The Hillsborough County Entrepreneurial Collaborative Center has had such success with virtual meetups that it will start a new series this month called “Local Stories Live”. The series features small businesses who want to share their success stories with others.
“We started to recognize businesses for Small Business Saturday, and it was so well-received, we decided to continue on a monthly basis,” said Lynn Kroesen, manager of the ECC.
Viewers can catch the new series at 9 a.m. on the second Friday of each month on Zoom and Facebook. They will be saved on the Facebook page for later viewing.
The county is hosting the panel discussions to showcase Hillsborough County’s small business community and share best practices with existing and start-up small businesses. These small businesses are the lifeblood of Hillsborough County’s economy. More than 90 percent of employers in the county are small businesses, which employ more than 200,000 workers.
The first session, “New Year, New You”, takes place Jan. 15. It features a local fitness business, a healthy food business and a day spa. The next session takes place at 9 a.m. Feb. 12 with a theme of “I Love Small Business”. It will feature a local florist, a gift shop and a delivery service that shops and delivers gifts for customers.
Since going virtual, the ECC has gained 25 percent more participation in its meetups, Kroesen said. The sessions will go back to a live format once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, but they will keep the Zoom option.
“We have expanded outside of Hillsborough County to the region and learned that while businesses are desperate for resources, not everyone can leave their place to join the live event,” she said. Keeping the Zoom option will allow more participation.
How to join
Registration is free through Eventbrite. Participants can choose to interact with the panelists via Zoom or view the discussion live on Hillsborough County’s Facebook page.
