Orlando Entrepreneurs

Pitch Night @ StarterStudio Downtown
2019-01-22 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-11-27 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 S Garland Ave, Suite 108, Orlando, FL, us
Hello Orlando entrepreneurs!
Join us for a fun night of pitches from some of Orlando’s most exciting startups! There will be light food and refreshments and time for networking before the event.
Here’s the rundown:6:00pm: Doors open for networking, light food and drinks6:45pm: Pitching kickoff8:00pm: Event wrap up
Interested in pitching your awesome startup to the local community? Email casey@starterstudio.org for more details!

FREE COWORKING DAY @Downtown
2019-01-16 09:00 - 17:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Join us every 3rd Wednesday of the month for FREE Coworking Day! Whether you are an aspiring business owner, entrepreneur, remote worker, or just want to leave the office for a day, we want to invite you into our space and community.

Orlando Open Coffee Club
2019-01-15 09:00 - 10:00, 2019-01-01 09:00 - 10:00, 2018-12-18 09:00 - 10:00, 2018-12-04 09:00 - 10:00 | Catalyst Spaces, 1 South Orange Avenue Suite 502, Orlando, FL, us
Orlando Open Coffee Club is about good coffee, entrepreneurs, ideas, and conversation. We believe that when entrepreneurs, startups, creatives, freelancers, and those associated with them meet, collisions of ideas lead to great things happening. Every two weeks join us and enjoy complimentary coffee and bagels while we discuss the latest community news and upcoming events and network in Orlando’s newest coworking space, Catalyst.

Founders Talk: Bob Carilli - A Builder of Humans + Things
2019-01-14 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Bob Carilli is an entrepreneur and digital transformation strategist who has been at the forefront of industry firsts. Bob is a pioneer in developing processes using technology to do things more efficiently.
He began his career in 1996 working as a producer on AT&T’s Summer Olympic Games Website. The initiative was the recipient of numerous awards, including two 1996 CASIE awards, a 1996 Mar.com award, and a 1997 ADDY Award.
Bob and his team built John Hancock’s first website, which included sophisticated financial planning tools that were among the first available. He helped launch shopIBM in 1998, worked on EarthCam’s New Years Eve 2000 Live from Times Square, and produced a number of World Wrestling Federation Streaming Media Productions, which were among the first live pay per view video events online.
Throughout his career, Bob has helped companies revolutionize themselves and increase revenue through digital transformation. In 1997, he worked on Travelocity and SABRE initiatives that were the beginning of the end for travel agents. He launched Alamo Car Rental’s first location kiosks in 1999. He conceptualized and produced new Safety and Alternative Fuel Website Sections for Kelley Blue Book.
When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, Bob made the move to full time entrepreneurship. He spent a couple of years living in Ecuador building the GoEcuador.com team and business. Over the years Bob has fine tuned his ability to formulate and execute winning digital strategies and development plans.
Bob has been producing results for his family and others from the first chance he got when he was nine, working as a paperboy in the Orchard Hill Neighborhood in the Town of Greenburgh, New York. He is not the customer you are looking for so move along and do not try to sell him something.

Entrepreneurial Project Management with Rupert Meghnot @ Downtown- ONLY $25
2019-01-10 17:30 - 19:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Chances are, you’re experiencing one (if not more) of these issues. However, focusing on solving a particular issue will not solve it; it is just a band-aid. The root cause of ALL these issues is bad management. Specifically, bad project management. Knowing and practicing good project management results in a holistic solution, that allows you to properly manage:
➡ The work and how it’s done (scope)➡ Achieving milestones (schedule)➡ Having enough money (cost)➡ Satisfying your customers (quality)➡ Acquiring & developing a great team (HR)➡ Communicating with & managing everyone (stakeholders)➡ Handling opportunities & threats (risk)➡ Getting what you need (procurement)➡ Handling change, and how it everything fits together (integration)
If you’re experiencing any of these issues, and are serious about your business and how to make it successful, you really need to attend this seminar! No how-to book or article will help you if you lack the processes to sufficiently integrate & implement them.
Based upon the speaker’s decades of entrepreneurial experience, and consulting with hundreds of startups, good project management is – by far – the #1 way to generate success (and do it consistently)! Being successful isn’t about hits, it’s about doing it right the first time… This seminar is for entrepreneurs, business owners and/or managers who are tired of the “same ol’, same ol’”. Learn the basics of how you can stop working for your business, and have it working for you!
Your SpeakerRupert Meghnot, MBA, has been at the center of Central Florida’s tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems since 1992. He’s helped 500+ startups, and taught project management both at UCF and Full Sail (bachelors & masters). His former students have managed $billions in businesses & projects. As CXO for Burnout Game Ventures, he manages multiple startups and projects, a 550+ person Talent Pool, and 30 top industry Advisors.
His popular “Meal with a MentorTM” program is nearing 200 satisfied customers.
If you’re thinking about starting a business, and“I wanted it to go on and on. Took tons of notes!”– Susan, Experienced Project Manager want do it right the first time, this is the person you need to know.

