WestWinds Venue LLC | Application Preview
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 11020158
Location: Covington, VA, United States
Length of Operation: 0
Number of Employees:
Annual Gross Income:
Annual Gross Expense:
Open to Loans: NO
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Funding Usage
The main lodge on the property needs bathroom renovations and decking for outside events. Money would be used to make renovations to the barn used for ceremonies and receptions. It needs a heating system, sound system, bathrooms with hot water and showers, a renovated kitchen to include stove, refrigerator, and sink for caterers to use. The one room cabin needs furnished and a porch. I would like to add 2 more small cabins for guests.
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Business Plan
This is my 27th year as an educator in the local elementary school. My goal is to retire in 3 years and run this Venue as my next venture! We are trying to build our business so that it is flourishing in 3 years. Since opening in May, we have hosted a prom, dance recital, and a Fall Festival as advertisement opportunities. We have built a website and Facebook page. We have been allowing local photographers to use our property with the agreement that they advertise for us. We have booked 3 weddings for the summer of 2021. As Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, we hope to be able to schedule more events. We started with 7 acres and acquired 151 more acres to include a barn with a ceremony/reception area, kitchen, 2 bathrooms. We have been clearing brush and opening new spaces for wedding ceremonies & other activities. We set up a camping area, a Lookout, bought cows and goats, have been baling hay for our animals and to sell. We also added a one room cabin for guests to use. We have been making renovations such as new walls made from pine trees cut off the property. We try to use what we have to make improvements and keep ourselves out of too much debt. I have furnished the ceremony/reception area in the barn with items purchased on Marketplace (trying to get good deals versus paying full price for new items). We are going to continue working hard every day, treating people right, and building connections with people and local businesses to help us grow. We are learning and growing with each event we host. My loyalty to this community is evident with my entire 27 years as a teacher at the same elementary school I attended as a child! My work ethic is known to everyone in our community. We have already transformed this farm since our purchase in February 2019 by hard work of clearing trees, brush,etc. We have done everything we could that didn't cost alot of money - any projects that we could do ourselves without having to pay someone else to do it. We are hard working people with a passion to make this Venue successful and share our blessings with others!
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Self Identified Competition
Our small town has two other Wedding Venues. Each of us have our own unique characteristics. The Farm at Glen Haven has a modern barn whereas mine is more rustic. The Merry Go Round Farm does not have an indoor location for ceremonies/receptions but does have a shelter and housing for guests. Each of our venues has its own unique atmosphere. Glen Haven is a small property with a beautiful barn. Merry Go Round is a larger property with more of a yard-like feel. Our venue, WestWinds, provides a much larger secluded area with a variety of choices for locations for events. Our mountain views are spectacular. The fact that the 3 venues offer such different atmospheres allows customers to choose exactly what they want for their wedding day, which is what it should be! I honestly do not see us as competing for business because we each offer such different experiences/opportunities - it just depends on what the customer is looking for to make their event exactly what they want. I explained some of our differences in the previous answer. Both of my competitors inherited their properties. I am paying the local bank for my property. I am a Kindergarten teacher and we all know teachers do not make a lot of money - we do what we do for the love of the kids, not for the money. The two competitors are blessed that they don't have a mortgage or land payment, but I also feel blessed that I have a mortgage payment and land payment! This has been a dream of mine for many years and it took jumping through lots of hoops and faith in God's plan to get to where I am now. I love what we are doing at WestWinds! I love working hard to make it all happen!
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