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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Shark Tank

SMARTstart helps Pasco entrepreneurs get off the ground

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Ever wanted to create your own business or startup?

If you do, the Pasco Economic Development Council’s (Pasco EDC) SMARTstart program may be able to lend a hand, or two.

Essentially, the program is designed to assist entrepreneurs — through a combination of guidance, collaboration, funding, education and workspace opportunities.

Dan Mitchell manages the Pasco Economic Development Council’s SMARTstart program. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

SMARTstart program manager Dan Mitchell detailed many of those offerings, at last month’s Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Seven Springs Golf Club in New Port Richey.

Mitchell told those gathered: “If you’re an entrepreneur somewhere in the startup phase, or first couple years, we probably have a program that can help benefit you at some point during that journey. You just have to ask.”

Pasco EDC is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes countywide economic development, and is partnered and funded by corporate and public investors focused on the economic vitality of Pasco County.

Through SMARTstart, it operates two business incubators. One is in Dade City and the other in New Port Richey.

Each offers its own set of unique features, along with affordable desk spaces and professional meeting spaces with Wi-Fi connections.

One of the newer features at the Dade City site, for instance, is an incubator commercial kitchen. It aims to help those looking to launch a food business beyond farmer’s markets and vendor fairs.

Operating at 15029 14th St., the facility features a six-burner range, a single-door refrigerator, a single-door freezer, an under-the-counter ice machine, shelving, and stainless steel work tables. Mitchell said it helps food entrepreneurs facilitate wholesale distribution “to grow to that next level.”

Pasco EDC’s location in West Pasco offers its own digital media studio for podcasting, recording commercials and so on. It comes furnished with a high-quality sound board, four boom mics, green screens and white screens, which can all be used.

In Mitchell’s words, it’s “super neat.”

SMARTstart also offers educational classes, workshops and coaching to aspiring entrepreneurs. The learning sessions cover such topics as cybersecurity, crowdfunding, YouTube and social media marketing. There also are monthly entrepreneur roundtables, often facilitated by retired corporate executives who share their expertise.

Mitchell underscored the value of sessions where fellow entrepreneurs brainstorm, receive mentorship, and discover they’re not alone in their problems or roadblocks of starting a business.

The Pasco Economic Development Council’s SMARTstart program assists entrepreneurs and small business owners through a combination of guidance, collaboration, funding, education and workspace opportunities.

“We know that being an entrepreneur is hard,” he said.

SMARTstart also opens the door for more business-to-business connection for startup entrepreneurs.

The Pasco EDC’s ongoing partnerships with local chambers of commerce, colleges and universities, CareerSource and others, Mitchell said, so it can help business owners make a variety of connections.

In other words, the Pasco EDC’s deep ties throughout the community gives entrepreneurs a chance to network with people they otherwise would never meet.

“We can’t force business to happen, but we can set the table,” Mitchell said.

SMARTstart even has a microloan business financing program, designed for those that can’t secure a loan from a typical bank.

Loans are available for up to $50,000, coming from a revolving fund that must be paid back eventually. To qualify, an entrepreneur or small business owner must demonstrate the experiences and resources to be successful, Mitchell said.

Microloan proceeds may be used for working capital, inventory, supplies, furniture and fixtures, or machinery and equipment.

The program has loaned out a total of $1.5 million to 57 businesses since being established about five years ago, Mitchell said.

The microloan program helps fill a needed niche in business financing, Mitchell said.

“If you’re a startup and the bank says, ‘Sorry, we’re not going to give you money, you’re brand new,’ come to us. We’ll talk to you, we’ll walk you through the process. You still have to have what it takes, but maybe it’s not what the bank is looking for, and just call me and we’ll talk about that,” Mitchell said.

Pasco EDC and SMARTstart also have other initiatives in the works.

They recently sponsored a free mobile application called Startup Space, for Pasco County-based entrepreneurs. It’s similar to a Facebook group, Mitchell said, but just for local entrepreneurs, where they can communicate with one another in real-time, seek advice, post business events and more.

He said of the app, “You can get a little more granular with your questions, and help each other out, ‘Hey, does anyone have a good CPA?’”

The Pasco EDC also is organizing a new event called, “Grow Pasco,” that will bring together about 200 entrepreneurs on May 9 at the Hyatt Place Tampa/Wesley Chapel.

The event’s keynote speaker will be Kevin Harrington, who’s credited with creating the television infomercial and was an original panelist on ABC’s “Shark Tank” hit television series.

The event also will have other guest speakers, panels, workshops and breakout sessions.

For more information, visit PascoEDC.com, or call (813) 926-0827.