Types of IP and When to Protect Them @Downtown
2019-01-10 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
What will this talk cover?
This talk will be a discussion of the various, overlapping intellectual property rights companies commonly develop (e.g., trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents), what must be done to protect each type of right, and when companies should to take action for each.
Who is Joshua Brown?Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law by the Florida Bar, Joshua R. Brown focuses his practice on Intellectual Property litigation. He has handled patent infringement cases in the Middle District of Florida, the Eastern District of Texas and other districts. He has acted as counsel on trademark Infringement cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Central District of California and other districts. He has defended copyright cases in the Southern District of Florida, the Central District of California, and other districts. He has also handled cases related to trade secrets, non-compete agreements, defamation, publicity rights, software development, and other intellectual property and technology. Josh also drafts and prosecutes trademark and patent applications in the fields of networking and mobile technologies and counsels clients and other attorneys on issues related to the preservation and discovery of electronically stored information. He has a particular interest in Blockchain technology, having given multiple presentations on ethical issues posed by the use of Blockchain technology in the legal industry.
Before attending law school, Josh was a software developer with BBN Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a technology consultant to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Incorporation Topics with Anessa Santos @ Downtown
2019-01-08 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Join us to learn about incorporating your startup!
Attorney Santos has 15+ years’ experience as an attorney representing emerging technology companies in corporate structuring, governance and compliance; contracts; blockchain, smart contracts and cryptocurrencies; immigration; intellectual property and securities. Often serving as general counsel and corporate secretary for her clients, Anessa has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, engineers and investors, papering their every step with native drafting from idea to exit while ensuring compliance with complex regulatory frameworks.
Voted Orlando’s Top 20 Lawyers in 2018, Anessa presently serves on the Florida Digital Currency Task Force Committee and the Technology Law Committee of the Florida Bar Ass’n. She has developed and taught courses in contract drafting as an adjunct professor at Florida A&M College of Law, and serves on the Board of Mentors of technology startup incubators Starter Studio and GVS-TA.
Fluent in Spanish, Anessa has been a frequent guest on Spanish television programs including D’Latinos and En Casa Con Martin Ycaza televised on Univision and Telemundo, and was a regularly published author in corresponding publications on a range of topics pertinent to the immigrant community. She has been featured on various radio shows throughout Florida, as well as made public appearances in the D.R. and Brazil to speak on cross-border business development. A former OxFam ambassador, she has lobbied Congress on behalf of the rights of women and children. She now provides pro bono services as general counsel to the 20,000+ member organization of the British-American Chamber of Commerce headquartered in Orlando.
Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2003, Anessa achieved a Certificate in Blockchain Strategies from the University of Oxford in 2018, a a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2002, and aB.A. in International Diplomacy from Wright State University in 1997.

Don't Let Your Mask Define You - How Authenticity Creates Abundance
2019-01-03 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Sam Tarell is a 25-year-old CEO of several purpose driven businesses. He oversees over 100 staff members across the nation, and thousands of clients every year. Sam will personally share his story of overcoming homelessness as a child, and how he built a national brand without any funding. Sam’s story is one of fear, failure, self-rejection and through that eventually love and success.

OTAB | Orlando Tech Community Monthly Networking Event
2018-12-27 17:30 - 20:30 | FL

3RD Thursday Art Hop: Kyle Heinly
2018-12-20 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Join us for food, drinks, live music and the incredible work of Kyle Heinly.
Kyle Heinly is an outsider abstract artist who was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Starting at the age of 14 by writing/performing poetry, he was on a path that would lead him to striking up a friendship with his mentor, Jeff Filipski.
Heinly’s art is infused with his interest in world culture, urban/street culture, and philosophy and spirituality. With each piece, he tries to sacrifice his entire being to the piece to be the matyr to the artwork.
Join us at StarterStudio to view his work.

