Archive for category: Featured Success Stories

The Story Garden of Pinellas County

For one lifelong educator, a love of children’s books blossomed into a business that is now inspiring young readers across St. Petersburg. Megan Kotsko, owner of The Story Garden, opened her bookstore with a simple yet powerful mission: to provide children from birth through age 12 with a space to discover stories, creativity, and the joy of reading. The store carries a wide variety of fiction, nonfiction, art supplies, and activity books—everything connected to sparking imagination in children.

With more than 20 years of teaching kindergarten and first grade, Kotsko knew firsthand the magic of reading to children. After raising her own kids at home, she decided it was time to take a leap of faith and pursue her dream of owning a bookstore.

To bring her vision to life, Kotsko partnered with the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) and business consultant Debra Schweikowsky. Together, they worked on marketing strategies, financial planning, and securing the right permits.

“She [Debra Schweikosky] has been instrumental in just guiding us and holding our hand through anything related to opening this children’s bookstore. She has helped us looking at our financials. She has helped us as far as setting opening dates, just looking at all the fine details of what it takes to open a business. She helped us dig into the permits that we needed. She helped us find the license we needed to carry snacks and drinks,” Kotsko said.

Most importantly, Schweikowsky assisted in obtaining the loan that made the business possible. “Working with Deb, with the Florida SBDC, we were given her guidance and that helped us navigate the loan application process and helped us obtain our loan. And also she helped us with some resources to obtain a line of credit, which was very helpful when opening a new business,” Kotsko explained.

Today, The Story Garden is flourishing. Families stop by regularly for story time, and children leave with books and activities that nurture a lifelong love of learning. “I find a lot of success in being a part of children’s lives in the community and building literacy within our community. It’s just a joy to see them walk through the door and say, hi Miss Megan, or the parents tell me that they wanted to come to The Story Garden to find new books. So being a part of the community and, um, and helping children find their love for reading has been my biggest success so far,” Kotsko said with a smile.

Moving forward, the business owner plans to use the Florida SBDC at PCED for more guidance. “As we continue to grow with The Story Garden, we will certainly continue meeting with Deb. Working with the Florida SBDC was instrumental in launching us, and I think it is going to be a very valuable resource for me as I continue learning and growing as a small business,” Kotsko said.

As for advice to other small business owners, Kotsko offers this: “I would tell other small business owners to find their local person with the Florida SBDC immediately. The minute that I started meeting with Debra monthly, just kept me on track. It gave me focus points. In working with her, it told me the next steps that I needed to do to keep myself going.”

“It was just having this incredible resource, obviously low cost, as it was a free resource, which is incredible for us. But it was really just a nice reassurance every month and it kind of also gave me that accountability. I function much better when I have that accountability. So, meeting with Deb kept us on track and it helped us meet our goals and our deadlines in order to open our doors,” she added.

The Story Garden is a reminder that with dedication and a great support system, a beautiful story can be written.

The Wine Garden of Polk County

When Lisa Brophy opened The Wine Garden on April 1, 2025, in Lakeland, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream. The wine and gourmet food retail market, complete with a wine bar, blends her passion for fine food and wine with her vision for creating a welcoming space for the community.

“I mean, it was the goal pretty much like all of my adult career life. I went to a Culinary Institute of America, and even while I was there, I was kind of formulating the idea of what I wanted to do in the future. And so that’s how this business, 30 years later, came to pass,” she shared.

To turn her dream into reality, Brophy connected with the Florida SBDC at USF and business consultant Greg Manning. “Greg was instrumental in actually helping me organize myself, figure out what my needs were, my documentation, my God, the, documentation that Greg gave me, the spreadsheets. I mean, oh my God, I could not have done it without him,” Brophy expressed with laughter.

Together, the business owner and her business consultant worked on detailed financial planning that helped her secure a commercial loan. “Once we were able to put all of that information together, I was able to present that to several financial institutions and was in fact offered a loan,” Brophy said. “I was actually offered an SBA loan. I ended up not having to go that route. I ended up going a different route through a private loan which again, I was able to acquire because of the various documents and spreadsheets and information that Greg helped me put together,” she added.

The funding acquired also helped the business owner cover contractor costs for remodeling her location and allowed her to hire a talented team. “If you ask me, my greatest success has been my team,” Brophy said. “That’s the thing that I’m most proud of, is the team members. This runs like a well-oiled machine at this point, and it’s not because of me, it’s because of the team,” she added.

