Ashley Anderson, WinePort App Creator

SFP Editor: What inspired you to create a wine app?

Ashley Anderson: I was traveling along a wine trail in Virginia and realized there was not a comprehensive guide to all the wineries in Virginia. I tend to "think big" then I discovered there was no guide to all the wineries in the United States. There are thousands of wine trails that offer short adventures but a lot of smaller wineries are left out of the trails due to cost. There are a lot of wine apps based on regions but who wants hundreds of apps for each location they travel to? Access Interview

Audrey Silva, Lindt Chocolate RSVP Consultant

SFP Editor: What inspired you to be a chocolate business consultant?

Audrey Silva: I grew up in the restaurant business and am presently pursuing ACF certification as a professional chef. I was seeking a way to fund my own bread and pastry shop when I was presented with the Lindt Chocolate RSVP opportunity. As a chef, I was already aware of the reputation of the company and of the chocolate as being the finest in the world -- how could I pass up this chance? Access Interview

Jennifer Edwards: Norwex Consultant, making your home healthy!

SFP Editor: What is Norwex?

Jennifer Edwards: Established in 1994 in Norway, the Norwex mission is to improve quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning. Norwex offers a line of non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products. Their high quality, antibacterial microfiber cloths allow you to clean your home with just WATER, thereby saving time, money, reducing your exposure to harmful chemicals, and helping our planet. Access Interview

Chris Katopis, technology/IP attorney and founder of Capitol Game Science Media, makers of the iPhone Voting Card

SFP Editor: What inspired you to develop the iPhone Voting Card app?
Chris Katopis: As an intellectual property attorney, for years I helped other creative people secure their rights, such as copyrights, patents and trademarks. One day I realized that I had creative aspirations that I wanted to protect myself. I realized that the mobile software app space was was exciting and offered a lot of opportunities for a variety of user experiences. Voting Card was a result of my experiences in Washington, politics, and working in tech policy.

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Lowell Nerenberg, Leadership Coach

SFP Editor: What is an executive leadership coach?

Lowell Nerenberg: In my opinion, a good executive leadership coach is someone with the background, experience, expertise, intuition, and interpersonal communication skills to understand a leader well enough to serve as an effective resource and catalyst for the leader to achieve his or her personal and organizational objectives. There is a lot more that goes into defining the coach-client relationship and the activities involved. Suffice it to say, for now -- confidentiality, safety, and trust are essential. Access Interview

Shadi and Bahram, Owners of Modern Rust Furniture

SFP Editor: What is Modern Rust?

Shadi and Bahram: Modern Rust was created on the belief that with a little patience and creativity, an unwanted piece of lumber could be reborn as something functional, worthwhile and wonderful. Modern Rust originals are handcrafted in small batches from waste or rescued construction lumber. Our water-based stains and finishes are hand-applied, rendering each finished piece an exquisite individual. Modern Rust pieces are designed to accommodate those living in a small studio or a country estate alike. Troublesome assembly and transfers are a thing of the past and since green furniture remains at an unattainable price point for most, Modern Rust has been modeled to bridge the gap by offering an affordable green furniture line. Both modern and rustic, Modern Rust's style is Farmhouse, re-defined. Access Interview

Stacey Solovey of Solovey jewelery

SFP Editor: What is the best advice you can give customers on purchasing Antique and Estate jewelry?

Stacey Solovey: The best advice that I can offer customers on purchasing antique and estate jewelry is to make sure the piece is not a reproduction. There are many designers making good reproduction jewelry. If one is looking for something antique than they do not want a reproduction. Do not trust the store that you're purchasing from. The store buyer could say that the piece is antique but it might only be 50 years old. To be an antique it must be 100 years old. We know at Solovey's what to look for to identify the repros from the authentic. Usually if a customer wants an antique piece than they do not want the repro. I suggest asking family and friends for referrals to reputable stores. Yelp is a good internet source to check if a store is reputable. Access Interview

Life Coach Houkje Ross

SFP Editor: How do you define "Life Coach?

Houkje Ross: A life coach helps individuals to reach a specific goal or to develop a vision for their life. A life coach can help you to take stock of your skills and abilities as well as uncover your passions or the things that give you the most joy.

Many times, people will know only that they feel stuck or dissatisfied with their lives...but not know how to move out of that feeling. A life coach is someone who is trained to ask questions, listen, reflect, and offer specific suggestions to help move a person through change. A life coach can help you to dissolve limiting beliefs that may be holding you back, explore what you would like to create in your life, and guide you through the steps needed to make your new vision a reality. Access Interview

Peter (Panagos) Lechareas, olive product entrepreneur.

SFP Editor: How did you get involved in the olive oil business?

Peter: My family has owned the land and olive trees in Greece for over four generations. The olives have always been harvested and processed for family and local consumption. However, I returned from my last trip home with several kilos of olive oil and the response that I received from friends who received the olive oil as gifts convinced me to import it here for sale. Access Interview

Dr. Angie Snyder, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

SFP Editor: What is your approach to mental wellness?

Dr. Angie Snyder: I believe in the importance of meeting a client where they are in their life, psychologically speaking, and helping them to do the same through listening and understanding (affectively as well as intellectually) what's brought them to where they are in their lives. This involves helping the person to slow down so as to attend to their inner world. We all have certain assumptions and automatic ways of viewing ourselves and others and behaving according to these beliefs. When someone reaches the point where they are distressed or feeling stuck, these underlying belief systems and ways of coping might not be working any longer for them.

