Entrepreneurial Tails of Deliciousness

November 6, 2017November 13, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Entrepreneurial Tails of Deliciousness!

Tonight is a lovely Thursday November 2, 2017 here at historic DTSP wedding event and event space NOVA 535. We gather once again for our weekly ESC bid dev (business development for those not in the know) and networking meeting. ESC of course is short for Entrepreneur Social Club ™, gathering every Thursday night, sans Hurricanes and Thanksgivings, since 2009. We connect for laughs, drinks, comradery and stories of success and failures. Tonight we are treated to several Entrepreneurial Tails of Deliciousness! (more…)

Strangers Becoming Friends, Friends Becoming Family

October 31, 2017November 1, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Strangers Becoming Friends, Friends Becoming Family

It’s a beautiful Thursday night, October 26, 2017, in my favorite city on earth, St. Petersburg, Florida. Here at my world-class wedding and event space NOVA 535, the HQ for the ESC.

I’m reminded each Thursday night during my Entrepreneur Social Club ™, of how much of a family of friends we’ve become. There are always new faces each week, of every shape, size, from every industry and ancestry. Those smart/wise enough to hang around eventually become family. Our Family. Of Entrepreneurs. Small Business owners, visionaries, “misfits”; those who are the round hole to a world of square pegs. And square we most certainly are not. Shown here is just one wonderful chunk of our family, Tony Michaelides with Chris Jenkins, Bill Cason and Kym Jenkins. Oh the laughs and moments we’ve shared over the years. So many magical moments, all because of ESC. (more…)

Gracious Thank You Gratzzi

October 26, 2017October 27, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Gracious Thank You Gratzzi

It’s Thursday again… tonight, a beautiful October 19, 2017, just 24 hours before my annual Halloween Costume Party, Novaween He11even, begins. Last night my brother Chris, friend and co worker Melissa and I went to Universal Studios Orlando, for Halloween Horror Nights, what a blast. And what a late night; way too much party time! Wow, so much fun! So tonight I’m going to end the meeting early and head to Gratzzi Italian Restaurant about 815 pm, instead of closer to 9:00 pm. A delicious dinner, some laughs and interesting conversations, then a good night’s sleep in preparation for the Madness of Novaween He11even!.

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Oyster Dinner Gives Us Pearls of Wisdom with the Entrepreneur Social Club at historic DTSP venue NOVA 535 in beautiful downtown St. Pete, Florida

Oyster Dinner Provides Pearls of Wisdom

October 16, 2017October 17, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Oyster Dinner Provides Pearls of Wisdom for the Entrepreneur Social Club, on this lovely Thursday night, October 12, 2017. We return to our HQ, the historic DTSP venue NOVA 535, located in beautiful downtown St. Pete, Florida. Another lively and packed house, fellow business owners and Entrepreneurs eagerly gathering to connect, to share and mentor, to enjoy blowing off some steam. And don’t forget another delicious dinner, plenty of drinks and lots of laughter. Let’s see what tomfoolery we got ourselves into this week, and what Pearls of Wisdom we can recall the next morning!

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Treated Like Royalty

October 6, 2017October 9, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

At The Queens Head we are Always Treated Like Royalty!

A delightfully cooler Thursday October 5, 2017, as we returned to an Entrepreneur Social Club ™ favorite restaurant and bar, The Queens Head. Located at 2501 Central Avenue, in beautiful Downtown St. Pete “DTSP” Florida. Our pal, fellow ESC member and TQH owner Tracy Asalita, all smiles, was warmly welcoming us back. When my historic venue NOVA 535 is booked for private weddings and events, – ya know paying the mortgage and all that – we venture off site for the 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm portion of our weekly meet up. We always do dinner and more drinking after the meeting; tonight we just accelerated that agenda. Tracy is the relatively new owner of the legendary The Queens Head, a DTSP staple for years. We love her, and she and her delightful team make sure everyone gets Treated Like Royalty.

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Welcome Home Michael S Novilla Entrepreneur Social Club

Entrepreneurs Welcome Home Michael S. Novilla

September 30, 2017October 3, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Thursday September 28, 2017, my fellow Entrepreneurs Welcome Home Michael S. Novilla, that’s me, to Downtown St. Pete DTSP historic venue NOVA 535 for our weekly ESC meeting.