Since opening, The Wine Garden has welcomed a steady stream of customers eager to explore its curated wine selection, gourmet offerings, and inviting atmosphere.

As she looks ahead, Brophy plans to continue working with the Florida SBDC at USF for guidance as her business grows and to use its various other services.“I’ll be using the Florida SBDC at USF student teams, that participate in assisting with marketing and advertising and consulting. And then I would love to utilize Greg’s talents at the end of this year for maybe doing an assessment of how we did this year and what we can do to possibly improve moving forward, how to, you know, streamline things as necessary, make sure that we’re profitable,” she mentioned.

As for advice to her fellow small business owners, Brophy had this to say: “Use them. I really didn’t know what to expect when I reached out to them and it was so reassuring. I was a deer caught in headlights. I really didn’t know how to open this business and Greg helped steer this ship. He listened to me and then, you know, didn’t come at me in a way that made me feel like I didn’t know what I was doing. He was extremely helpful and helped guide me according to what my needs were, and so I would absolutely recommend using them.”

DM Bakery Supplies of Hillsborough County

When Renzo Sciutto and his business partners launched DM Bakery Supplies, the vision was simple: make high-quality baking supplies accessible to bakers of all sizes—from home bakers to large-scale baking operations. What started as an idea sparked by a family need has since grown into a thriving business shipping products across 20 states.

“It was an idea for my brother and sister-in-law. They were living in Tampa at that moment and she’s a very talented baker. So, she noticed that it was kind of difficult to find quality products for her baking. So, with them and with my wife, we planned this business, and we started about a year ago,” Sciutto shared. “With them and with my wife, we planned this business, and we started about a year ago. Now, here we are.”

To help guide their new venture, Sciutto turned to the Florida SBDC at USF, where business consultant Jennifer Biles provided marketing strategy support and detailed market research.

“Jennifer has been a very helpful for us because she gave us a lot of advice and insights about the market. Data kind of stuff really help us to know more about the business and how we can face it, because we were new in town. So, this year with her help and the Florida SBDC at the USF team become a very good asset for us,” Sciutto said.

With this guidance, the business was able to fine-tune its strategy, reach more customers, and expand operations. Today, the company is not only serving the local community but has also expanded its reach across the country.

“Our biggest success so far is that in just one year, we not only sell in the store, but in our online store in almost 20 states, including Florida. So, we are growing, we are spreading our service for all America,” he added.

Looking ahead, the co-owner plans to continue using the Florida SBDC at USF as the business scales. “Maybe a new location. Maybe how to spread our market. Whatever comes to us as idea, I’m gonna share with you [Jennifer] and hear you up,” he said.

When asked if he would recommend the Florda SBDC at USF to his fellow small business owners, Sciutto happily expressed, “I absolutely and I already do recommend this service and this consultant service to not only every new business but business[es] ongoing who wants to develop a new market or discuss about new strategies or receive advices about the Florida market and the U.S. market. I totally recommend it, and I am very grateful with Jennifer and the SBDC team.”

Collective Circularity of Pasco County

When Christina Dills launched Collective Circularity, it wasn’t from a traditional business plan—it was sparked by a call to solve a problem. “This business, I think chose me. I was solving another problem using technology, solving an existing sustainability problem, and it led into other sustainability issues with waste and the increasing costs of it,” Dills said. What began as a tech solution addressing one sustainability issue quickly grew into a mission to help businesses repurpose and recycle their waste streams in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.

As the business gained momentum, Dills turned to the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida (USF) for guidance. Working with international trade specialist Pablo Arroyo, she received an Export Marketing Plan and a tailored customer database targeting international markets. Pablo then helped her establish contact with these prospects, leading to the company’s first international collaboration—with the SBDC in Guatemala.

“I use the information from the [Florida] SBDC [at USF] and Pablo’s help to really create the ecosystems that I needed to launch this type of operation,” Dills said. “The Florida SBDC at USF did an amazing export marketing plan for us, really highlighting, different markets that we could utilize,” Dills added.

Through that connection, Collective Circularity began repurposing resources in Guatemala and expanding their impact beyond U.S. borders. The momentum continued as the company secured a major opportunity—launching a national program with a large retailer focused on sustainable operations. “We were able to secure additional relationships with manufacturers outside the country that were able to work with the resource and materials that we were using, the recycled materials, and that was some things we were looking for,” Dills said.

