When the head of a beloved preschool announced her retirement, teachers and families were heartbroken at the thought of losing this cherished resource for children ages two to five years old.

That’s when teacher Hannah Lindsay decided to make the leap from classroom to entrepreneurship and re-imagine this local institution as the Bradley Street Playschool, located in Abingdon, Virginia.

After spending 16 years in the classroom teaching the area’s youngest learners, Hannah was not planning on becoming a business owner. “My husband and I didn’t have a financial plan in place for opening a business, but the parents at the preschool encouraged us to reach out to People Incorporated to discuss a loan,” Hannah said. “The team at People Inc. walked us through all the paperwork that we would need and guided us through the entire process.”

The biggest challenge Hannah faced when opening Bradley Street Playschool was the timeline. With the previous school closing in May and the need to reopen in August, getting the loan approved quickly was a must. “People Inc. was in our corner from the start, ensuring that we could make this happen on an almost impossible timeline,” she said.

Today, Hannah is enjoying her new role as a business owner.  She is most proud of maintaining Bradley Street Playschool’s mission to give kids the opportunity to develop a love of learning. “One of the nice things about being in a small town is that these kids are going to be together for almost their entire educational career. Our goal is to give them a sense of community, starting at age two, that they can grow together and take with them as they go on.”