President, RFB Communications Group Inc., Tampa, and chairwoman of the Suncoast Technology Enterprise Accelerator Advisory Committee, Largo
By KRIS HUNDLEY
Published July 14, 2003
Q: You were closely involved with TechVillage, a short-lived business incubator in Tampa. Now you're working with the new incubator effort at STAR Center in Largo. Why are the Largo center's chances of longer-term survival better?
We didn't listen to our own advice to new businesses. You need to get enough financing under your belt that you can operate easily and not be hand-to-mouth every moment. We were totally reliant on private donations and $25,000 we received through the Chamber from the city of Tampa. All the best intentions and volunteers in the world can't compensate for what we have now in Largo: a $200,000 federal grant. That funding will allow us to pursue private fundraising and marketing. Sometimes I call the Largo effort "Son of TechVillage."
Q: You have been involved in promoting the Tampa bay tech community, donating countless hours. Has it helped your public relations business?
There was one year when I figured out that if I had been billing for my services, my time on just one project was worth about $50,000. I almost fell out of my chair when I realized that, so I just decided not to look at it anymore. I believe there's no reason why you can't practice enlightened self-interest.
I don't get involved in something like the Largo accelerator hoping that a startup business will use my services. I typically donate time not only to the accelerator but those businesses that are tenants, writing releases and such. It's the other contacts I make, whether through board memberships or meetings, that I find helpful, professionally and personally. I've met very good friends through this work.
Q: What changes have you seen in the local tech community and what still needs to be done?
I think the area has achieved a certain degree of maturity simply by the virtue of the professionalism in the different tech organizations. They're not run on a shoestring anymore. But in some ways, I miss the excitement of a couple of years ago, when new businesses were popping up every time you turned around - though often they were kind of goofy ideas. Now ideas tend to be a little more considered. And I see more serial entrepreneurs staying here and that's a good sign of maturity.
