Entrepreneur Magazine (General)

The August issue of Entrepreneur Magazine names Orlando as one of the “Top 10 best cities for starting a business.” I’ve known for a long time how unique our community is for entrepreneurs because I have launched several new ventures here in the last 20 years. Believe me, there is no better place to start a business! As the article points out, we are unbelievably fortunate to have community leadership that is creative, open to partnerships, and willing to give a new idea, (or a new business) an opportunity. I mean how many cities have an Entrepreneur Center that is funded by local government, the local university AND private enterprises too? Huh? Can you name three? Secondly, there are numerous small business assistance organizations in Central Florida, each comprised of talented, experienced, and passionate folks who work diligently to support the small businesses of our region. The Small Business Development Center, SCORE and The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund are just a few of the resident organizations in our center that serve an amazing array of small business needs. Our community is full of individuals, and organizations that are willing to help others who want to improve, and are willing to work. Could this collective attitude result from most folks in Central Florida are from someplace else originally? Could it be that local businesses have learned to help others survive and succeed so that they can have more and better local suppliers? Maybe it’s just the sunshine and blue skies that make everyone a wee-bit more cooperative. But does it really matter why? Maybe we just acknowledge that we have captured lightening in a bottle here in Orlando, recognize our good fortune and work together to ensure we make the most of it! Here is a link to the story. http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/august/202666-3.html