Moizelle of Sarasota County

Local entrepreneurs and business owners all have had unique experiences that have inspired them to do incredible things within their communities. For Krisha Mota, owner of Moizelle, her story began when she found herself unemployed but inspired.

Starting her own business was always a dream Mota had, but the risk had always seemed too high, until recently. That is when Moizelle, an eco-friendly retail boutique in Englewood that sells lifestyle items such as home accessories and home décor, was born.

“I was just at a point where it was a great opportunity,” she said. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do but the risk seemed too big.”

Although she had the drive, Mota still needed the tools to launch her business. She reached out to the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida and was connected to consultant Pat Gordon.

“When I contacted Pat it was really like ‘hey I want a retail store, I kind of have an idea of what I want, I’ve started a business plan (I thought). Can you help?,’ so I met with her and she really went through startup cost, break-even analysis, where to set up the shop; you know, all the different things I need to do,” Mota said.

Moizelle has only been open for two months, but has seen significant results from Gordon and Mota’s hard work. “My biggest success is making it through the first couple of months,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time. It feels good.”

Mota says that she was able to break even in her first two months of business. “Even after I opened Pat came here to meet with me and then we went over my Internet site, so I’ve been able to grow my Internet sales as well.”

As time goes on, Mota hopes to continue inspiring her daughter – who the store is named after – and to learn more from the Florida SBDC at USF. Specifically, Mota would like to learn and study more about distribution, which is one of the many things her and consultant Gordon will work on next.

“I want to know more about exclusive distributorship for retail,” she said. “That’s something I really didn’t know anything about. I realized I’ll need it. It’s a very small community. I want to stay exclusive, stay unique; and so I don’t really know how to navigate that. I don’t know what’s typical.”

Mota is thrilled to have found the Florida SBDC at USF when she finally decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurism. “They have great advice,” she said. “Pat’s been just wonderful…if you just bring them your information, there’s no judgment.”