Multimedia space within HOTspot on 59.

Photo by Jessica Vaughn

When a meeting is going on, the paintings come down and a whiteboard goes up, ready for a brainstorming session.

Photo by Jessica Vaughn

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FOLEY - The HOTspot on 59 is located within the original Onlooker building (217 North McKenzie Street, Foley), and CEO/Attorney Angela Grace is hoping to put the creative energy within to good use towards helping local entrepreneurs reach their goals.

“Our mission at the HOTspot is to help our members access their marketplace whether it is local or global,” Grace said. “Our goal is to help our members identify and realize their professional goals. We will help take members from start to finish no matter what stage they are at in their business or idea, and we are committed to our members getting the appropriate services for them to thrive in whatever they choose.”

What started as a simple idea for a coworking space quickly grew as Grace began making connections within the community and came to realize a need for a business consultant in the area, a place where entrepreneurs could go to seek advice, tips, and warnings in every aspect of owning and operating a business. Thus, the HOTspot on 59 was created. The space is a full-service virtual community that helps entrepreneurs start and scale their business, while providing them with “infrastructure, guidance, and support so they can avoid the common mistakes entrepreneurs typically make,” according to its Facebook.

To meet that end, the HOTspot comes equipped with everything entrepreneurs need to begin their dream career, filed down into three main tiers: sales and marketing, professional services, and support.

Within the HOTspot, a full media studio is offered where podcasts and video content can be filmed, edited, and marketed.

“Marketing is extremely important,” Grace said. “It doesn’t matter if you put your business out there in flyer form or if you put it on Instagram, you need strategic marketing. Who’s your customer, where are they, what’s going to reach them, how do you know your marketing is effective? We help support entrepreneurs through finding the answers to these questions and plan campaigns to reach new customers. With the internet you can have an unlimited customer base in certain businesses.”

Once the questions are answered, how do you actually put the information to good use to help expand and grow your business? That’s where professional services comes in, to help keep businesses moving in the right direction.

“Professional and legal services are offered here onsite,” Grace said. “Most people need the structure, because they may have a great idea and have gotten traction, but now they’re wondering what licenses they need, do they need to incorporate, what bank account should they use, what taxes will they need to pay, all which are important questions to new business owners.”

Grace states one of the most important things for any entrepreneur is having a strong support system to help them press forward and to not lose sight or give in on their dream business. To this end, the HOTspot offers a creative, community vibe where fellow entrepreneurs can gather to discuss ideas, share thoughts and designs, and swap stories of both success and do-overs.

“If you go to the HOTspot Facebook you can watch interactive webinars and podcasts, and we’ll do more in the future as our community grows,” Grace said.

One of the first outreaches within the community for the HOTspot was having seniors from Foley High School visit the business to discuss their own projects and entrepreneurships among their peers. Grace stated many of the students already had plans or online shops that could easily expand in the future, and she hopes the students, along with any entrepreneur in Baldwin County, knows that professional consulting is available to them right here in Foley.

“We want to be a catalyst for bringing people together and then launching their businesses into the community,” said Grace. “That’s what we’re doing, we’re bringing people in, we’re helping to make them successful, and then we’re spinning them out and they’re going into the community able to say that they’re helping it grow, and this is where it started.”

For more information on the HOTspot on 59, visit their Facebook page.