Aviatra Incubator helps women entrepreneurs grow their business

COVINGTON, Ky. — A Cincinnati-based business development service provides affordable, below-market rate office spaces to help women grow their businesses. 

For entrepreneur Alexia Zigoris, founder of The High Road leadership consulting, her new office at the Aviatra Incubator allows her to focus and fully invest in her company.

“I have everything I need here; my books are here,” she said. “My work is here. It’s a sacred and safe space for me to really help people move forward and grow.” 

Zigoris has been a leadership coach for years. But like many entrepreneurs, she was working out of her home in search of a perfect and affordable space to meet clients.

“I’ve been working out of the dining room table or a second bedroom, constantly moving things around,” Zigoris said. “But here, everything is accessible. I can walk in, shut the door and get focused.” 

Aviatra Accelerators, a Cincinnati-based organization, expanded to northern Kentucky in 2016. Seeing a need for female entrepreneurs struggling to find affordable commercial space, they decided to offer below-market rate office rentals. 

“My strategy of meeting clients at coffee shops to a professional office space, there’s a big financial gap there,” said Jill Morenz, president of Aviatra. “We are filling that gap below our below-market rate, short-term office space rentals.” 

Finding affordable commercial space has long been a challenge for small businesses. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, commercial rent can increase anywhere from 7% to 26% annually, with higher spikes in popular, walkable neighborhoods. Aviatra’s new initiative offers a solution by providing office and co-working spaces, access to networking, mentorship and rentable conference areas.

For Zigoris, the incubator is the perfect space to not only build her dream but to help others discover theirs.

“It’s a six-month lease, which gives me time to test it out, see if it’s working for me, and ultimately move on to a permanent space — hopefully, in the community, where I can continue to be part of the ecosystem they’re building,” she said.