TAB | Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl
2018-12-20 17:30 - 20:30 | Frosty’s Christmastime Lounge, 50 East Central Blvd, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Orlando,
What a year 2018 has been in the Orlando tech community. We’ve had the pleasure of connecting with so many amazing people and watch so many businesses grow. Before we all break for the holidays we want to invite you out to connect for one last time in 2018.
Join the TAB team as we get together for a holiday bar crawl and reflect back on an amazing 2018 and look forward to an even better year in 2019.We would also love to hear about what you want to see at our upcoming events and how we can use TAB to continue to serve the tech community.
We invite everybody out as we make our way through Downtown Orlando wearing our festive holiday sweaters (outlandish suit jackets, hats, and holiday tees are welcomed as well.) Festive gear is encouraged but of course not required to attend.
Bar crawl destinations and starting point:Start – 5:30pm Frosty’s Christmas LoungeStop #2 – 6:30pm Waitiki at Wall StreetStop #3 – 7:30pm Ember Downtown OrlandoEnd: Your guess is as good as ours.
The first 20 people that show up at Frosty’s will receive a TAB T-Shirt so get there early. We look forward to seeing everybody that can make it and if we do not see you then we wish you a very happy holiday and we look forward to seeing you next year!
Cheers,TAB Team

Finding that “Sweet Spot” when Customer Goals and Your Goals Align
2018-12-19 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Finding that “Sweet Spot” when Customer Goals and Your Goals AlignThis 40-minute interactive educational presentation is designed to teach entrepreneurs how to align their goals to the customer…not the other way around. Too often entrepreneurs lose sight of their customer goals placing too much emphasis on their product/service. This program will introduce a process to entrepreneurs using the S.M.A.R.T. system, on how to interact with the customer to identify their expectations or goals upfront, ultimately leading to an undeniable and results-oriented experience.
Specific – What is the specific expectation of the customer?Measurable – Can it be measured? How clear is the expected result?Achievable – Are the goals overarching…are they stretching the boundaries enough?Results-Focused – Are the action steps actually leading to the result?Time-Bound – What is the end game? Is it achievable?
Danna is a Business Growth Sequencing Strategist and CEO of MarketAtomy, LLC. Her passion is working with small first stage entrepreneurs to ensure that they start out on the right foot and stay on the path to financial freedom. Known as the Business Birthing Specialist, Danna understands the intricacies involved in starting and running a successful business. Her efforts extend beyond the initial strategic planning process on into the implementation and monitoring phase. As an intricate component ingrained into her client’s business structure, she works diligently to keep her client’s accountable and on track to fulfilling their success goals.A graduate of the University of Central Florida’s College of Business, Danna holds degrees in both Marketing and Management Information Systems (MIS). She brings more than 35 years of strategic planning experience in business, marketing and business development both nationally and internationally.Danna is not only a professional business growth strategist but has worked as an International Strategist within the country of Brazil, is a public speaker and #1 Best Selling Author on Amazon with “Success From The Heart” and “Journey To The Stage.” Her newest book “MarketAtomy: What To Expect When Expecting A Business” is now available through Amazon on Kindle.

UGLY HOLIDAY SWEATER PARTY !! @ Downtown
2018-12-18 17:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 S Garland Ave, Suite 108, Orlando, FL, us
Join us for our annual Holiday Party! We will have snacks, drinks, hot cocoa, the ELF movie, and an UGLY Christmas Sweater competition.
Come celebrate 2018 with us!

FOUNDER'S TALK: Kristen Wiley of Statusphere @Downtown
2018-12-17 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Kristen Wiley is the founder of Statusphere: Where brands and influencers meet.
Kristen Wiley is the founder of Statusphere, Starter Studio and Firespring Fund graduate. She is the 2018 Rollins Venture Pitch competition winner and a member of Jason Calicanis’ Launch Incubator in San Francisco.
Statusphere is an influencer marketing platform that fundamentally transforms the way that brands connect with influencers. Our influencer-first business model solves the major pain points of outreach, price negotiation, scalability and distribution for brands. After your product is approved by our team, all you have to do send us your product and we’ll take care of the rest.

