The statistics are familiar; most startups don't make it. But job growth and innovation are the life blood of a thriving community. On Florida Matters, we discuss how to grow -- and keep -- successful entrepreneurs in Tampa Bay.
The Merriam-Webster definition of an entrepreneur is "a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money." They also must be willing to work hard and crazy hours and give up the security of working for someone else. But the rewards can be substantial.
We talk about the entrepreneurial "ecosystem" necessary for businesses to survive with guests Jenn Smurr, owner of Born & Bread Bakehouse in Lakeland; Nick Reader, CEO of MVP Holdings and cofounder of PDQ Restaurants, and a 2016 EY Entreprenuer of the Year; and Dr. Mike Morris, the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business Administration.
Reader is an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Florida. Find out more about the program here.
We also toured a kombucha brewery in St. Petersburg with Tonya Donati, owner of Mother Kombucha. She spoke with WUSF's Lisa Peakes.
