Meet Our Entrepreneurs
Marcus Buggs
CONEHEADS
Marcus Buggs is a 2016 graduate of The Academy. As a Nashville native, he has a passion for connecting new residents of the city with historic Nashville food in a way that brings the community together. He embodied our “Start Small and Start Now” philosophy by launching a catering business to test his recipes and grow his clientele.
After growing his business organically for a few years, he launched his brick-and-mortar restaurant, Coneheads, on Dickerson Road to rave reviews.
It’s going so well (even during the pandemic) that Marcus paid it forward and covered the cost of five food entrepreneurs to go through The Academy.
Follow Marcus’s story
Honey Simmons
WORLD OF REPTIGURL
Our Academy Alumna, Honey Simmons, has created quite a unique mobile business: a reptile and insect petting zoo! World of ReptiGurl started as a passion project and after much encouragement from friends and family, Honey enrolled in The Academy and took her love of animals and children and turned it into a successful business!
So what does the World of ReptiGurl actually do?
“We bridge the gap between the natural world and urban world by teaching about reptiles and insects and how they are vital to our ecosystem and life. We have shows, animal encounters, and community outreach opportunities everywhere we go.”
Honey absolutely adores sharing her animals and vast knowledge with those around her. She offers private event bookings for things like birthday parties, and also does pop ups throughout the community. She loves to see people’s reactions when she does her thing, and when they get to meet her animals.
Since turning her passion into a consistently growing business, Honey has learned and experienced a lot. “The Academy taught me not to sell myself or my business short, to see the worth in it and believe in it. Without The Academy, I wouldn’t be where I am now in my business, nor would my business be as successful as it is today.”
To support the growth of unique and valuable businesses like Honey’s, consider investing in Corner to Corner.
