• Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Flickr
  • Slideshare
  • Rss
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
SBDC Tampa Bay
  • Home
  • Solutions
    • Certifications
      • Business Certifications
      • Minority-Owned Business
      • Woman-Owned Business
      • Veteran-Owned Business
    • Consulting & Training
      • Training
      • Training Calendar
      • Consulting
      • Schedule a Consultant
    • Business Solutions
      • Growth Acceleration
      • Government Contracting
      • International Trade
      • Starting Your Business
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Student Teams
      • Organizational Development
  • Resources
    • Business Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Insights
    • Blog
    • Media Inquiries
  • About Us
    • Mission / Vision
    • Consultants
    • Meet the Staff
    • Meet Our Clients
    • Partners / Affiliates
  • Training
    • Training Calendar
    • On-Demand Training
  • Results
    • Success Stories
    • Economic Impact
  • Locations
    • Tampa
    • Hillsborough
    • Hernando County
    • Pinellas County
    • Highlands, Hardee, DeSoto
    • Polk County
    • Manatee
    • Sarasota
  • Contact
  • Schedule a Consultant
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Blog

Moving company on the road to future growth

Featured News, SBDC News, Success Stories

O’Lakers Moving of Hillsborough County

Moving company on the road to future growthAlthough Mark O’Laker said he stumbled into the moving industry by accident in 1989, 30 years later he has turned that accident into a successful Bay area business.

O’Laker is the owner of O’Lakers Moving, a long-distance service provider, and 3 Guys Moving, a local in-state moving and storage company.

After his business suffered a loss due to Hurricane Irma in 2017, he turned to the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida for help acquiring a State of Florida Emergency Bridge Loan.

“[The bridge loan] was instrumental in getting us back on our feet after tons of jobs, as you can imagine, came off of our board due to the hurricane,” O’Laker said.

Though he initially sought out a loan, he quickly realized that the Florida SBDC at USF had so much more to offer to help rejuvenate his business.

“[The Florida SBDC at USF] has also put us in touch with some resources that I didn’t know were available to us, like advice on hiring, marketing, and accounting. They even offer actual QuickBooks accounting classes that I did not know were available to us.”

The Bridge Loan was not the only financial assistance to which the Florida SBDC at USF helped O’Laker with.

“SBDC has also assisted us in getting a loan from a local bank,” he said. “This helped us out tremendously in getting rid of our high interest debt and moving into something a little more reasonable. That has helped us out a lot with cash flow.”

O’Laker said he will continue to seek out the advice of the Florida SBDC at USF for the good of his business.

“We just finished phase one of the Growth Acceleration service offered by the SBDC,” he said. “I think it is going very well and we are looking to take advantage of phase two, which is going to help a lot with marketing to reach those goals that we have been trying to achieve.”

As he continues business growth with the help of the Florida SBDC at USF, he said he can’t speak highly enough of his experience to fellow business owners.

“I have been telling a lot of my friends who are business owners about the Florida SBDC,” he said. “Just like me, they didn’t know that it was available. There is so much value there and so many different ways that small businesses can benefit just by making the trip down, making a few phone calls, and getting involved.”

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://sbdctampabay.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/OLakers-Pic.jpg 1080 1586 admin /wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Locked-Host-Logos-Horizontal-USF-Small-e1635274663378.png admin2019-04-05 14:43:222021-12-15 02:20:21Moving company on the road to future growth
Subscribe to Newsletter

Categories

  • Business Essentials
  • Business Plans
  • Buying a Business
  • Certifications
  • COVID-19
  • Crowdfunding
  • Disaster Preparedness
  • Economic Development
  • Finance
  • Government Contracting
  • Growing Your Business
  • Healthcare
  • Human Resources
  • International Trade
  • Marketing
  • Press Releases
  • Radio and Podcast
  • Starting a Business
  • Success Stories
  • Success Stories Videos
  • Tech Commercialization/Tech Transfer
  • Veteran
  • Web and Social Media

Contact Us

Regional Office Contact Info

USF CONNECT
3802 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 201
Tampa, FL 33612

813-396-2700

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Florida SBDC Network

The Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide partnership program nationally accredited by the Association of America’s SBDCs and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, State of Florida, and other private and public partners, with the University of West Florida serving as the network’s lead host institution. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for limited English proficient individuals.

Logos

Business Assistance

USFMuma

State Designated as Florida’s Principal Provider of Business Assistance [§ 288.01, Fla. Stat.]

© Florida SBDC at USF | contact webmaster
5 Ways to Retain Generation Z5 Ways to Retain Generation ZThe Simple Guide to the Balance SheetThe Simple Guide to the Balance Sheet
Scroll to top