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"a blue rectangle with a photo of people at an event. There is white text that states "All things business in lakeland" and then has a another set of text that states "Lakeland is a thriving community that strongly supports small business and the entrepreneurial spirit. As Lakeland grows, we strive to be a destination for economic development in central florida."

 

Valuable Resources

 

The City of Lakeland recognizes the connection between small businesses and support resources as playing a critical role in the community's prosperity and quality of life. The greater Lakeland community is blessed with a wide range of resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses, but that blessing can also represent a challenge for entrepreneurs in knowing where to start. For that reason, the City recently partnered with the National League of Cities and SourceLink to identify, evaluate, map and publish entrepreneurial resources and support.

To read more about our findings here through our Lakeland Asset Mapping Report.

To view mapped entrepreneurial resources, check out the Lakeland SourceFinder.

Three logos. One is the City of Lakeland Logo with a stylized swan with a black body and yellow, orange, red, purple, green, and blue curved feathers flowing from its back. The second is the source link company logo with the words Source (grey) and link (blue) and a stylized o to look like a source finder. The third and final logo is the National League of Cities logo in a blue font with the acronym NLC, the words National League of Cities to the right of NLC, a blue bar underlining the two items, and a phrase in small text under the line that says Cities Strong Together.

Lakeland Asset Mapping Report

This is a .pdf of the August 2023 Mapping Entrepreneurship Assets in Lakeland, FL. There is an image of Lake Mirror as the sun sets. Orange lights from the buidlings twinkle and contrast with the blue of the setting sky.

Lakeland SourceFinder

This is the Lakeland SourceFinder, which maps the entrepreneurial recourses in the Lakeland area. The image contains red, purple, yellow, and blue. It lists organizations by name, phone, and website. It then categorizes the business by stage of business served, and whether it's inception/idea, growth/expansion, rollout, or all three.

 

This is the logo for the Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corp. The Logo contains a gold coin with the silloutte of tampa's skyline and the acronym BBIC. To the right of the coin is a vertical green line and then the words "Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corp."

The Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation, Inc. (BBIC) is a U.S. Treasury certified Community Development Entity dedicated to providing business and funding opportunities for the long-term growth and success of small business. Tampa Bay BBIC has been brought to Lakeland by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs.

A logo for the company BRIDGE LOCAL. In black text is the word BRIDGE, with the i as the center of a bridge to make the word look like part of a bridge. Underneath is a green rectangle underlining the bridge, and inside is the word local in white text.

 

BRIDGE Local, originally Lakeland Business Leaders, was established in 2010. BRIDGE Local's mission is centered around more tightly connecting all of the resources available to local businesses, local consumers and Lakeland's community as a whole. BRIDGE Local believes in celebrating and encouraging genuine connection and collaboration. 

This is a logo for the company catapult. The logo is the word Catapult in black sans serif font. The u in catapult is an orange power button symbol.

 

Catapult Lakeland is a privately funded, non-profit that aims to increase viability of startups in Lakeland, provide value-added educational opportunities, launch companies into brick and mortar spaces, connect corporations and the innovative startup community and so much more. Catapult is also a co-working space that hosts small businesses and entrepreneurs. 

This is the logo for the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. It is the words Lakeland Chamber (blue) of Commerce (green) in sans serif text. To the left of the words is a stylized 'C' made up of an array of blue and green triangles.

The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce is an organization dedicated to creating a climate where business can prosper in Lakeland. The Chamber is leading the way for businesses to stay informed about the policy decisions that stand to impact job creation and economic growth in Lakeland and the State of Florida to ensure success for businesses of all sizes. 

This is the logo for the company Prospera. It is the word Prospera in blue text, except for the a is in green and missing the middle bar. Underneath the word Prospera is the phrase "Advancing Hispanic Business." To the left of both elements is a curved white arrow within a blue and green background.

Prospera is an economic development nonprofit organization that specializes in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs trying to establish or expand their business. Prospera offers a variety of services designed for Hispanic small business owners, to empower them through training, consulting, grants and access to capital. 

SBDC professional consultants provide expertise in areas that are vital to owning and operating a successful business, including: strategic market research; market expansion and revenue growth; business, strategic, and marketing plan development; access to capital and loan packaging assistance; financial analysis and assessment; accounting systems and financial literacy; and feasibility analysis and start-up assistance.

A Logo for SCORE. The logo contains the word SCORE in all caps, with three lines to the right of the word and partially underlining it. Underneath the whole logo is the phrase "For the life of your business."

SCORE's mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. SCORE Central Florida offers free business advice, no-cost business training through webinars and workshops and numerous templates and tools to assist you in your journey to open your new business or grow your existing one.

 

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