ABOUT

The Mission

Founded in January 2014 by Emily Breedlove, Small Town Ventures is a consulting and training company geared entirely at providing superior resources and hands-on support for advancing entrepreneurial opportunity within rural communities. In partnership with other entrepreneurs and organizations across the Southeast, Emily provides direct assistance to community leaders, economic developers, resource providers, entrepreneurs, and youth. Ranging from team facilitation, intensive programmatic research & modeling, entrepreneurial ecosystem assessments, and event coordination, STV strives to offer programs in the most approachable and affordable means possible.

Meet Emily Breedlove, President & Lead Consultant

Emily is a Branding Specialist and Growth Strategist working directly with businesses, non-profits, higher-education institutions, and government agencies. She is a Consultant who specializes in building the framework, platforms, and partnerships needed to foster innovative local economies.

Having spent the past 15+ years working in small business support and community development, Emily has been fortunate enough to have experienced this space from both the entrepreneurial approach and the resource provider perspective. She has been working with programs such as the SBA funded ScaleUp WNC program, the new Certified Entrepreneurial Communities Program through Creative Economic Development Consulting, and is the host of the Show Me the Money Conference + Funding Expo, Mompreneur Gathering, and Authentic Communities Summit.

Emily currently serves as the President of FemCity Asheville, a professional networking, training, and mentoring program serving women entrepreneurs of the Greater Asheville Area. She is a member of the leadership team for the Asheville 1 Million Cups, is a certified trainer in the REAL Entrepreneurship (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) Curriculum, and serves as Board Treasurer for The Sequoyah Fund, the Community Development Financial Institution for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Emily is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, providing support in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development. She has been a trainer and Keynote for the Brushy Fork Institute at Berea College since 2013, teaching on Entrepreneurship, Tourism, and Marketing.

Prior to her current entrepreneurial ventures, Emily served as the Director of the Certified Entrepreneurial Communities® Program with the AdvantageWest Economic Development Group, Marketing Professor at Southwestern Community College, and the Founder of the Center for New Mountain Business. Emily is passionate about working one-on-one with rural communities and entrepreneurs to develop strategies for collaborative progress and then catalyzing those initiatives with authenticity, innovation and a deep respect for cultural values.

Programmatic Experience

Emily Breedlove has been active in communities across the Southeast, Midwest, and Appalachia since 2007 and her background of experience covers a lot of the following:

  • Business Growth Strategies
  • Branding Consultation
  • Business Plan Competitions
  • Youth Business Plan Competitions
  • Revolving Loan Funds
  • Mentoring Groups
  • Networking Events
  • Technical Training & Assistance
  • Sector/Cluster focused assistance
  • Hosting and Advising on Events
  • Entrepreneurship Networks
  • Buy Local Campaigns
  • Community Leadership Engagement
  • Main Street Revitalization
  • Youth Entrepreneurship & Leadership Development