Since partnering with the Florida SBDC at USF, Collective Circularity has not only grown its reach but deepened its mission. “We kind of replicated the program that we grew here locally, and now we are doing it in areas like Pensacola, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Texas, Tennessee and other areas. So, it’s only been expanding since then. And to have that support from the beginning, I think created the foundation that I needed to be able to scale what we’re doing,” Dills said.

The business owner plans to continue using the resources and guidance offered by the Florida SBDC at USF as her business grows exponentially. “Moving forward, I’m definitely gonna keep the SBDC close by since they’ve been doing such a great job in helping us plan for our growth, connecting us with the partners that we need – new markets that we didn’t even know existed,” Dills explained.

Dills plans to continue utilizing the Florida SBDC’s support as the company scales. Her advice to other entrepreneurs? “The first thing you should do is to contact your local SBDC and let them know what you’re working on and get that support right away ’cause it will save you a lot of time, give you the guidance you need, and really help you focus on where you should put your effort and your time; and help you get the resources together so that you can be a success,” she said.

From urgent problem to profitable purpose, Collective Circularity is proof that sustainability and business success can go hand in hand.

Vidl Work of Pinellas County

Natalie Johnson, co-founder of Vidl Work, built a firm with her business partner, Rebecca Johnson, dedicated to helping organizations intentionally shape and nurture high-performing workplace cultures. From one-time retreats to long-term culture partnerships, the company guides teams through transformations that elevate energy, prioritize connection on teams and help leaders choose courage—even amid significant changes or staff turnover.

“My business partner and I were in separate types of businesses experiencing the same thing, and we wanted to learn what’s really at the heart of people showing up and being able to perform at their highest potential,” Johnson said. “And what we discovered through focus groups and interviews was all the same kind of answers. I am overwhelmed at work and I don’t even have time to think about going to work out or taking care of myself or taking a break. And so we decided to focus on what we call today, is really the root cause of what gets in the way of people being able to show up and do their job, and that is culture,” Johnson added.

As the firm grew, the co-founders sought to expand into new markets—including government contracts—and connected with the Florida APEX Accelerator at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED). Through expert guidance from consultant Yolanda Goodloe, they began navigating the world of procurement, learning how to market their services to government entities, build strategic partnerships, and network with agencies looking for cultural transformation solutions.

“We have been able to use so much information that we have gotten from the Florida APEX Accelerator, and I think the conversation initially started in that we wanted to be able to do more with federal government, county government, and cities,” Johnson said. “Florida APEX Accelerator has been really helpful in the journey learning how we need to transition along with the environment so that we can continue to communicate and reach out in the most appropriate way. We need to continue to evolve,” she said.

Since partnering with the Florida APEX Accelerator, Vidl Work has grown its visibility and credibility in the contracting space. The firm has landed new opportunities and deepened its impact—something Johnson sees as just the beginning.

“Well, the business has grown since working with Florida APEX Accelerator in a number of different ways. The main way is that we now have won contracts. The other way, and the reason why we have won more contracts, is ’cause we know what we’re doing. And a thank you to Florida APEX [Accelerator] for that. So, we have a really nice process in place where we are bidding on projects on a regular basis,” Johnson said.

The business owner also mentioned how the Florida APEX Accelerator at PCED gave them the opportunity to use resources that were not easily available before. “We were able to receive subscriptions to Proxity and Niserra at no cost, and it came from the Florida APEX Accelerator,” Johnson said. “That has helped us grow quite a bit and we probably maintain, three to four active contracts at a time and we’re consistently continuing to bid on them as well. So lots of growth,” she added with a smile.

Looking ahead, Johnson plans to continue leveraging the support of the Florida APEX Accelerator to scale strategically and stay prepared for emerging opportunities.

“As we continue to grow our business, we will be using the Florida APEX Accelerator continually to help us grow because they have these great events like the reverse trade show,” Johnson said. “And then even more recently, we’ve realized we need to update our capability statement. It was awesome from when Yolanda helped us the first time, but now things have evolved in the industry and so now we need to update it and add some case studies,” she added.

To any business owner thinking government contracting, Johnson says: “For other small businesses just getting started, it can be so impactful to use the services at Florida APEX Accelerator because in the beginning there are contracts from different government, city, county and schools that need your services. But then the RFP is so overwhelming with the language and the number of pages. Florida APEX Accelerator can help weed through those and know what to focus on and know how to respond.”