Blezoo
Owning a business is an expedition into the unknown. Markets will shift, surprises frequently emerge, and even the most capable leaders eventually confront the limits of what they know. The old adage “it’s lonely at the top” resonates for a reason—especially for second‑stage business owners navigating growth challenges and opportunities that only they can ultimately address.
This was true for Dean Caravelis, founder and CEO of Blezoo, a creative branded merchandise agency. When he needed a sounding board and a trusted community of peers, he turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award‑winning executive roundtable program, the CEO XChange.
Founded in 2008, Blezoo built its reputation on creativity and experiential marketing. While the company specializes in the education, finance, and healthcare sectors, its clients vary in size and span a wide variety of industries, each requiring unique solutions and personalized attention to detail. Blezoo’s promotional products range from rubber ducks to engraved glassware to branded apparel, and the firm is especially known for its “Experience in a Box” kits. These custom collections of items such as hats, t‑shirts, and mugs are designed to bring a client’s brand to life and delight recipients. The company’s mission is simple: help customers engage, delight, and promote their brand in memorable ways.
Caravelis often says that “creativity takes you to different corners of the universe.” But creativity alone doesn’t answer tough business questions or provide the candid feedback a CEO needs. For that, he sought out the CEO XChange, the FSBDC’s facilitated peer‑to‑peer roundtable where high‑performing, non‑competing CEOs collaborate, problem‑solve, and strengthen their leadership.
“It’s been ten years since I first connected with the FSBDC and the CEO XChange,” Caravelis recalls. “I first joined because I was interested in community and the CEO XChange had an immediate impact on me. I was able to fulfill that need for community and at the same time I was able to get other benefits as well. It would be naïve to think that we, that anybody, knows it all. Just being in a room with other smart people, that’s fun as it is, but at the same time to be able to introduce issues or challenges or even opportunities that you’re seeing and be able to access that brain trust, I think is priceless.”
The structure and facilitation of the CEO XChange particularly stood out to Caravelis. “I look forward to the CEO XChange,” he shares. “Hal (Program Manager and FSBDC consultant Hal Thayer) facilitates the group in a way where I think everybody feels heard, everybody feels like they are a part of it and they’re contributing. It’s also fun to be able to celebrate the victories of other members and to support each other when someone’s going through a rough patch.”
For Caravelis, the value is both personal and professional. “For me, it’s important to be part of a community like that because sometimes it can be lonely being a business owner. I think living on an island is foolish. It’s a lot more fun when you have a community and the CEO XChange gives you that.”
For information about Blezoo, please visit https://blezoo.com/.
