The Biz Hero Solutions Lab:
Solving What Matters
June 8, 2026 Asheville NC

The Biz Hero Solutions Lab The Biz Hero Solutions Lab
The Biz Hero Solutions Lab
$10.00

Solving What Matters

A hands-on gathering for Western North Carolina entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and purpose-driven organizations ready to tackle real challenges—not just talk about them.

Participants who attend and fully engage will also be eligible for pro bono support from our network of subject matter experts—including opportunities like Biz Hero’s Jumpstart Program, where $10,000–$20,000 in strategic services is invested into a WNC organization ready for its next phase.

🎟️ Your Ticket = Direct Impact
The entry cost is a $10 donation to Biz Hero’s Q1 pro bono client, The Collective, helping support their continued work in WNC.

If cost is a barrier, you’re always welcome to email (hello@bizherohq.com) for a discount code—access matters.

📍 The Restoration Rooftop, Asheville, NC
📅 June 8, 2026
🕐 1:00–5:00 PM

** Seats are intentionally limited to keep the experience interactive.

Why Attend

This is not another networking event.

The Biz Hero Solutions Lab is designed for people doing meaningful work who need fresh thinking, practical support, and the right people in the room. Created as part of the Truist Foundation 2025 - 2026 Fellowship, powered by Watson Institute with generous support provided by The Collective, HERS LLC, Balanced Virtually, Found Forward, AB-Tech Small Business Center, Honeycreek Pottery, Amp’d Designs, Enneagram School of Awakening, and more!

Bring the challenge that is keeping you stuck:

  • growth

  • visibility

  • funding

  • leadership

  • burnout

  • partnerships

  • operations

  • messaging

Leave with:

✅ clearer priorities
✅ practical ideas
✅ trusted connections
✅ new momentum

UNLOCK ONGOING SUPPORT:
BEYOND THE SOLUTIONS LAB

The impact doesn’t end when the event does.

Participants who attend and fully engage in the Biz Hero Solutions Lab will be eligible for pro bono services donated by our network of subject matter experts—designed to help you move from ideas to implementation.

This includes opportunities like:

Biz Hero’s Jumpstart Program
A signature initiative where we at Biz Hero invest deeply in one WNC organization ready for its next phase—donating $10,000–$20,000 in strategic services to help accelerate growth and impact. LEARN MORE —>

Expert Led Support
Access to specialized guidance, tools, and resources across areas like strategy, marketing, operations, fundraising, and leadership—offered by experienced professionals aligned with your mission.

Ongoing Momentum
Selected participants receive continued collaboration and hands-on support to ensure the ideas sparked in the lab turn into real progress.

How it Works:

Eligible participants will be identified based on engagement, readiness, and alignment during the lab experience. More details will be shared during and after the event.

What to Expect inside the Lab

Three Energy Modes Power The Biz Hero Solutions Lab Experience

Connection
Storytelling, guided conversation, and visible challenge mapping.

Collaboration
Peer labs with experts where real problems get worked out.

Curiosity
Creative exercises designed to unlock better thinking.

Meet the Solutions Lab Subject Matter Experts

  • Johanna Hagarty (JPH)


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Business & Nonprofit Development

    Johanna (JPH) is a business and nonprofit development strategist with over 15 years of experience helping purpose-driven organizations grow with clarity, funding, and lasting impact. As the primary strategist and client-facing lead at Biz Hero, she has helped generate over $500M in qualified leads and secure millions in funding by blending creative roots in the arts with deep expertise in marketing, partnerships, and the Mission Critical Method™—a system designed to turn complex growth into sustainable, mission-aligned success.

  • Kent Spillmann


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Operations & Project Management

    Kent Spillmann is an operations and project management expert who combines a degree in Organizational Psychology, a minor in Business, IBM certifications in Data Analysis and Enterprise Design Thinking, and over 20 years of experience as a professional musician to help teams turn big ideas into executed results. As COO of Biz Hero, he brings a unique blend of real-world sales experience and creative energy to build systems, partnerships, and teams that are not only efficient but deeply aligned and built to last.

  • Ali McGhee, PhD


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Personal Development & Leadership

    Ali is an expert in Enneagram-based leadership, blending somatic practice, creativity, and psychology to help individuals and organizations deepen self-awareness and transformation. As Director of The Enneagram School of Awakening and author of The Embodied Enneagram, she leads certifications, trainings, and retreats that integrate creative expression with practical tools. She also co-hosts Slumber Party on Asheville FM, CreativeMornings Asheville, and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives through Appalachian Convergence Lab.

  • Duane Adams


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Strategy & Development

    Duane C. Adams is a small business strategy and entrepreneurial development expert with over a decade of experience at A-B Tech’s Small Business Center, where he has delivered more than 6,000 hours of counseling and helped launch nearly 200 businesses. As Associate Director, he is known for turning complex challenges into clear, actionable steps—equipping entrepreneurs and nonprofits with practical business models, community connections, and the tools needed to build profitable, sustainable ventures.

  • Rachel Affrich


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Growth Strategy & Marketing Systems

    Rachel is a growth strategy and marketing systems expert with 14 years of experience helping service-based founders scale with clarity and confidence. As Founder of Found Forward, she has supported brands like BetterHelp and has helped generate over $15M in growth by diagnosing what’s truly holding businesses back and building the systems that drive sustainable, aligned results. She is also a co-founder at Hive Ambition, a membership community for ambitious female founders.

  • Ashley Lieb


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Creative Production & Partnerships

    Ashley is an expert in creative production and partnerships, building a successful pottery business through events and community-driven experiences. As the owner of HoneyCreekPottery, she creates functional and decorative ceramics for sustainable and music-inspired households. With a BA in Art and minors in Health & Wellness and Psychology, she designs scalable, creative experiences that foster connection, well-being, sustainable business growth, and creative expression.

  • Alyssa Phillips


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Branding & Creative Direction

    Alyssa is an expert in brand strategy and visual design, helping established businesses elevate their identity through thoughtful, high-impact branding, websites, visual imagery, and packaging. As the owner of Amp’d Designs, she combines a formal design background with deep strategic insight and a refined process to guide organizations through their next phase of growth with clarity, consistency, and elevated creative execution.

  • Veronica Edwards, CPA


    SUBJECT EXPERTISE:
    Finances & Administration

    Veronica Edwards is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a finance and bookkeeping expert who has spent over 20 years helping businesses turn messy numbers into clear, confident decisions with real, practical advice, humility, and humor. As Founder and CEO of Balanced Virtually LLC and The Veronica Edwards Show, she brings corporate experience together with a passion for teaching and empowering entrepreneurs—especially small, minority, and women-owned businesses—to build strong, sustainable financial foundations.

Day of Events Schedule

  • Arrive, settle in, and jump into a simple self-guided activity designed to introduce the lab’s collaborative problem-solving theme.

  • A brief opening to share logistics, set expectations, and frame the afternoon. Then onto a guided interactive exercise to help participants reflect on their mission, current work, and one challenge they are actively navigating.

  • Refresh, stretch, and connect informally.

  • Our featured speaker and Event Producer, Johanna Hagarty shares perspective and practical insight on purpose-driven leadership and solving complex challenges.

    Followed by instructions for the next session and transition into small peer learning groups led by expert business advisors.

  • Small-group sessions where participants bring their defined challenges to the table and work through ideas together led by expert business and nonprofit advisors.

  • A short reset before the final session.

  • Local subject matter experts respond to themes emerging from the lab and offer practical guidance.

  • Stay, connect, and continue conversations in a relaxed setting overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains and downtown Asheville.

Thank you to our Sponsors and Partners