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Caribbean Ingredient Innovates Health, Skincare, and Performance Recovery Solutions in Tampa Bay

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SprainGo of Hillsborough County

Caleb Williams, founder of SprainGo, is on the verge of transforming the health, skincare, and performance recovery industries with a revolutionary ingredient sourced from Trinidad and Tobago, PRE. The therapeutic benefits of PRE were first discovered in the late 1800s by his grandmother, Mother Skinner, a renowned Community Healer in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. Now emerging from R&D, PRE offers natural solutions for acute and chronic pain, skin calming for conditions, like eczema, and accelerated performance recovery for athletes and active individuals. SprainGo is preparing to introduce its products into the global market by 2025, targeting those in need of effective relief.

After witnessing his son’s overnight ankle recovery with the application of his grandmother’s remedy, Williams realized that this discovery needed to be developed and shared with the world. “As a former Division I collegiate soccer player who endured multiple ankle sprains, it was incredible to witness an overnight recovery,” Williams said.

“The first thing I did was google the prevalence of ankle sprains treated. The numbers were staggering, around ten million treated annually by medical professionals, with another estimated ten million opting for self-management. I realized there was a sizable market with no solution,” he added.

In his previous role as a Citibank Director, Williams connected with the Florida SBDC at USF to request a heat map of regulatory data for U.S. and international markets, which then led to a flourishing relationship. “While I lacked regulatory knowledge, I knew the SBDC consultants would have expertise in that area. The market data they provided was instrumental in building the business case for SprainGo,” Williams said. Now to bring this groundbreaking product to market, Williams has turned to the Florida SBDC at USF once again for business support and guidance.

Working with business consultant Christine Jaros and others, Williams has received critical assistance on investor pitch decks, grant information, and funding opportunities.

Currently based in the technology incubator within the USF CONNECT building, Williams and his Florida SBDC at USF consultants meet regularly to ensure the business is on a successful path. When asked about his biggest success so far, Williams replied, “In 2019, a team of researchers from the Department of Chemistry here at USF isolated and identified the most active fraction in PRE as a new plant-derived anti-inflammatory drug discovery, the first credited to a Black-owned company in U.S. history. In addition, we were thrilled when our first patent for PRE was awarded in September 2023. Being recognized for that drug discovery is certainly a pinnacle moment for us,” he said with a smile.

SprainGo’s objectives moving forward include the commercialization of products powered by PRE, as well as the development of an ingestible ‘Crown Jewel’ nature-based composition for licensing.

As the business continues to grow Williams is excited about the future and the pivotal role the Florida SBDC at USF will continue to play. “We’re transitioning from R&D to preparing for commercialization, and Chrissy has been hearing from me regularly over the past few months. Moving forward, we’ll need to raise funds to develop the “Crown Jewel,” file patents, launch our brands, collaborate with influencers, and secure strategic corporate partnerships,” Williams explained.

Williams goes on to explain how PRE offers multifunctional health benefits beyond sports recovery, including acute and chronic pain relief, along with anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antihistamine, anti-itch, and antimicrobial properties, as confirmed by research studies. “USF researchers have also demonstrated PRE’s ability to inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells, and it has been shown to readily cross the Blood-Brain Barrier, making it a promising drug lead for Traumatic Brain Injuries,” Williams said.

“With such broad applications, we believe PRE will surpass Curcumin (2022 market value of $80B) as the most sought-after botanical in history, particularly given its unique human performance benefits,” Caleb Williams said. “So, as we now move into this next phase, I’m absolutely going to be calling on and depending on expertise from the SBDC at USF in some of those areas that I mentioned,” Williams added.

As a business owner himself, Williams offered the following advice to fellow entrepreneurs: “One way for small businesses to grow and achieve success is by focusing on what you do well and bringing in experts for the areas where you lack mastery. That’s how you build a strong team. The SBDC at USF offers expertise in areas like marketing, international business, funding, and legal matters—essential resources that small businesses need to be successful. And the best part is, there’s no cost for their consultancy. In my opinion, you absolutely have to utilize these resources,” Williams concluded.

A Need for Innovation and Hygiene turns into Business Success

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Bubbas Potty Protection of Hillsborough County

In 2020, during the pandemic, Darryl and Chelsea McIntyre were in the midst of potty training their son when they quickly realized that they didn’t want him touching the public toilet seats. That’s when the couple decided to create a small business, Bubbas Potty Protection, which specializes in disposable toilet seat covers with adhesive backings and naming it after their son’s nickname. With a commitment to innovation and hygiene, this company has become a key player in the industry, offering a product that ensures cleanliness and peace of mind.

Knowing that they had something worth sharing with the public, the McInyre’s went on to sell their product at the local flea market while aspiring to grow significantly. With that in mind, the owners decided to seek business assistance from their local business assistance center to grow their business strategically and successfully.

Through a mutual connection, McIntyre was able to connect with the Florida APEX Accelerator at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) where he would be introduced to government contracting consultant, Yolanda Goodloe.