WHAT'S MY WHY?: A Conversation on Purpose @Downtown
2018-12-14 12:00 - 14:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 S Garland Ave, Suite 108, Orlando, FL, us
After a successful 21 year career in the retail automotive industry in the UK Chris came to the US and enjoyed 7 years as a leader with the Walt Disney Company in Orlando. In 2017 Chris became a certified member of the John Maxwell Team as a coach, speaker, teacher, and trainer. He is also certified as a DISC Human Behavior Consultant and now works with companies to help them define their purpose, create a vision for their future, then create and implement a strategy for success.
Find Your Purpose Lunch and Learn: Most businesses know what they do but very few focus on why they do what they do. Understanding the why is an essential component in laying the foundation for sustained success and in this session Chris will provide an overview of how understanding this principal will increase profit, decrease employee attrition and improve customer retention

How to Minimize Small Business and Startup Failures
2018-12-13 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Dr. Shanbhag’s passion is all about helping start-ups and small businesses. He knows why so many of those businesses fail and knows how to minimize those failures. Working with their founders and teams, he figures out where they are, where they want/need to be, and the best way to get there. He focuses on searching for business models with product/service and market fit and assists in executing profitable business models. He brings his expertise in combining “sustainable competitive edge” with “business-creativity” to establish a sound foundation for start-ups and small businesses.Shan spent over 25 years leading product development and market introduction with major corporations (General Foods, Unilever). His teams launched over a dozen successful products/brands that have generated billions in profit. He was successful in authoring 13 patents, and establishing several well known brands including Crystal-Light, Slim-Fast, Pop-Rocks, Fruit ‘n Fiber and many more!For the past 25 years, Shan has dedicated himself to mentoring and advising start-ups and small businesses as well as volunteering and mentoring business owners at SCORE Orlando, Starter Studio Orlando and UCF I- Corps His message is based on two fundamental beliefs:• “Business is all about customers, all the time, at every touch point and through the entire Business-Journey”• “Culting the Brand is the best way to guarantee business success, because your customers won’t let you fail”

SEO Copywriting For The Win! How To Create Content That Gets Found & Converts
2018-12-13 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 S Garland Ave, Suite 108, Orlando, FL, us
Driving qualified leads to your site is the only way to boost conversions and grow your online presence. We will talk about the exact steps you can use to understand user intent, perform keyword research, and optimize your content to get found by Google and your customers today! Join this talk if you want no B.S. approach to SEO Copywriting from start to finish and discuss the information you have been dying to ask!
Chris is a recognized SEO Industry author, speaker, and content strategist who loves to geek out with SEO data in his free-time. Chris specializes in identifying, optimizing, and delivering marketing strategies that get results for clients around the world. Chris shares his knowledge in large publications like Searchmetrics, Search Engine Journal, and SEMrush to help new and experienced marketers improve their craft.

Broke is No Joke @Downtown
2018-12-12 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Broke Is No Joke is a real discussion about money, wealth, and freedom for teens and tweens (and parents too). All those things that schools don’t teach, parents don’t know, and the financial industry would rather you never find out are openly taught, discussed, and challenged. From things such as making money to saving money to protecting money, to leveraging assets instead of liabilities, to earning interest instead of paying interest, they will learn how to achieve the ultimate: financial freedom.This is not just a workshop, radio show, board game, book series, and international competition. It’s a movement to save entire generations from the regrets of our parents and to build a new appreciation and access to the Freedom we all desire.It’s also not just a financial discussion. It’s an approach to life designed to build identity, appreciate and leverage time, and to provide the mindset for becoming the best version of ourselves.
Who is Josh Zepess?
Principal Unbroker, Freedom Fighter, M.D. (Money Doctor), author and speaker. Saving lives through the wake-up call, economic empowerment, and leadership​ instigation. http://www.lifesaverLD.org
Most people live above their means and below their potential.
Building a platform to teach people about freedom. We’re in a free society, yet most of us aren’t free. We are free to become trapped by debt while we constrain and limit ourselves from creating a life worth living.