Published February 05, 2020

Local entrepreneur creates healthy desserts

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After tiring of drinking the same old protein shakes, James Doyle decided to brainstorm some new ideas.

He figured there was a way to turn his protein powder into a dessert.

So, the 29-year-old Wesley Chapel man began experimenting.

Inspired by how Jell-O works, Doyle developed FREEZINda, a liquid and dry mix product that transforms any whey protein powder into an ice cream-like, frozen dessert.

Wesley Chapel resident James Doyle is the creator of FREEZINda, which turns whey protein powder into an ice cream-like, frozen dessert. (Courtesy of James Doyle)

Throughout a lengthy trial period, Doyle estimates he tested more than 100 different ingredients and about 3,000 pounds of frozen dessert in his kitchen.

Doyle’s friends and family members — even his dog, Buddy — taste-tested recipes.

As he toyed with countless combinations early on, his taste-testers were brutally honest.

“I had my dad try one of the formulas, and he straight up told me, ‘It tastes horrible,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, man! It (froze) right, it had the right qualities, it looked good,’ and then we tasted it and it was like, ‘No!’”

He said it took approximately 19 months “to get the formula down.”

Eventually he found what he considers the ideal combination of mixing agents that bind together to form a texture that mirrors a sweet icy, syrupy sorbet; with ingredients like vegetable glycerin, erythritol (sugar alcohol), guar gum and xanthan gum, and just a gram of sugar per serving.

FREEZINda officially launched last November and is now offered in 21 stores across the United States. It is non-genetically modified, low sugar, fat free, lactose free, gluten free, low glycemic (low net carbs) and vegetarian friendly.

Preparation is easy. Mix any whey protein powder with a cup of water or milk — like a protein shake — then add the FREEZINda liquid and dry mix, and place in the freezer overnight.

Doyle’s favorite concoction? Mixing in just about any type of chocolate mint whey protein powder, specifically the flavor made by Adaptogen Science.

To further customize the high protein ice cream dessert replacement, Doyle recommends adding nuts, fruit, sprinkles and so on.

Doyle noted: “It definitely does satisfy your sweet tooth and your cravings that you would get, so once you eat it, then you’re like, ‘OK, I’m good.’”

And, there’s no question he’s a fan of his own product.

For about eighth months straight, Doyle said he ate about 2 pounds of FREEZINda each day.

“I still eat it,” he said, “but not 2 pounds a day.”

Computer specialist turned entrepreneur
Doyle was born in New York but went to high school in Leesburg, right outside The Villages.

He later settled in Wesley Chapel with his older sister, to attend and graduate from the University of South Florida.

After college, Doyle worked as an IT specialist locally.

He was forced to quit his career as lingering vision issues prevented him from staring at a computer monitor all day long.  “It was pretty tough,” Doyle said, of having to give up IT work.

FREEZINda contains mixing agents that bind to form a texture that mirrors a sweet icy, syrupy sorbet. It includes such ingredients as vegetable glycerin, erythritol (sugar alcohol), guar gum and xanthan gum, and just a gram of sugar per serving.
To prepare, mix any whey protein powder with a cup or water or milk — like a protein shake — then add the FREEZINda liquid and dry mix, and place in the freezer overnight.

Not sure where to turn next, the concept for FREEZINda suddenly popped in his head while he basked in the sauna at the New Tampa LA Fitness one spring day in 2016.

“It’s kind of weird how, like, when doors close, another one opens,” he said.

Once he had the idea, the next step was to figure out how to get it to market.

Doyle leaned on a minor degree in entrepreneurship, as well as advice from several family members who own businesses to help FREEZINda off the ground.

“I kind of figured out my way from there,” he said.

As a sole entrepreneur, Doyle works from his Wesley Chapel home office, where he can facilitate supply chain duties between a commercial kitchen in Oldsmar, and a co-packer and fulfillment center in Texas.

He’s had to learn how to navigate other aspects, including patents and trademarks, and ensuring the product is compliant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

He’s also had to figure out innovative ways to market his product and generate more sales.

“There’s quite a bit to owning your own business,” said Doyle, who works six days a week. “There’s so many different areas, from fulfillment to marketing. There’s so many different areas, it’s unreal.”

FREEZINda is offered in retail nutrition and mom-and-pop stores as far away as Texas and California. It is also sold in Florida.

Locally, it can be found at Total Nutrition USF, 2720 E. Fowler Ave., in Tampa.

It’s also available on Amazon and several other nutrition-focused websites.