Under the guidance of Goodloe, the company received invaluable assistance in refining their growth strategies. Goodloe’s expertise helped the business identify key opportunities in the market, enabling them to grow and expand their reach to new customers. “We have gotten our certifications, so through the APEX Accelerator we became MBE certified where we’re now a minority business enterprise. We also became DBE certified, which is a disadvantaged business enterprise, and we also achieved our cage code, which is now allowing us the opportunity to do business and contracts with private sectors like the government but also public sectors as well like school systems, airports, you name it,” Darryl McIntyre said.

Since working with the Florida APEX Accelerator at PCED, McIntyre mentions how business has grown in strength and size. “So the way my business has grown, partnering with the APEX Accelerator, we started out in our home where we utilized our garage for storage space and we utilized my bedroom as an office space. Since then, we have scaled in the last four years to now the Brandon Exchange and we’re currently now growing into other sectors,” he said. “We started very small on Amazon, and we have scaled and achieved over 8000% year over year, each year,” McIntyre added.

McIntyre goes on to explain how he’s been able to reach unimaginable heights due to the support and love that he receives from his wife and two children. “Between my wife’s support and my son’s love, and my newest addition, my daughter Eniyah. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do today,” McIntyre expressed with a smile on his face. “My biggest success so far has definitely been going through this process with Ms. Yolanda. From going to the Tampa mall at the flea market to scaling and becoming part of the Brandon Exchange. We were also able to get the proper funding and support throughout these last four years so now our sales have doubled since being in the Brandon Exchange,” he added.

Networking also played a crucial role in the company’s success. Goodloe introduced the business owners to important contacts in the industry and government sectors, facilitating partnerships and opening doors to lucrative contracts. These connections not only expanded the company’s client base but also enhanced its reputation in the market. “So, the most important thing I learned out of this process would have to be the networking and then the connections I made. Whether it’s the reverse trade show, to learning how to build relationships through Spectrum Reach and Pay it Forward, to literally just getting that one-on-one contact with SBDC representatives. That’s how I was able to learn to scale and grow,” McIntyre said.

Moving forward, the business owner knows that he’ll be in touch with the Florida APEX Accelerator at PCED and Goodloe, taking every step with their guidance as he moves his business towards an environment friendly direction. “The way I would use [them] moving forward, is as we’re trying to go green, we want to make sure its environmentally friendly for everyone and anyone who uses our product,” McIntyre said.

When asked what advice he would give to other small business owners about the Florida APEX Accelerator, McIntyre did not hesitate to recommend the no-cost services, stating, “To small business owners, I know sometimes money is tight but with them, nothing. I mean you have to come out of pocket for nothing. I think the relationship is golden. When you take the time out and you tell them [Florida APEX Accelerator at PCED] what makes you and drives you for your business, then they will drive with you. Just between the relationships and then the acceleration portion of my business, I can vouch that these are the places and the guys that you want to do business with,” he ended.

Cat Café Creates Happy Homes with Adoptable Cats

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Kitty Cat Lounge of Polk County

An animal lover at heart and a journalist by trade, Cindy Skop, owner of Kitty Cat Lounge, knew firsthand that she wanted to make a change within her community. Being aware of the colonies of cats in Polk County, Skop decided to start a business where she could help kitties find loving homes and bring a relaxed space for her community members.

Since the start of her business journey, Skop knew about the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida, so it was easy to reach out when she found herself needing business guidance. She was met with the help of several consultants, which ultimately led the business owner to her primary Florida SBDC at USF business consultant, Simplice Essou. “Florida SBDC at USF counsel was very easy to work with. I started out with a business mentor who helped me brainstorm and fine tune my idea and once we had that down and I needed to start working on my business plan, that’s when I got to Simplice and we really started working and researching the numbers and that was very hard because cat cafes, although they’re starting to become more popular now, there was no research,” Cindy Skop said. The determined business owner and her business consultant went on a mission to find the necessary numbers needed in order to complete her business plan and successfully open up her business.

“Working with the SBDC I think was a constant transitional process. From the beginning stages when we did this on paper, right, we were working on the business plan to when the city required me to do additional things to the building to make it animal safe.” Regardless of the unexpected challenges that were presented to the business owner by the city, Skop never ceased to mention how she and her consultant continued to move forward, never giving up. “As soon as that was done, we got our certificate of occupancy. We opened within a month and a half. It was not an easy process, but you [Simplice Essou] were there the whole way holding my hand and sharing kind words,” Skop said.

“My biggest success so far was the reason I even started this business. Knowing that there was a homeless cat population colony upon colony in Polk County, my biggest success is that we have had eleven adoptions so far in the five weeks we’ve been open. So, that makes my heart happy. Those are cats that are not on the streets, they’re not reproducing, they’re not spreading disease and they’re in homes and they’re being loved and cared for,” Cindy Skop said. Overall, the cat enthusiast is happy that she can have a positive impact in the lives of the animals and people in her community. “We’re reducing the colony numbers, the homeless cat numbers, but then we’re making happy homes and happy families,” Skop said with a smile on her face.

