The Roanoker November/December 2023 - 39

financial
By 2021, everyone was used to online meetings,
so the resistance and learning curve were
lower.
While Lyons learned a lot in both sessions,
she enjoyed the first year more, " The reason I
loved it the first time was the richness of getting
face-to-face time. "
Another 2021 alum, Cindy Forbes of Fyvie
Farms (an event venue she and her husband
renovated from a dilapidated country club),
also faced issues when her internet would not
allow her to use video and audio concurrently
during meetings.
She " didn't have that connection with other
people to see if they were struggling with the
same things, " but she learned a lot from the
content and took home, to her great surprise,
an excellent prize package.
On the night of the awards ceremony, her
booth was in a back room and so far from the
rest that someone told her, " They put the losers
back here. " As the night continued and her
name wasn't called, Forbes thought they'd forgotten
about her. Turns out she came in second!
She used her prizes to create some mock
events, including a faux wedding, which put her
venue on the map after a viral TikTok. Now,
Fyvie Farms' schedule is always packed.
Forbes has recommended the Gauntlet to
several people, including some who are now
graduates.By 2022, participants like Hodge and
Ruth-Cooper could take advantage of nonmandatory,
in-person meetings, hence Hodge's
earlier praising of the goodies she couldn't have
enjoyed over her internet connection.
The most recent Gauntlet alumnae
graduated in 2023 and included April Jones
and Sarah Bidwell. Though they only wrapped
a few months ago, both have taken off running.
Bidwell is working full-time, offering
mobile legal service with Wills on Wheels.
The Gauntlet taught her that " starting (her)
business and growing (her) business was absolutely
possible, " and her business plan helped
her articulate her value proposition of convenience,
ease and friendliness to her audience.
Jones recently transitioned out of her fulltime
job as Life Care Coordinators began taking
on clients. Her work ranges from finding
medical specialists to acquiring lawn care for
her clients as they age.
The Gauntlet encouraged her to get where
she is. " It's grueling... it's taking people out of
their comfort zone, " but she looked forward
to Tuesday nights for " get(ting) my mind back
on to my business plan and staying on track. "
Both businesses fill niches of people who
often slip through existing systems' cracks. That
aligns with the Gauntlet's mission.
Annette Patterson says, " Sometimes people
don't even realize that they're innovators, " and
the contestants' businesses " could be a complete
disruptor! "
This coming year, as the Gauntlet celebrates
its tenth anniversary, it will undergo its biggest
change since switching to online in 2020 - the
introduction of tracks.
While " everyone is welcome, " they're organizing
2024 contestants into similar groups,
including Main Street, outdoor recreation,
home-based businesses and early-stage
high-growth.
This is only the newest innovation the
Gauntlet is using to better serve its students,
whose success is also Roanoke's.I
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The Roanoker November/December 2023

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