Mayor Donna Deegan was the featured speaker at the JAXUSA Partnership Luncheon and shared her vision for economic development in Jacksonville.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With the goal of becoming a driving force behind economic growth in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan was the featured speaker at the JAXUSA Partnership Luncheon, sharing her vision for the city’s economic development.
Millions of dollars have been invested into the area with job creation by companies focused on distribution and advanced manufacturing.
“We’re fortunate in Jacksonville to have a very diverse economy and so we see a lot of growth in most sectors,” said Jax Chamber CEO Daniel Davis. “We’re excited about every industry and Jacksonville’s pipeline for the future is very, very strong.”
During the mayor’s conversation in front of business leaders in the city, there was also a focus on “the little guy.”
“We have a wonderful entrepreneurial spirit and small business accounts for 80% of our economy,” said Deegan.
Far away from the presentation, one of those small business owners was hard at work.
“If you don’t have that grind, if you don’t have that passion, that consistency and dedication to what you’re doing, it’ll never blossom,” said Noel Lauzurique, owner of Luxury Fades on Atlantic Blvd.
Lauzurique said initial capital is the largest hurdle small businesses face.
“It’s the startup,” said Lauzurique, “the startup is the most important thing, it’s the most difficult.”
Lauzurique bought his business before Deegan pushed to make Jacksonville the small business capital of the Southeast and he did it in an unconventional way.
“I didn’t do any business loans,” said Lauzurique, “I actually bought this barbershop with bitcoin, I was invested in bitcoin.”
Even though there are many programs available for small businesses, Lauzurique said business success after the initial launch is all about marketing.
“Word of mouth is very important, promotion is the most important thing as starting off as a business owner,” said Lauzurique.
Many of the city resources for entrepreneurs to start, expand or enter into business with the city can be found on their website here: https://www.jacksonville.gov/categories/business.aspx#starting_a_business
But for Lauzurique and his barbers, continuing their business is all about delivering a luxury fade.
More information about JAXUSA can be found here.
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