ElevatePolk

All you need is a sword, a guild, and a dream! Well, that’s according to Sittadel Co-Founders Joshua Sitta and Trafenia Flynn-Salzman. Nate and Chrissanne had the pleasure of speaking with these two longtime friends about their quest to become business owners and how they’ve built their kingdom, Sittadel. Listen in to learn more about their journey and also enjoy some free marketing tidbits from Chrissanne! 

Chrissanne and Nate are excited to welcome the team from Union Hall - Sam Houghton and Parker Duncan. In this episode, they share some of the trials of trying to keep a music venue alive during a pandemic. They talk about their creative survival skills and some exciting news about their upcoming reopening. Listen to learn about their partnership with a local restaurant, some cool new additions to the venue, and the musical acts that are scheduled for the coming months! PS - If you know some great local musicians, send them this episode so we can help them get connected to this dynamic duo! 

Nate and Chrissanne wanted to celebrate some of their past guests and the incredible stories, wisdom, and messages they’ve shared with us. They decided to recap for their newest audience members the last four episodes but don’t worry, they still discuss entrepreneurship as usual! and The Easter egg hunt leaves us with a special highlight reel of season two. These will become a series of recaps every few weeks so, you can use these special episodes as a reference guide for our podcast as we continue to build our local entrepreneurial ecosystem in Polk County, FL. Let’s keep elevating Polk.

When it comes to entrepreneurship stories in Polk County, this conversation that Nate and Chrissanne have with Rut Patel is a must listen! In this episode, they talk about Rut’s journey from India and how he refused to let language (or anything) stop him from achieving greatness. Grab a pen and paper, because you’ll want to write down Rut’s own personal wisdom on building your business (and yourself) for success.

Chrissanne and Nate chat with Jack McHugh the owner of Molly McHugh’s Irish Pub, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! They discuss the McHugh’s family journey from Ireland to Lakeland, the legacy of his father, and how it came to be that the youngest son chose to take over the family business. Listen in to learn how Jack is leading downtown Lakeland's revered Irish pub through COVID-19 and how he's stepping into his role as the leader for his employees during these unprecedented times. You'll enjoy the conversation as you discover how this new business leader's voice is making an impact in Polk County. 

Chrissanne and Nate talk about the term "White Space" and the role it plays in business as well as in the context of entrepreneurial ecosystem building. If you're considering where you might expand your business, or what other opportunities might exist that you haven't yet tapped into within your industry or market, this episode will inspire you to think about how you can stretch and grow into new, unexplored territory.

Chrissanne and Nate meet with Chad McLeod - a local entrepreneur and elected official - a man with many hats. Erin, his wife knows him as husband and his three children know him as Dad, the City of Lakeland knows him as Commissioner and his brother Joe knows him as his business partner in their Public Relations Firm. This episode covers a lot of ground! From the importance of Public Relations and managing the message of your brand to the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Polk County!

Chrissanne and Nate are excited to introduce the ElevatePolk Podcast audience to Isom Morris, an emerging tech entrepreneur and owner of FitLyfe Fitness. Listen as they chat about how this young professional discovered entrepreneurship after a pivot from football. Isom shares the role that the City of Lakeland's Police Athletic League played in his life as he developed as a young leader in the community. Get to know this emerging entrepreneur and all of the great things coming for him and his team! 

Nate and Chrissanne are joined by LaTrice Moore - the Entrepreneurship Coordinator and Business Administration professor at Polk State College. They discuss the fundamental traits of entrepreneurship, opportunities for growth within the local Polk County ecosystem for entrepreneurs of color, and how important the culture of entrepreneurship is in helping entrepreneurs in Polk County start to see a path for themselves in the community of e-ship.