We closed the year on a high note at the final Fresh Start Mornings session of 2025 – a gathering that perfectly captured what this community is all about: entrepreneurs coming together to build better businesses, together.
Fresh Start Mornings is a monthly meetup for local entrepreneurs to brainstorm solutions, share experiences, and support each other. We combine casual networking, practical learning, and collaborative problem-solving to tackle real business challenges together. Each session features either an educational program or a founder story & challenge discussion where the group offers ideas, feedback, and encouragement.
A Special Year-End Format: Welcoming Back Three Founders
To celebrate the end of 2025, we invited three previous presenters to return and share how far they’ve come since they first joined our community – and what new challenges they’re navigating as they head into 2026. This full circle format perfectly reflects our mission: founders helping founders through honest conversations, shared experiences, and collective creativity.
Our returning entrepreneurs included:
Gleam Eyewear – A stylish, sustainability-focused eyewear brand.
- Since presenting: Gleam Eyewear became a member at Made Mercantile, offering the opportunity for real-time product testing and customer insights. Founder Eva Lester also graduated from the LaunchPad Bootcamp Series and completed HatchBridge Incubator’s Hatching Success program. Since her first FSM presentation, Gleam has been recognized in Refinery 29, North Georgia Living Magazine, and the UPS SMB Spotlight.
- Current challenge: Navigating increased costs without losing customers.
Bomb Babes – A beloved local bakery known for its signature cake bombs and creative custom treats.
- Since presenting: At her first FSM presentation, Katie Cruz asked the crowd how to remain unique while helping customers understand her product. Since her presentation, she completed the LaunchPad Bootcamp Series and launched a redesigned logo that streamlines and modernizes her brand. In addition to expanding their services and collaborating with other local businesses, Bomb Babes was awarded a Small Business Grant from Amazon and opened their first storefront at The Outlets Shoppes of Atlanta. Bomb Babes also recently became a venture in the North Atlanta Venture Mentoring Service.
- Current challenge: Honing marketing techniques to drive customers to their storefront.
VinoBarrel – A tech-forward wine experience built around accessibility, community, and discovery.
- Since presenting: They’ve expanded their offerings to include an exclusive wine club, pouring over 10,000 glasses of wine across 25 events and 10+ venues. Seth Lytle was invited to pitch at Atlanta Startup Village, hosted by Atlanta Tech Village, earning him a spot in the next round. He has also been actively involved with the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech. Under Seth’s leadership, VinoBarrel has grown to a team of 10, engineered and launched a fully connected dispensing system, delivered continuous improvements across hardware, firmware, and software, enabled hospitality partners to achieve up to 80% profit margins on wine sales, and secured deployments at high-visibility venues.
- Current challenge: Learning how to best and increasingly share founder-responsibilities with my team so we can scale in 2026.
Collective Problem-Solving in Action
The session quickly evolved into what Fresh Start Mornings does best – a room full of entrepreneurs asking smart questions, offering thoughtful feedback, and sharing real-life experiences.
Participants swapped insights on:
- Strengthening brand awareness through partnerships and social media
- Being intentional during the hiring process to build a team you trust
- Creating customer loyalty and building brand trust
- Partnering with other entrepreneurs in unexpected ways to reach a wider audience
Even founders whose businesses looked nothing like the presenters’ walked away with fresh, actionable ideas they could apply to their own operations. That’s the beauty of this community: challenges may differ, but growth is universal.
A Community Where Founders Help Founders
Throughout 2025, Fresh Start Mornings has continued to grow into a space where local businesses become stronger through collaboration. Entrepreneurs show up not just to take, but to give. Their presence, curiosity, and generosity shape a community where founders feel supported, understood, and encouraged.
The final session of the year was a reminder of why this matters. When business owners share openly, listen generously, and brainstorm together, growth accelerates – for everyone.
Looking Ahead to 2026
We’re excited to carry this momentum into next year with new founders, fresh challenges, and more opportunities for collaborative learning. Whether you’re launching something new, scaling something existing, or simply exploring entrepreneurship, Fresh Start Mornings is a place where you belong.
You don’t need to be an expert – just curious. Even if the day’s challenge isn’t your own, you’ll leave with fresh, actionable ideas you can apply to your own journey. We’re building a space where local businesses grow stronger together through honest conversations, shared experiences, and collective creativity.
Here’s to a powerful year of progress – and to building even better businesses, together, in 2026.