Next month, Doyle plans to introduce new packaging and a new FREEZINda formula that’s sugar-free, and substitutes sea salt for baking powder.

He’s searching for a food broker, too, to help promote FREEZINda to additional chain wholesalers, retail stores and independent wholesalers.

“I’m hoping to pick up more traction, with better retail boxes and a little more enhanced formula,” he said.

He also dreams of appearing on the hit Emmy Award winning reality show “Shark Tank.”

He applied in January and made it through a couple rounds of casting interviews before talks dried up.

While Doyle  aims to be successful in business, he also wants to help people to become healthier.

For more information, visit Freezinda.com.

Published August 22, 2018

Students vie in entrepreneurial competition

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Timothy Hernandez noticed a problem, and he set about to solve it.

Not too long ago, the 17-year-old Zephyrhills High School senior was undergoing safety training as a YMCA pool lifeguard.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) masks kept falling off during tutorials.

“It was a real inconvenience,” he said.

Timothy Hernandez, center, won first place and $2,500 in Pasco’s Young Entrepreneur Finals. His business concept is CPRGo, a mask with an automatic seal, via suction cup features. Also pictured: Kelly Castro, youth coordinator for the Pasco Hernando Workforce Board, and Stacey Capogrosso, executive director of the Pasco Education Foundation. 
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Strap-based CPR masks didn’t fare much better, said Hernandez, who currently works at the East Pasco YMCA and the New Tampa YMCA.

His solution: CPRGo, a mask with an automatic seal, via suction cup features.

“It makes CPR a simple and more efficient process,” Hernandez said. “It also ensures the victim is getting a sufficient amount of air. “

In short, “Saving lives has never been so easy.”

For the concept — yet to be prototyped and patented — Hernandez won first place and $2,500 in Pasco’s Young Entrepreneur Finals, held April 25 at the Land O’ Lakes High School Culinary Arts.

The inaugural competition showcased seven students from Pasco County Schools’ business and entrepreneurship principles program.

It gave contestants an opportunity to present their unique business idea in a traditional slideshow format to a live audience and panel of judges — startup experts representing Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region.

Hannah White, a Pasco High School senior, earned second place and $1,000 for Organized Design, which refers to planners that can be customized entirely.

Jackson Rossi, a senior at Mitchell High School, received third place and $500 for Brij, an app for social media marketing.

Other finalists were Justin Hall and Katelyn Ortiz, of Sunlake High; Taylor Townsend, of River Ridge High; and, Alex Violini, of Ridgewood High; each were winners at school-level competitions, held April 3 through April 10.

Those attending the competition included representatives from Pasco County Schools, CareerSource Pasco/Hernando, the Pasco Education Foundation, the Pasco Economic Development Council, the USF Stavros Center, and Pasco SCORE. The name SCORE is based on an acronym for Service Corps of Retired Executives.

Loosely based off ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank,” each student had 10 minutes to present his or her startup.

Judges then lobbed critiques, criticisms and suggestions, for all the audience to hear.

The finalists later were evaluated on a 10-point scale on 10 factors, including professionalism, the viability of their enterprise, and their ability to back it with research on startup costs, revenue, distribution, customer base, competitors and the business and/or social impact of their venture.

Hernandez received high marks for his revenue and cost projections model, and his ability to identify a target market — lifeguards and other emergency responders.

For the judges, choosing just three winners wasn’t easy.

“The kids that did this — great job,” said Steven Hickman, president/CEO of First National Bank of Pasco. “I’m just thrilled to see the quality and the poise.”

Fellow judge Mike Lewis, chairman of SCORE Chapter 439, was likewise impressed with each presentation, praising students’ thought process, concepts and business plans.

“They are absolutely to be commended,” he said.

About 200 Pasco County high school students participated in the entrepreneurship curriculum during the 2016-2017 school year, said Terry Aunchman, director of career and technical education for Pasco County.

That figure, along with the Young Entrepreneurs event, is expected to grow, as the program will be introduced in five more high schools next school year — Cypress Creek, Gulf, Fivay, Land O’ Lakes and Wiregrass Ranch.

“The competition is going to be amped up just a little bit,” Aunchman said. “We built so much excitement around this that the other schools are like, ‘We want to get in on the action.’”

Aunchman also plans to introduce the program to several middle and elementary schools in the district, hoping to “get kids engaged, thinking outside of the box and solving problems.”

Meanwhile, Hernandez — like other finalists — appears to have a bright future ahead of him.

He plans to attend Saint Leo University this fall, majoring in criminal justice.

His minor? Business.

Published May 3, 2017

Former Lutz Guv’na is now Saucy Queen

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It all began with a carrot.

