Launch Fuquay-Varina

09/23/2026

What a wonderful full circle moment at yesterday's Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce Annual meeting for 2026!

Sarah Schaitel, owner of Sarah Nicole Virtual Services (from cohort 1) - Ambassador of the Year Award

Anna Rook, owner of Bark and Bloom (from cohort 3) - Sponsored and created all the wonderful table center pieces.

Janah Wood, owner of Busy Bristles & Balloons (from cohort 1) - Sponsored and created the beautiful balloon stands.

Sherri Everett, co-owner of The Lou Everett Group - Business & Executive Leadership Coaching & Training - Volunteer of the Year Award for leading and all the hard work behind the scenes of LaunchFV.

What an impact LaunchFV has created!

09/18/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝗯𝗯 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. 🌟

Shoutout to our amazing speakers last night at LaunchFV— Reddy Gurrala, owner of Cardinal Oaks Financial Group LLC, and Nicki & Charley Crowe, owners of Crowe Your Potential!

They shared an important reminder with Cohort 4: 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀—not just when you’re starting a business, but throughout your entire entrepreneurial journey.

The highs, the lows, the unexpected twists…business will definitely keep you on your toes! That’s why it’s so important to keep your North Star close and remember where you’re headed. ⭐

And a BIG thank you to MomoStation.Fuquay-Varina for helping us feed Cohort 4 and for being such an awesome local business partner!

If you’re a fan of Nepali flavors—or you haven’t tried them yet—go check them out! They’re right here in Fuquay-Varina at Quaint Plaza.

09/11/2026

👉 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨?

We’d love for you to join us as a 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 for our upcoming Innovate Weekend! 💡

It’s an incredible opportunity to inspire and guide new entrepreneurs as they bring their ideas to life.

🔗 Apply here:

Be a mentor and change a life! We're accepting mentoring applications now at Mentor Application.

09/11/2026

Ever loved a food so much that you thought, “𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱!”? 😍

Well… that’s exactly what happened to Ray and Leslie Brooks of SoBol Fuquay Varina!

Thank you, Ray, for sharing your entrepreneurial journey with our current LaunchFV cohort. Your passion for açaí, your business, and the joy of sharing it with others was contagious!

And thank you for treating us to a delicious taste of SoBol Fuquay Varina! 🥣

These are the stories that make entrepreneurship real—the highs, the challenges, the passion, and the 𝘄𝗵𝘆 behind the business.

For new business owners, hearing the journey from someone who’s been there is priceless.

👉 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨?

We’d love for you to join us as a 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 for our upcoming Innovate Weekend! 💡

It’s an incredible opportunity to inspire and guide new entrepreneurs as they bring their ideas to life.

🔗 Apply here: https://launchfv.org/mentor-application/

09/04/2026

🔥 **What a night of inspiration at Launch Fuquay-Varina!**

A huge shoutout to Dana Craft, owner of Sinful Glow Skin Studio for sharing her real entrepreneurial journey with our newest LaunchFV class—the highs, the lows, the lessons, and what REALLY matters when building a business.

It’s not just about building a brand. It’s about building a 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿. Because people connect with 𝘺𝘰𝘶 before they ever buy your product or service.

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart—but this class is showing up, leaning in, and soaking up every lesson along the way! 💪

Thank you to The Gyro Spot NC for keeping our entrepreneurs fueled!

🔥 Iron sharpens iron.

When we share our experiences, lessons, connections, and even our challenges, we all grow stronger.

#𝐈𝐫𝗼𝐧𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐈𝐫𝗼𝐧

08/28/2026

A huge shoutout to Kelly Gordon, the new Town of Fuquay-Varina Economic Development Director, for spending time with our newest LaunchFV entrepreneurs! 👏

Kelly shared valuable insights about Fuquay-Varina’s business community—but what made the evening even more impactful was hearing about her own entrepreneurial journey. Her experiences, lessons, and perspective gave our class plenty to think about as they build their own businesses.

And of course, we can’t forget to give a BIG thank you to Moe's Southwest Grill for providing a delicious dinner!

We were also excited to have several Launch FV Alumni join us to meet and encourage the new class. There’s something powerful about entrepreneurs learning from—and supporting—other entrepreneurs.

🔥 Iron sharpens iron!

When we share our experiences, lessons, connections, and even our challenges, we all grow stronger.

08/21/2026

🚀 **𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡! 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝟰!** 🎉

Last night, we kicked off Launch Fuquay-Varina Cohort #4, and we couldn’t be more excited for the 12 local entrepreneurs who are embarking on this journey! 💙

For the next several weeks, these incredible entrepreneurs will gather every Thursday night at Fuquay Coworking to learn, grow, connect, and gain the skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. 📈✨

A 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐄 thank-you to our incredible partners who make LaunchFV possible:

🤝 Wake Technical Community College — for providing an instructor and supporting local entrepreneurship
🏘️ Town of Fuquay-Varina
🏘️ Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce
🌆 Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association
🔄 Rotary Club of Fuquay-Varina
🔄 Downtown Fuquay-Varina Rotary Club
💼 Our amazing local business owners who serve on the LaunchFV committee
🎓 Launch FV Alumni
🚀 Wake Tech Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center

And a special shout-out to Anna's Pizzeria Fuquay-Varina for feeding us tonight! 🍕❤️

This program truly is a 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 effort. Year after year, our community comes together to invest in local entrepreneurs, strengthen small businesses, and create opportunities for growth.

We are incredibly proud of what happens when a community believes in its entrepreneurs and works together to help them succeed.

12 entrepreneurs. One community. Countless possibilities. 🚀

Let’s do this, Cohort #4! We can’t wait to see where this journey takes you! 👏

06/04/2026

Launch Fuquay-Varina applications close on July 3rd! We would love to have you in our class this Fall!

✔Applications are live on www.launchfv.org
✔Application deadline is July 3rd
✔Applicants will be interviewed and selected in July/Early August.
✔Launch Fuquay-Varina is a 12 week program held at Fuquay Coworking starting on August 28th and is a program provided by Wake Technical Community College at no cost.

Requirements...
Must live, work, or prove a direct impact locally to Fuquay-Varina, NC (including Willow Spring)! Classes are once a week and will be held on Thursday nights. If you want to learn more about the program, expectations, and qualifications please visit launchfv.org!

If you have questions please email [email protected]

This is in partnership with Wake Tech Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center, Town of Fuquay-Varina, Downtown Fuquay-Varina Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Fuquay-Varina, Fuquay Coworking, and our local Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce

03/14/2026

Congrats to Taylor Mercier Lynch!!!

Wake Tech celebrated local innovation and entrepreneurship Thursday as finalists competed in the college's Blueprint to Skyline Business Pitch Competition, held at the Western Wake Campus.

https://www.waketech.edu/post/wt-news-story/992837

The event brought together a dynamic group of budding entrepreneurs representing clients of Wake Tech's Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center, graduates of LaunchWakeCounty and Wake Tech students, each presenting their ventures for a chance to earn funding and expert recognition.

The competition was sponsored by Wells Fargo and reflects the college's ongoing commitment to supporting small-business development and fostering a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in Wake County.

The college's Wake Tech SBC also continues to be a cornerstone of local business development, providing free support to any resident or small business in Wake County. Services range from one-on-one counseling to workshops that guide entrepreneurs through starting, stabilizing and scaling their ventures.

Long-time Wake Tech benefactor Mike Conlon served as one of the judges for the competition. Wake Tech's planned Conlon Western Wake Campus will be named in his honor and will replace the college's current leased facility on Kildaire Farm Road in Cary.

11/19/2025