On this week's episode we sat down with Jared Hesse, owner of Gentleman John's Classic Barbershop in Downtown Lynchburg. You'll hear about Jared's journey from cutting hair in his parents basement to opening several locations across the Lynchburg region. You'll also hear about Jared's recent travels and trainings with master barbers and his own advice for starting your own business.

Jared has just written his first book and it is on sale now! We'll be holding a book signing at Gentleman John's next week, May 24. Come buy a book and get it signed by Jared AND book an appointment for a haircut while you're at it. You can buy copies of Jared's book: "The Fit Barber Coach: Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance" on Amazon here.

Happy National Small Business Week!

On this episode of All For Business, we sit down with Megan Lucas, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, and Stephanie Kenner, Executive Director of the Small Business Development Center - Lynchburg Region, to discuss the resources available for small businesses here in the Lynchburg region. From the Start Smart program to the brand new Center for Entrepreneurship, small businesses and entrepreneurs have a wealth of resources at their disposal to get started, grow, and succeed.

Check out these local small business resources:

Don't forget to go support your favorite small businesses!

Who’s ready for OKTOBERFEST???? Grab your fellow beer lovers and join The Water Dog on Saturday, October 22 at Riverfront Park in Downtown Lynchburg to “Prost like a Pro!” for this years Oktoberfest celebration.

We sat down with Dave Henderson for a mini episode of All For Business and get the scoop on the German-inspired feasting, dancing, axe throwing, music from, costume and mustache contests and more!

Included in your Oktoberfest ticket:

They also have a limited number of VIP tables available which includes a reserved table under the tent, personal "Beer Keller" (aka beer server), 8 tickets for you and your guests, and larger ceramic steins for 8 guests.

Alliance members! Get 25% off your purchase for Oktoberfest. Visit www.thewaterdog.com/oktoberfest and use the code, OKTFSTPONSOR at checkout for 25% off your ticket.

In this week's episode of the Alliance's All4Business podcast, join retired physician, Dr. Chal Nunn, as he sits down with Amy Carrier, President & CEO of CENTRA, the largest healthcare organization in the Lynchburg region. During the episode, Amy shares her experience of leading CENTRA more than a year after the onset of the pandemic, providing leadership and resilience that has improved the quality of healthcare and life throughout the community, giving a substantial boost to economic development across the region as well.

For this week's episode of the Alliance's All4Business podcast, join the Alliance's Executive Vice-President & COO Christine Kennedy and Carrie Wright, Executive Director of Strategic Development for Chick Fil A Wards Rd and River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg, VA. As an industry expert in customer relations, executing planning, development, talent training & development, as well as leadership and goal setting, Carrie Wright shares invaluable insight that can help empower business owners to make the most of their options in the way of cultivating and retaining talent, helping to boost commercial development by generating jobs and investment.

In our final Mental Health Awareness Month podcast, we sit down with the new CEO of Horizon Behavioral Health, Melissa Lucy. We hope this series has been helpful for you and your employees. Stay tuned for our next episode!

Our fourth Mental Health Awareness Month episode explores ways you can help yourself and your teams manage stress and improve mental health with Corporate Trainer, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Certified Behavioral Consultant, Jen Rowland.

Now in the third week of our Mental Health Awareness Month series, let's examine mental health from a legal standpoint. How can employers and employees tackle this challenge? Big thanks to Leah and Patrick of Woods Rogers for speaking with us on this important topic.

In the second episode of our Mental Health Awareness Month series, we speak with two experts from Centra on the clinical side of things. How do we impact our mental health for better or worse? What can we be doing to keep ourselves mentally healthy?

As we all know mental health is often intricately tied together with our working lives. Stress, conflict, poor environments, and relationships all impact our mental health and whether we can feel at the top of our ability and happy. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we'll be diving in with local leaders and experts on mental health and what we can be doing to ensure both employees and employers are aware of the importance of mental health in our daily lives.