As the business grows, Skop is determined to reach back out to the Florida SBDC at USF and use all of the resources available in order to promote her business effectively. “I think for the future of my business, and this is where Scott [Scott Carpenter, Florida SBDC at USF business consultant] and marketing could maybe come in handy, I want people to know that when they walk in my door, they are welcome to stay,” Skop said. Since the cat café is split up into the front end of the building and the back end of the building, the Kitty Cat Lounge owner can offer different services including a lounge area with coffee options, lunch menu items, and relaxing activities while having the kitties visible to the public but safely kept in the back end of the building. “I want to see people come in, we have two well-known universities and two high schools within walking distance from here. I want to see students come in this space, kick off their shoes. They can totally kick off their shoes, relax on this couch, work on their projects, work on their dissertation, work on their master’s degree, work on whatever they have to work on, but I also want people to come in here and read their book, I want people to come in here and play games,” Skop said.

Skop will make use of the marketing resources offered to her by the Florida SBDC at USF consultant to reach her target market and effectively attract customers that are interested in all of the services that her business has to offer, including chess, crochet, and movie nights. “Those are the things that I’m hoping will bring people into the door. Not just the cats but that they can come, and they can get comfort food, the best coffee in town, and look through a glass and see cats or go in and pet cats. This is your place to come and relax and enjoy yourself,” Skop expressed.

When speaking about the Florida SBDC at USF and all the help she has received, Skop was eager to share how she mentions her experience to a number of partners and colleagues and encourages them to seek business guidance from the consultants. “My partners in the building who supply my food and drink are startups themselves and I have told several, I’ve actually given people Simplices’ name, and told them how wonderful and simple the process was,” Cindy Skop said.

Family Bowling Center Fills a Need in the Community

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Bowl of Fun Lanes of Hardee County

Husband and wife duo, Randy and Stacy Crews, became the owners of a local family bowling center in Hardee County when they were approached by the original owners with a proposition to buy the center. With previous knowledge from owning two other businesses, the couple decided to move forward with the proposition and purchase the bowling center. Their only concern was the funding they would need to purchase a facility of that size.

Reaching out to their local business development centers, The Development Group, and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), to inquire about purchasing the bowling center ultimately led the couple to get connected with the Florida SBDC at USF, where they were paired with business consultant Greg Manning for help with creating a business plan in order to access the proper funding.

“We’ve used the information through the SBDC monthly. We’ve been in operation for two months now so doing the business plan, we’ve sat down and made sure we’re on track of where we need to be,” Randy Crews said. Since working with the Florida Small Business Development Center at USF, the business owners express that they’ve been able to use the information learned from their consultant successfully throughout the lifetime of their new business venture. “The business has grown using the information we learned from the Florida SBDC at USF, just the business planning in itself. Learning the economics of a business, the financials of it. We own two other businesses and I tell people all the time, we probably should’ve done a business plan for those two businesses because I do refer back. Like I do look at where we are at the end of the month, or I check the financials every day. Where we’re at, where we were the week before, where we were last month on this day, this week,” Stacy Crews said.

The business owners also attribute their success to the support they’ve received from their community, stating, “the biggest success so far for the Bowl of Fun Lanes is bringing the community together.” Becoming the owners of the bowling center gave them the opportunity to fill a need in the community that was bigger than they expected. “Opening day we had between 1,000-1,200 people here and it was insane. The first two weeks it was like that every day, and it started slowly tapering off. We knew the need in the community, we didn’t know how huge it was, but the community support has just been piling in and has not stopped since we opened the door. We have 10 leagues running a week and there’s a few more that’s coming, birthday parties, class reunions booked up. It was a big need in the community, and I think that was the biggest thing we’ve seen so far,” Randy said.

As the business continue to grow, the couple mentions that they will continue reaching out to the Florida SBDC at USF for guidance on their business decisions and to measure their success continuously. “Moving forward we would still continue to use the Florida SBDC at USF, especially in our year anniversary. We’ll go back to the business plan, hopefully meet with Greg again to make sure we’re on target, that I’m hoping we oversee the goal that we put. As it is right now, I think we will,” Stacy said.

When asked what advice they would give to other small business owners about the Florida SBDC at USF and their consultant, the couple raved about using the no-cost services provided by the Florida SBDC at USF in order to make sure the business thrives. “Pretty much just meeting with anyone at the Florida SBDC at USF to get that business plan, get that business model, to make sure it’s the right fit for you and the community that you’re in,” Stacey mentioned.

The Crews never missed a beat when showing their appreciation to their Florida SBDC business consultant and other organizations that have helped them throughout the process. “I think we’d like to really express our thank you to SBDC at USF for reaching out, and we’ve already said this but, helping so much, you [Greg Manning] and Stacey [Florida SBDC at USF associate director],” Randy said. “We were lost without that but a big thank you for all the time you [Greg Manning] invested in. I know there was some trouble that we had there, numbers that we just couldn’t figure out and y’all just figured it out for us and we thank you very much for it all and The Development Group for putting us in touch with y’all and we look for the future. There might be another business in the future that we want to do. We do have one in mind, we’re not going to say it right now but, in the future, maybe we can look back out and make that one work too,” Randy said.

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