The Nest a place to hatch ideas
Two women business leaders in Little Rock are creating a co-working space that encourages collaboration and promotes networking for other women in business.
The Nest, at 112 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive near the intersection of South Main Street in the flourishing SOMA District of Little Rock, is scheduled to open in mid-October. The fee-based business and networking center also will offer a conference room that can be rented by members, a kitchen co-op with complimentary coffee and tea
and an outdoor hideaway.
Programming, available weekly and monthly, will focus on topics and offerings that enhance women’s lives and promote learning and connecting with fellow Nest members.
“After a year of working from home, we realized that women in central Arkansas need a space not only to work, but to network and learn from each other,” said Erin Hohnbaum, founder and chief executive officer of E. Leigh’s Contemporary Boutiques in Little Rock and co-founder of the Nest. “This will be a space for the women in our community to invest in themselves, and build connections with other female leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives and allaround hustlers.”
As female leaders in Little Rock, Hohnbaum and Nest co-founder Natalie Ghidotti saw an increased need for women to have a space to call their own.
Ghidotti, chief executive officer of the eponymous public relations and content marketing agency in Little Rock, hopes the space will
strengthen the interaction among Little Rock’s female leaders.
“The Nest will capture the collaborative spirit of our community’s female leaders by serving and hosting women in an authentic environment for empowered thought, inclusion and connection,” Ghidotti said. “Our vision is that The Nest will be your bridge between work and home that inspires you to conquer your day, week and year.”
Membership tiers include the executive, the boss and the side hustle. Along with the monthly membership tiers, day passes will be available.
Fees for individual membership begin at $99 monthly or $1,070 annually for women who only need weekly access. Top-tier members will have daily access for $325 monthly or $3,510 annually. All memberships start on Oct. 1.
Corporate memberships also are available starting at $5,000 and are being pitched as “an investment in women” and an opportunity to provide additional workspace opportunities for employees.
The concept originally was scheduled to open this month but pandemic-related
shipping delays of furniture and equipment pushed it back.
To learn more, visit thenestlr.com.
AVOID LAUNDRY DUTY
Fayetteville is the latest city to offer residents “life without laundry” as it joins 400 communities nationwide with a SudShare location, an on-demand laundry pickup, cleaning and delivery service.
The family-run business boasts it is an Uber-like digital marketplace for laundry services. Customers use an app to schedule laundry pickup and delivery. SudShare charges $1 per pound of laundry and folding services are included in pricing. There is a $20 minimum per order.
Any specific customer needs, including air drying or hypoallergenic options, can be accommodated. Clothes will be put on hangers provided by a customer and upon specific request.
SudShare, which started in 2018, has 20,000 independent contractors whom it calls stayat-home moms and dads who want to earn extra money by putting their washers and dryers to work. Contractors also are paid by the pound.
“A lot of companies, including
Procter & Gamble, tried to scale the laundry service business,” says Mort Fertel, chief executive officer of SudShare, “but our business model allowed us to do it quicker and better.”
More information is available at sudshare.com.
SUPPORTING FOOD ENTREPRENEURS
Ten food-and-beverage entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas have the opportunity to participate in a 10-week program that will help them grow their businesses.
Cureate, a women-owned Baltimore, Md., company, will offer group work and one-onone coaching opportunities that are tailored for food entrepreneurs looking to diversify their revenue streams and grow new sales channels.
The program takes the guesswork out of starting and running a successful food-service business and gives entrepreneurs a solid foundation to expand, scale and best serve their customers.
Participants could be farmers looking to develop valueadded products, direct-to-consumer bakers and makers looking to wholesale or caterers and food truck owners who want to open a brick-and-mortar
business.
Sept. 24 is the deadline for applications and the course begins the week of Oct. 11. At the end of the fall cohort, all 10 businesses will participate in a pitch competition with a $5,000 cash prize.
Forge Inc. is providing funding support for the initiative. The Huntsville lender is the state’s oldest revolving loan fund and promotes community development and economic sustainability by linking investors with borrowers in urban and rural areas across Arkansas.
NEW ENERGY LEADER
Little Rock public relations pro Lauren Waldrip has taken over as executive director of the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association and its education affiliate, the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation.
Waldrip has experience in public affairs and PR working on behalf of trade associations, political action committees and policy-driven activities along with fundraising and development. She most recently was a partner with Campbell Ward of Little Rock. Waldrip also has served as executive director of the Arkansas Rice Federation.
“Lauren’s previous experience,
coupled with her untraditional approach and bigpicture mindset, make her an ideal fit for the future growth of our operation,” said Heather Nelson, the association’s board chairman and president of Seal Solar.
The association promotes growth of the state’s economy through expanded use of advanced energy technologies, including energy efficiency, demand response, natural gas electric generation, solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, electric vehicles and alternative fuels.
The group engages in policy advocacy at the federal, state and regulatory levels.