Legal Protection for Your Startup @Downtown
2018-12-11 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Legal protection for your business is vital. So is having options.
Unexpected legal matters come up every day. You know your business needs legal protection, but you want to make sure you get the right amount. LegalShield has the answer. We offer three levels of legal protection for different sizes of small businesses. We also have a plan to help new start up businesses get their legal structure set. That way, you only pay for what you need. Whichever you choose, we help your business with any legal matter, from legal consultation and contract reviews to debt collection and more. And since your dedicated law firm is prepaid, its sole focus is on serving you, rather than billing you. So get the level of legal protection your company needs.
Get the peace of mind you want. Small businesses have big business problems – without big business resources. We give companies like yours big business resources on a small business budget. We can save business owners 80% on legal bills, without sacrificing the quality.
Susan Joseph
Susan Joseph is an Executive Director with LegalShield Business Solutions. Susan was a client of LegalShield for 8 years prior to becoming a company associate. She has been working with LegalShield for the past 9 years, as a Business Solutions Specialist.
Barbara Duncan
Barbara Duncan works with Sue as a Legal Shield Associate. She comes from the employee benefits and health care world, working with employers and insurance producers for solutions to workplace employee health and wellness needs.

FOUNDERS TALK: Joel Cahill of INFIMA @Downtown
2018-12-10 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Join us to hear Joel’s story – from Wall Street to the startup world.
Before entering the tech sector, Joel spent 10 years as a global macro trader and hedge fund manager. During his time on Wall Street, he focused on investments in emerging economies in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia. In addition to his operating role at INFIMA, Joel serves as an advisor to a variety of businesses through his private equity and venture capital investments. An Orlando native and graduate of the University of Florida, Joel returned home to Central Florida in 2015. Joel is passionate about serving with his local church and various ministry organizations.

Behavioral Essentials for Your Company with Bob Carilli @Downtown
2018-12-05 12:00 - 13:30, 2018-11-28 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
This is the How To talk on how behaviors can help you understand corporate fit. HR people and startup teams- don’t miss this culture building talk.
Bob Carilli is an entrepreneur and digital transformation strategist who has been at the forefront of digital industry firsts. Bob has been a pioneer in developing production processes using technology to do things that have never been done before. He began his career in 1996 working as a producer on AT&T’s Summer Olympic Games Website. The initiative was the recipient of numerous industry awards, including two 1996 CASIE awards, a 1996 Mar.com award, and a 1997 ADDY Award.
Later, he went on to build John Hancock’s first website which included sophisticated financial planning tools that were among the first available online, launched shopIBM in 1998, worked on EarthCam’s New Years Eve 2000 Live from Times Square, and produced a number of World Wrestling Federation Streaming Media Productions, which were among the first live online pay per view events ever.
Throughout Bob’s career he has helped multiple companies revolutionize and increase revenue through digital transformation. In 1997, he worked on Travelocity and SABRE initiatives that revolutionized travel ticketing, he launched Alamo Car Rental’s first rental location kiosks in 1999. He launched safety and alternative fuel sections for Kelley Blue Book on kbb.com in 2005.
When the dot-com bubble burst, Bob made the move to full time entrepreneurship. He spent a couple of years living in Ecuador building the GoEcuador.com team and business. Working on different types of businesses has helped Bob fine tune his ability to formulate and execute digital strategies and development plans with fewer resources.

The Art of Business Development with Jennifer Barrows @ Downtown
2018-12-04 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
A member of Withum’s business development team for over two years, Jennifer is responsible for creating new business opportunities and growing Withum’s customer base for the firm’s office located in Orlando, Florida. A major part of her role has been to build awareness of the Withum brand as an outgrowth of a merger with a large local accounting firm at the end of 2015. She promotes the corporate culture and works to integrate other Withum team members into strategic business development opportunities.
Jennifer has a successful background in contract office furniture sales where she represented two of the top three manufacturers in the industry bringing design and workplace strategy to local and global companies in the Central Florida market. Jennifer is a current member and former board member of Commercial Real Estate Women and the Central Florida Women’s League. She currently serves on the board of the Commercial Finance Association and is active in the local tech and start up economy through Starter Studio, Orlando Regional Tech Association, the Orlando Economic Partnership and the National Center for Simulation.