Hey! I’m back after almost 3 months of travel, through South America: Guayaquil, Galapagos, Santiago, Valparaiso, Easter Island, Asunción, Foz do Iguaçu, Sao Paulo, Rio, Lima, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu. Check out my travel videos… WOW, what an adventure! I met so many incredible Entrepreneurs, and experienced my Bucket List’s Bucket List. Then because of the heat and eventually because of Hurricane Irma, I headed north to Boston, then to Toronto for TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) where I met up with my filmmaker pal Kevin Kincaid, with whom I’m laying the groundwork for a TV show centered around my next project CustomerServiceCollege.com. Mom is in Blowing Rock North Carolina, so I was able to spend a week with her in the mountains, then wrapped up my adventures in Atlanta for my best friend and fellow Entrepreneur Drew Edward’s 1st baby, Daphne! Whew! I’m now home here in St. Pete, Florida!

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Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

September 22, 2017September 26, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Michael S. Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier.

On Tuesday August 8, 2017, at around 9:15 am, I’m freshly awoken with 1st coffee in hand. The phone rings, and I’m being pressed to make a quick decision on the fly, all based upon the compelling advice of persuasive local Rio tour guide Lauren Quinn. On the phone, she’s telling me I gotta take Tom’s Foodie Tour while here in Rio. And it’s offered today at 10 am. So I scrambled to get ready, then Ubered to the meeting spot, running uncharacteristically about 20 minutes late. Typically I dig into reviews galore before spending my hard earned $$, but this time I just took, what will prove to be, excellent advice, and just did it.

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Rio Street Art Tour with Nina

September 14, 2017September 15, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Rio Street Art Tour with Nina, one of our newer Entrepreneur Social Club members!

I did something unusual today. On a sunny August 14, 2017, here in Rio de Janeiro. During my world travels and adventuring, the exploring of street art murals and graffiti, down the alleys and around the city streets, I typically do this alone. Solo. Like I did in Athens and in Medellin. So I can walk and explore at my own pace. Rare quiet time. Time to think, to contemplate and enjoy. Well, I decided to take the smart advice of my new pal Tom Le Mesurier, the founder of Eat Rio, whose tour I enjoyed just a few days ago. Yummy! So when in Rio de Janeiro, spend the afternoon with Tom. He said that if I enjoyed street art, which I MOST certainly do, then I MUST take a tour with Nina. Thanks Tom for your excellent advice!!

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Lele Iturrioz Author of Seasons Within book covers and reviews

YA Author Lele Iturrioz Delights Readers’ Favorite

September 9, 2017September 16, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

Fantasy YA Author Lele Iturrioz Delights Readers’ Favorite, winning a 5-Star Review and their Readers’ Favorite Honorary Book Award!

“I’m Lele and I’m the author of the YA fantasy series, Seasons Within.” Lele and I “met” through a mutual friend, blossoming Entrepreneur Alejandra Ramirez, a fellow, talented, Mexican. They grew up together, and Ale mentioned to me that maybe I should meet her writer friend Lele. I’m always happy to help, it’s exactly why I created the Entrepreneur Social Club, aka ESC, back in 2009. To help, mentor, learn from and make new, amazing friendships. So I connected with Lele, and offered some free advice. Lele and I did some video chatting, and I walked her through several website and social media improvements, and such. She was great, taking notes, and making many improvements immediately. She’s a busy young lady, seemingly writing all the time! It took me several months, but finally got with Lele long enough for an (quick) interview.

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Drew Edwards Relaunches Brides Against Breast Cancer

July 16, 2017September 30, 2017 Michael Scott Novilla

ESC member Drew Edwards Relaunches Brides Against Breast Cancer

My pal Drew Edwards, from way way back at University of Florida days, has relaunched the BABC brand and business, Brides Against Breast Cancer, this time as a Social Enterprise Company. “Since 1997, over 50,000 affordable dresses have been sold around the country raising millions for breast cancer causes.” Drew and I met back in 1988 when I was an unpolished teen, more focused on drinking, smoking weed and chasing the ladies, vs. studying 2nd order derivatives and business calculus. Unfortunately without a passing grade in Business Calc, there was no upper level classes available to me. So luckily, for so many reasons, I found one of those (literally) old-school 8 1/2″ v 11″ papers, (more…)