In therapy, I work with people to better understand what might be operating unconsciously that leads them to make choices that are unfulfilling or downright self-destructive. This involves looking at the person's history and childhood, as well as current relationships and lifestyle. Through this process, I help people develop better coping skills, which can include increasing one's ability to identify, regulate, and manage emotions as well as to cognitively think about their life and choices with more freedom and compassion. Access Interview

Brian Uher, Amicus Consulting Services

SFP Editor: What inspired you to start Amicus Consulting Services?

Brian Uher: Absence. There was an absence in the marketplace of entities putting the pieces together. Traditional development and construction is so cognitively fragmented, it is a near-miracle that anything that gets built stands or functions well. What we do at Amicus Consulting Services is solve the infill and retrofit challenges of residential building. This means single and multi-family energy efficiency, add-on construction, gut rehab, infill, material supply, etc. It's our focus. We handle design, specifications, construction documentation, material supply and project oversight in-house. Access Interview

Olympia of Miracles in the City

SFP Editor: What inspired you to open Miracles hair salon?

Olympia: Miracles pretty much landed on my lap by divine intervention, thus the name Miracles. I was a single mother with two very young kids, recently divorced and had $83 to my name. When I found out that the location was available, I went to the landlord, filled out my financial credentials, handed it over to the assistant and started to laugh... he asked me what was so funny, and I replied it would be a MIRACLE if the landlord leases the space to me. Access Interview and Visit Website.

Drew Potterfield, manager of the Long View Gallery

SFP Editor: What is the Long View Gallery and how did it become established in Logan Circle?

Drew Potterfield: The Long View Gallery is a contemporary art gallery focused mainly on figurative work by local and regional artists. The Logan Circle location is the sister gallery to our original space in Sperryville, VA. After nearly 10 successful years in business in VA, Long View Gallery decided to expand into Washington, DC a little over 2 years ago. We chose the Logan Circle neighborhood as our home because of its tight knit community, metro accessibility and expanding population. Access Interview and Visit Website. Contact Drew at info@longviewgallery.com .

Liber Antiquus, Early Imprinted Books

SFP Editor: How did you become an antique book dealer?

Paul M. Dowling: The same way you pursue anything, really. You fall in love with something that you find meaningful and then you sacrifice all of your available time to it. The payoff is that, even after a frustrating day (and I have them, believe me), you still have the most amazing job. Just try saying "I'm an antiquarian bookseller" next time someone at happy hour asks you what you do for work. Access Interview and Visit Website

Paul Nagel, Your Mortgage Banker!

SFP Editor: How did you get involved in the mortgage business?

Paul Nagel: I enjoy helping clients, wanted a lot of variety and constant challenges, and have a good deal of experience structuring financial transactions, so mortgage banking was a natural career choice for me. When I was in a position to make the career move, I looked into 300 (actually 297) of the mortgage companies in the area, I found First of America was hands down the best organization, for many reasons. I was lucky enough for them to take me on board, and the rest, so to speak, is history. Access Interview

Authentically Amish

SFP Editor: What is Authentically Amish?

Chris StPierre: Authentically Amish is a unique furniture store in Alexandria, VA, which opened for business in June 2001. The store offers a variety of solid oak and pine furniture at reasonable prices. All of our furniture is handcrafted by the Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Access Interview and Visit Website

John Wilhelm, Your Accountant

SFP Editor: What do you find exciting about taxes?

John Wilhelm: I do not even know where to begin! When most people think of taxes, they think of the federal and state taxes withheld from their paychecks. They might even think about the social security and Medicare taxes also withheld from their paychecks. These taxes are all examples of personal income taxes, but personal income taxes are only the tip of the iceberg! In addition to personal income taxes, there are real estate taxes, car taxes, sales taxes, luxury taxes, gift taxes, estate taxes, corporate income taxes, value added taxes, commuter taxes, gasoline taxes, and many others. Access Interview

Robert Cavanaugh, Your Local Sommelier!

SFP Editor: Why did you become a sommelier?

Robert Cavanaugh: I began my career right out of college at Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City as an Assistant Manager in the Food and Beverage Department. After an ambitious study of the city’s competing management I realized that few people actually knew anything about wine, and that might be a good way to make a name for myself. My personal knowledge of the subject was that it usually came in bottles, it was sometimes red and sometimes white, and mostly had corks…the same corks that became horribly mangled and shredded after my hackneyed attempt to dislodge them from the bottle with my clunky corkscrew, often breaking the cork off in the process. I searched around for a good wine institute, talked my supervisors into letting me take the bus up to Windows on The World at the World Trade Center in New York every week for several months to study with the highly regarded Kevin Zraly, and found my passion was less in the casino business and turning more towards wine. Access Interview and Visit Website

Alexandra Fields, Vegetarian and cooking teacher! Lobbyist

SFP Editor: What is vegetarian?

Alexandria Fields: I think there are a few definitions of vegetarian. I am not very particular about it nor do I condemn those who eat meat. There are the no meat yes fish veggies. There are the strictly no animals. There are the Vegans who do not do milk products, some that eat eggs some that do not . Those are the basic categories. Access Interview

Sandy Greene, Founder of Table to Table

SFP Editor: What inspired you to start Table to Table?

Sandy Greene: I went to LAcadamie de Cuisine in 1994, and had been cooking for awhile, but always loved massages so I went to The Baltimore School of Massage at night while I was working at Le Bon Cafe during the day. The idea to combine the two was actually from a friend. Learn more by contacting Sandy at 1greenes@msn.com Access Interview