Well, a basket of carrots, actually.

Carrots were the vegetable of the week at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, and everyone was encouraged to come up with an idea to make vegetables more enticing for kids.

Michele Northrup poses near her gourmet hot sauces, now available on the shelves of some Winn-Dixie stores in Florida. (Photos courtesy of Michele Northrup)
Michele Northrup poses near her gourmet hot sauces, now available on the shelves of some Winn-Dixie stores in Florida.
(Photos courtesy of Michele Northrup)

Michele Northrup, who works at the charter school, decided to combine the sweetness of carrots with the heat of peppers to concoct a gourmet hot sauce.

People said the sauce tasted so good, she should bottle it.

So, she did.

Since then, she launched a business named Intensity Academy and has branched out to have a product line including sauces, dry rubs and dips.

Her company’s gourmet sauces also have garnered 57 national awards.

Last year, Northrup and her husband, Tom Was, joined forces with a partner to open their own bottling plant, The Sauceology Group, in Clearwater.

Intensity Academy also was selected by Winn-Dixie to stock its product in about 150 Winn-Dixie stores across Florida.

“In the middle of the summer, Winn-Dixie did a really big, grassroots search for local, quality products,” Northrup said. “They put the word out through all festivals and markets that they were looking for products to showcase their Winn-Local program.

“So, we did a pitch, very similar to a ‘Shark Tank’ pitch,” Northrup said, referring to the television program which gives product inventors a chance to win backing from potential investors.

“We did samples of foods with all of our sauces, and we presented it to them, and we had little cheat sheets, so they knew what sauces they were eating with what foods.

“We had to talk about our fan bases and our social media, and how we built our businesses from the ground up.

“From that selection process, they narrowed it down to a few key products for the state of Florida,” Northrup said.

The rollout began around Thanksgiving and is occurring gradually.

The fun part, Northrup said, is finding out from fans where her sauces are showing up in other parts of the state. They’ll pose in front of a shelf and take a “Saucy Selfie” to send to her, Northrup said.

One of the five artisanal hot sauce developed by Intensity Academy for The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.
One of the five artisanal hot sauce developed by Intensity Academy for The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

Northrup was also notified last week that she is one of five finalists in the first annual “That Business Show Awards” selected by Jamie Meloni, host of the iheartradio show.

Northrup is thrilled by the achievement of a business she has built from, literally, the ground up.

She launched Intensity Academy in 2007, the same year she was making her run for Lutz Guv’na.

The honorary title is won by raising the most cash, and proceeds from the race go to local organizations and charities.

Northrup raised $16,912, setting a record for the race.

Throughout her bid, she was introducing her sauce and using proceeds from their sales to fill her campaign coffers.

Her Guv’na bid helped groups in Lutz, but also helped Northrup get her fledgling business off the ground.

People who had tasted her sauces during the campaign wanted to buy more, she said.

Now, Northrup’s sauces are sold at specialty markets, and dozens of festivals and fresh markets each year.

She also delivers. She tools around the area, making stops in Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, Trinity, Citrus Park, Carrollwood and other spots to drop off orders.

Now, she’s transitioning the business. Her sons Christian, Sebastian and Tommy, and their girlfriends, now handle the events and markets.

She’s focusing on product development and marketing, and her husband is in charge of the Clearwater warehouse.

“I do all of the artwork for the labels. I draw all of the designs.”

She’s still developing new sauce flavors, too.

“Our newest sauce is a mustard. It’s MustThai. MustThai is a must try. It’s a spicy mustard,” she said.

The bottling plant provides services for 11 brands on a regular basis and about 20 others, periodically, she said.

At Sauceology, she helps new companies get their grassroots marketing going.

“Really, for me, the marketing and the branding, and the social media — I love that.  I love the connection side of it, too,” she said, noting she has about 10,000 combined followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The common question she gets is: “How did you get started?”

Another popular query is: “How do you take an idea and actually make it into something? That’s why I ended up branching off into Sauceology, because I was giving everybody advice all of the time,” she said.

When she meets someone who has an idea and a passion for it, she tells them: “Take the chance. Take the leap. That’s the difference right there.”

It’s not necessary to know all the answers, or how it will all play out, she said.

Just get started and don’t be intimidated, she advised.

“The first step makes all of the difference,” she said.

“You don’t always have to know how you’re going to finish it, or how you’re going to do the whole thing,” Northrup said.

“I would have never thought that I’d have my own manufacturing plant — from just that little idea from a carrot in a garden,” she said.

To learn more about her business, search Intensity Academy on Facebook or visit www.intensityacademy.com.

