Entrepreneurs

B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: What it takes to be an entrepreneur

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week he talks about entrepreneurship and whether it can be taught. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: How do you define entrepreneurship? Rick: I define it as the ability to start a new business, of being able to bring a product or service to market and make money from it. It could be a new product or it could be a new way

Read More »
B2B Stories

Music sets the tone for up-and-coming North Augusta business

Kevin Isham is an HVAC tech by day but he is a musician at heart who plays guitar, drums, the harmonica, and banjo. His main goal as a music lover is to provide a venue for listening to good music and that led to Julio’s Cantina in his backyard. He and his wife, Heather, have hosted about 15 small concerts in their backyard. They don’t have a fancy stage, but their backyard draws a crowd of 30 or 40 folks who appreciate live music. The neighbors don’t seem to mind

Read More »
B2B Stories

Trash bin cleaning business does the dirty work for you

It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it. CSRA Bin Cleaning, based in North Augusta, is open for businesses to do the job that most of us don’t want to do – clean our trash bins. Owner, Ben Clark explained why people should want clean bins. “Trash bins attract rats because they are a food source, spiders sometimes nest around the bin or the handle, and the bin itself creates a breeding ground for all kinds of germs and pathogens, including E-Coli, Listeria, and Salmonella, among others. Stuff

Read More »
B2B Stories

Entrepreneurs open scuba diving training shop in an unexpected location

Of all the locations you would expect to find a dive shop, Harlem is probably not one of them. But Rose Bennett and her late husband, Bob, opened Bubbles or Not in the small Georgia town in June 2016. Located off Gordon Highway at 211 North Louisville St., Bubbles or Not offers a variety of scuba classes for both beginners and advanced divers. The business also offers the Open Water Diver certification class, which prepares students to dive anywhere in the world. Training typically begins in the pool at Bennett’s

Read More »
B2B Stories

Faith Friday: Twin beauty duo says God rewards their faith doubly

They answer to Jocelyn or Jasmyn, depending on which one you’re attempting to talk to. They’ve become accustomed to answering “Hey, Twin!” Even their husbands’ names, Bryan and Ryan, rhyme, though they’re not brothers. However, the title Jasmyn Wright and Jocelyn Budgett are most proud of and prefer is “business owner.” It’s a blessing they say came only from God, with a little inspiration from some faithful clients early in their business. “We actually started in college,” said Jasmyn. “Jocelyn was already taking clients and I had started playing in

Read More »
B2B Stories

Retired educator launches collaborative workspace in downtown Augusta

After retiring as a principal in Aiken County in June 2021, Natonia Tillman decided to launch a business that would provide space for other small business owners to work, network, and market their products and services. In February, Tillman opened that space, 10Twenty-Eight located at 1028 Broad St. She made the transition from education to business for various reasons, including the stress of being a school administrator and wanting more flexibility to spend time with her grandchild. Tillman also had experience hosting business events. But she makes a disclaimer about

Read More »
B2B Stories

Faith Friday: Sending gifts from Augusta businesses with help from above

Randall and Janice Williams truly believe the part of scripture in James 1:17 that says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above….”  They prove it daily through their shared labor of love, Augusta Gift Baskets, a home-based e-commerce business founded in January 2021. He’s a former restaurateur. She’s a retired nurse. They not only blended their families (five children and 10 grandchildren) when they married three years ago but also their love for serving others. “It is our job to deliver easy, thoughtful gifts and ensure our customers are

Read More »
B2B Stories

Entrepreneur renovating the historic home for unique event space

If you’re looking for space with historical significance to host business meetings and other company events, James O’Neal’s got you covered. O’Neal, an Allstate Insurance agent with an office in Augusta, bought the historic Charles Hammond House, 908 West Martintown Road, North Augusta in June 2018. He plans to use the 4,200-square-foot, six-bedroom Greek Revival house, which was most likely built in the 1770s, for not only events but also Airbnb, Vrbo, and Masters housing. O’Neal has renovated several homes, which is why he decided to invest in this project.

Read More »
B2B Stories

Giant sculptures help businesses make a big first impression

Outside of the clubhouse of The First Tee in Augusta is a colorful tee worthy of a Paul Bunyan-like drive. The one-ton, 30-foot-long sculpture is made of steel and solid foam. Ed Durant, the former owner of The Frame Shoppe on Walton Way in Augusta, created the concept to give the course its own unique identity. The project took about 14 months to complete and was unveiled in December 2021. “I went by First Tee, and there was no signage,” Durant said. “They needed an expression of what they do.”

Read More »
B2B Stories

Golf club engineer techniques build better golfers from tee to green

Dan Burnfield builds highly-customized golf clubs in his shop on Gordon Highway but his goal extends beyond merely selling equipment – he wants to make people better golfers, physically and mentally. “Maybe the answer to getting an extra stroke or two out of you isn’t new equipment,” he said. Make no mistake about it, Augusta Custom Clubs does make and sell equipment that practically requires an engineering degree to understand. The small shop contains a putting lab with lasers, a fitting bay with a golf simulator to track shots, and

Read More »