Business Navigation

Small business navigator Program 

The Small Business Navigator Program is a complimentary business visit or virtual meeting service offered through The Greenhouse. The program is designed to help us identify the needs of our local business community and connect business owners with the resources and solutions available to accommodate for continued growth and success. Insights gained from these types of visits have resulted in the creation of new programs and services offered through The Greenhouse that are helping the small business community succeed and thrive in St. Petersburg.

Who participates?

Our initial meeting will include a member of The St. Pete Greenhouse team and depending on anticipated needs identified for your business during the visit, we may later involve other local public, private and non-profit partners. These may include but not be limited to the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Pinellas County SCORE and SBDC, and workforce development professionals through St. Pete Works. We will be interested in meeting members of your leadership team as well as any others you would like to invite, such as your facilities or human resources managers.

Goals of the Program

Small businesses are important to us. Owning a business is hard. Navigators will proactively connect with business owners and meet where they are to help navigate business ownership with the goal of growing business in St. Pete.

After we better understand your business and any unique needs, we will focus on immediate follow up on any urgent matters. We have a number of example success stories to share, from helping businesses improve their client outreach to providing proprietary economic and demographic data helping a business avoid relocation. Finally, we want to remain your ongoing Navigator team at the City, and your first call for all types of questions or assistance throughout the year.

Examples of How We Can Help

There are a wide range of issues our team is accustomed to addressing and assisting with, such as:

  • Government regulations: zoning, permitting, codes compliance, etc.
  • Financial resources
  • Connections to local, state and federal incentive programs
  • Engaging with future talent
  • Municipal planning or infrastructure
  • Talent attraction & training
  • Public Relations/Promotion in the region