Published January 20, 2016

Local computer whiz spins success

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Friends and family knew about his geeky side long before he took the leap into computers and web design as a full-time job.

As a teenager, Thomas Giella Jr., built his own computer.

“I always helped out people on the side with their computer issues,” he said.

Thomas Giella Jr., is building his businesses, Gear Spinners, i-gent, and Techsoft Academy, at SMARTstart’s incubator site in the Dade City Business Center. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Thomas Giella Jr., is building his businesses, Gear Spinners, i-gent, and Techsoft Academy, at SMARTstart’s incubator site in the Dade City Business Center.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

He launched his web design and marketing business, Gear Spinners, more than a year ago. Now he has two offshoot companies, Techsoft Academy and i-gent, and a $1,000 check pinned to a calendar in his office with a paper clip.

“I plan to get a frame for it,” Giella said.

The check is his prize for winning third place in the inaugural SMARTstart Business Challenge on Jan. 29. The Pasco Economic Development Council, the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the New Port Richey Economic Development Department and SCORE sponsored the contest to celebrate Business Development Week.

The SMARTstart incubator program is an initiative of the Pasco EDC, with locations in Dade City and New Port Richey.

About 20 businesses, both on and off site, are members of SMARTstart. They include technology companies, sales and marketing, and new attorneys. One company completes personal assessments to reduce company turnover.

“We have a pretty diverse membership,” said Krista Covey, the managing program director at Pasco EDC and director of SMARTstart.

Giella competed against about 20 companies to earn one of five spots in the finals that were held at the SMARTstart incubator site in New Port Richey. Judges included representatives from Pasco’s business and academic community.

First place winners were Brian Anderson and Janel Norton of Veterans Alternative Therapy Center in Holiday. Second place went to Greg Smith of Savealator in New Port Richey.

The competition was modeled after Shark Tank, the television show where contestants make a pitch to a panel of investors.

The pitch can be a nerve jangling trial, but Giella kept it simple.

He had 10 minutes to “sell” Techsoft Academy to a panel of judges including representatives from Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative and Pasco-Hernando State College. Judges then had 10 minutes to quiz Giella.

“I tried to think like a customer,” he said. “I thought about all the stories I’ve heard from my clients. It was an awesome learning experience.”

Giella earned office space at SMARTstart’s incubator site in Dade City about five months ago. He works out of a small office at the Dade City Business Center, at 15000 Citrus Country Drive, Suite 103.

His services with Gear Spinners include web design, development and web hosting. Techsoft Academy can help bloggers and businesses go a step further by offering classes that teach more advanced skills. And i-gent caters to Realtors who need website management.

“Some people are go, go, go,” said Giella, and they likely don’t have time to spend on a website. But others, he said, want to do more of the work themselves.

Giella also helps organize Tampa Bay Word Camp, a group that offers conferences to teach skills in Word Press for blogging, business and social media.

Recent clients include the owners of the Yeoman’s Cask & Lion, a British-style pub that will open soon on Morgan Street in downtown Tampa. The pub is a new location and a rebranding for the former Yeoman’s Road Pub on Davis Islands, south of downtown Tampa.

His contest prize money will help buy new equipment to enhance his business, including a DSLR camera and microphone.

Giella started working on a business plan in 2013 to turn his hobby into a brick-and-mortar reality. A few months ago SMARTstart approved his application, and he moved into the business center.

Membership fees for on-site businesses start at $100 a month with tiered increases based on profitability. In return, fledgling entrepreneurs get office space, mentors, seminars and classes.

“They want to see what you’re up to, how much you’re making, is it going to create jobs,” Giella said. “It’s great the amount of stuff we talk about. It’s not common that you can talk about business in front of others and actually get good advice back.”

Giella graduated from Saint Leo University with a degree in business management. He launched a profitable business selling LED lighting for motorcycles, but sold the company two years ago.

“Everyone kept wanting me to build websites,” he said.

Gear Spinners and Techsoft Academy are gaining traction. Giella has a handful of proposals that could increase his client portfolio. If business picks up, he could be hiring his first employees in the next months.

“I can’t wait until I can hire people,” he said. “But I’m taking it one step at a time.”

He credits SMARTstart with giving him a chance to prove his new business has potential.

“My confidence level is boosted,” Giella said. “That’s key. People can see that.”

For information on Gear Spinners, contact Giella at (813) 235-0554, or visit GearSpinners.com. For information on SMARTstart, contact Covey at (727) 478-0670, (352) 437-4861, or visit SmartStartPasco.com.

Published April 1, 2015