Local Learning and Training Organizations Support Business Owners Through Challenging Times
by LaKay Cornell
Every business owner or entrepreneur knows that training and support are a huge part of their life - and success . As Dr . Ton O ’ Neal of Grow , FL , wrote for EVOLVE online last year , “ Unleashing a spirit of entrepreneurship requires a specific environment where innovation , collaboration , cooperation and regionally based
support systems are aligned to create economic impact .” Successful businesses don ’ t happen in a silo .
Like most places across the country , St . Johns County has a number of networking , education and training and mentoring groups . And , like most entrepreneurs and business owners across the country , our residents who run a business rely on them .
It ’ s no surprise , then , that when COVID kept everyone from leaving home , business owners and entrepreneurs looked to those same organizations to help them navigate the shifting sand . For many , the details might have shifted , but the struggle was familiar .
The core problem was still the same : How can I make enough money to stay open , pay my staff and vendors and pay myself ?
Instead of woes about keeping revenue up and costs down , increasing customer numbers and finding the right staff , business owners were now thinking about whether they could ( and should ) transition to a remote workforce , how to apply for and be compliant with the COVID relief grants and how to pay their staff with no revenue coming in .
And instead of woes about how to write the perfect pitch deck , where to get the right introductions for funding and how to be first to market , entrepreneurs were now thinking about what the startup world might look like after the pandemic is over and whether their must-have product or app would even still be relevant .
The University of North Florida Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation ( the Center ) is an equity-free , comprehensive business incubator , which typically provides early-stage startups and small businesses services , space and support for one year , at
International Woman ’ s Day by the PS27 Foundation
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