Our Mission
Providing businesses the expertise and resources to succeed
Blue Heron CPAs Growing in Sumter, Lake and Marion Counties with Assistance from FSBDC at UCFJanuary 13, 2023 - 11:11 amSmart, savvy, and experienced entrepreneurs understand that going it alone is a losing proposition. Finding no cost or low-cost mentors, advisors, partners, and resources is the strategy that can make the difference between success and failure when starting a new business. Nathan Gauger, founder and managing partner of Blue Heron CPAs based in The Villages, FL, fully appreciated this fact and turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) in Sumter County for help.
Fabiola Mistelske Beauty: Orlando Makeup Artist and Hair Team Dedicated to the Finest Details in BeautyJanuary 9, 2023 - 11:27 amFinding your inner entrepreneur and using that passion to start your own business is a momentous undertaking, especially if you have never done it before. Fabiola Mistelske had the drive to make her dream business – Fabiola Mistelske Beauty – come true and become a success, she just didn’t know where to start. Fabiola decided to turn to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) for assistance and is happy she did.
Shannon and Janice Talty of Olde Hearth Bread Company Named 2022 Entrepreneurs of the YearNovember 17, 2022 - 11:12 pmThe Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) today announced its2022 Entrepreneurs of the Year and two First Runner-Ups in the culmination of the inaugural FSBDC at UCF Small Business Excellence Awards program which celebrate the success, growth, business acumen, and community involvement of FSBDC at UCF’s clients from across its 8-county region.
Blezoo: Marketing Company Marries A Little Bit More Strategy with a Lot More MagicNovember 8, 2022 - 4:22 pmExhilaration, accomplishment, and financial success are some of the rewards enjoyed by entrepreneurs and small business owners as they chart their course and navigate their companies from pre-venture to start-up and on to becoming an established, growing, and profitable second-stage company. The downside is that this process is often a solitary and lonely quest without the benefit of other perspectives and experiences to call upon. It’s true when they say ‘It’s lonely at the top,’ after all. Dean Caravelis, founder and CEO of Orlando marketing promotions innovator Blezoo, solved this problem when he discovered the community of business leaders and peers found at the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida’s (FSBDC at UCF) CEO XChange executive roundtable program.
Our Vision
Creating a better Florida for all by helping businesses grow
State Designated as Florida’s Principal Provider
of Business Assistance [§ 288.001, Fla. Stat.]
Florida SBDC Network
The FSBDC at UCF 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.