FOUNDERS TALK: Dean Caravelis of Blezoo @ Downtown
2018-12-03 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Dean Caravelis is the award winning CEO of Blezoo; a promotional marketing agency he founded in 2008 during the depths of the great recession. Through grit & creativity, he survived a bumpy ride and has grown sales an average of 40% every year. Its customers include Fortune 500 companies, major professional sports teams & national brands…..
WAIT! I dislike formal bios, and this is my personal site so let’s do it my way, shall we? Let’s dive in backwards, chronologically.
My name is Dean, I spend every day of my life focused on inspiring change. Hopefully changing people and businesses for the better.
During the day, I lead an innovative promotional marketing agency called Blezoo (which sends brochures that turn into robots, launches remarkable campaigns people can’t stop talking about and helps amazing brands launch promotions). I love to challenge the status quo and help businesses stand out which is why I created my blog ‘Outrageously Remarkable’; so I can help individuals stand out, too. The blog’s platform is H2H (human-to-human) and it helps me connect with people outside of my daily B2B (business-to-business) realm. Unique people, like you!
Truth is, every big breakthrough that I’ve ever made in my life has been a byproduct of unleashing my Right Brain (creativity, imagination, intuition). I wish I realized this when I first started my business, but I was so focused on “looking the part” that I ended up falling into the status quo. It took me a couple of years to snap out of it and create a vision for the future: a solution-based business that has a unique approach and loves to go against the grain.
Before starting Blezoo, I took a year off from work and traveled quite a bit; mostly in Europe. I guess I was resting for the big endeavor of entrepreneurship ahead. Boy, I was right on that one. This also gave my head space to think about the next big step I was going to take in my life.
The crux of my early career experience was involved with a couple of start-ups and a fashion company called Silver Moon Creations. This is where I learned the ropes and without it there is no way I would have been a part of the 5% of entrepreneurs who survive 9+ years in business. My philosophy early on was to just say “YES”. Anything that needed to be done I raised my hand and said yes. I soaked up all of the experiences; from running trade shows in 3 continents, to large scale direct mail campaigns, e-marketing in the early 2000s and establishing licensing deals with national brands.
To prepare for my career, I received a Bachelors in Marketing & MBA from University of Central Florida, and my A.A. at Valencia College. I speak a lot about networking, and I must say that taking a long time to graduate served me well because I got to meet a lot of people! I do business today with dozens of people I met during my education. You should always be networking, all the time, regardless of your job title. As a matter of fact, when I started my business I went to my favorite teacher, Dr. Ganesh. My life would have been totally different if I didn’t have him as a teacher because he is the person that got me totally on fire about marketing. When you can see the passion in someone else’s eyes it can be infectious.
In my pre-collegiate life I was the typical slacker gifted kid who went to a math magnet middle school and continued into high school living a life of apathy towards education. I was a person that was on the trajectory of being a chronic underachiever. The only things I put effort into was sports & having fun. There were times that my parents had lost hope for me, which is why I give young people grace today.
It’s rarely ever too late to change, to reinvent yourself and to find purpose in life. We all have outrageously remarkable qualities about us, I want to give you the spark & drive to find it.
Thank you for being here and reading my bio. You rock. I look forward to connecting & learning with you!

Sizing your Market with David Alecock @Downtown
2018-11-27 12:00 - 13:30 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
How big is your market? This is one of the most important metrics to determining the success, failure and growth potential of a business.
We will run through questions like:
How do you determine your target customer?How do you estimate market size?What is your market potential?
Who is David Alecock?David Alecock is Studio Director for StarterStudio where he manages facilities and marketing, as well as acts as a mentor to startups. An accomplished traditional and digital marketer, David is a startup veteran having been part of the senior leadership teams for five different startups, four of which were VC-backed. He developed his skills in researching and sizing markets as a direct marketer and print publisher before startups talked about TAM, SAM, and SOM.

FOUNDERS TALK: Steven Roth - Lessons from Google and Beyond @ Downtown
2018-11-26 18:00 - 20:00 | StarterStudio Downtown, 101 South Garland Avenue Suite 108, Orlando, FL, 32801, us
Steven is both an entrepreneur and an advisor to startups with special expertise in product in management and retail advertising. He spent nearly ten years with local success story Channel Intelligence, that was sold to Google in 2013 for $125 million. Steven continued his executive career with Google after the sale where he led teams that took a $75 million line of business to $1 billion in revenues.
