer’s Market

from books! Her favorites are Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden, by Erin Benzakein as well as The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower’s Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers by Lynn Byczynski. Support can be found all over, especially in such a welcoming community. Julia wanted to make sure all the members of the Downtown South Boston Farmers Market knew they have been incredibly helpful in motivating her and offering support, especially Market Manager Megan Throckmorton–Harris.  

This is Julia’s first season growing in Halifax, and she is finding her footing in the community. She is determined to grow her flower farm into a professional farm and is working to achieve that goal one week at a time. 

Visit Julia’s Cut Flower Farm

You can visit Julia to purchase flowers at the Downtown South Boston Farmers Market on Saturdays, from 8am to noon. Pick up a beautiful bunch of flowers and then browse what else the market has to offer! In between market days, keep in touch with Julia through her Facebook page, @juliascutflowers.

The post A Young Entrepreneur is Farming Flowers and Supporting Pollinators appeared first on SOVA Innovation Hub.

About Melissa Powell

Melissa Powell, artist and entrepreneur

Melissa is originally from Scottsburg, Virginia. She grew up in a family of farmers – some of the most innovative entrepreneurs! As the oldest child in her family, it was her responsibility to help her grandfather around the farm so she grew up working hard.

After moving away from Southern Virginia to attend Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia she found herself in Baltimore, Maryland, where she owned a daycare – her first entrepreneurial endeavor. From her daycare days, she still carries a special place in her heart for teaching children. As Melissa’s family grew, she felt pulled to move back to Southern Virginia and start her dream business in downtown South Boston.

When Melissa Powell first ran the idea of Art Acoustix past a few family members and friends to see if they thought she should open her own business, she was met with caution and even a few outright “no’s”. Melissa knew she had a good idea no matter what anyone thought. To her, the “no’s” were just confirmation to go ahead and open her store anyway! Four years ago, her dream became reality, and she has been successful with Art Acoustix. So successful, in fact, that in October 2020 she moved from her old location by Bistro 1888 to her current location at 417 Main Street because she needed more space.

2020 – A Year to be Proud of

When asked what she is most proud of, she said “being able to withstand the pandemic.” Melissa says she saw her business increase during 2020 and credits that growth to being innovative, flexible, and refocusing her business plan as often as she needed – sometimes, moment by moment.

In response to the pandemic, she created more retail opportunities and is now selling clothing and accessories like colorful purses and jewelry. She also created “to-go” paint parties. Simply reach out to Melissa with an image of what you want to create, and she will package up all the supplies you need for a paint night in the comfort of your own home! She also debuted her new website which she says has allowed customers to shop from home and has helped her keep orders and shipping organized. The most important thing that is getting her through the pandemic, is “just being open and flexible for clients. People appreciate that.” Melissa credits her flexibility to a part-time job she works in addition to owning Art Acoustix and to her service-minded personality.

Some Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Melissa says that any aspiring entrepreneur needs to embrace the fact that “your plan is not a plan! You have to be open and flexible.” Flexibility helped Art Acoustix flourish this year as Melissa diversified her business and created an online retail space with her new website.

Visit Art Acoustix
You can visit Art Acoustix in person at 417 Main St, South Boston, VA 24592 or visit artacoustix.com.

Thank you to Melissa Powell for sharing Art Acoustix with us!

The post Refocusing and Innovating Allows Art Acoustix to Thrive appeared first on SOVA Innovation Hub.