Another beautiful Thursday evening here in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, and October 27, 2016 brings the weekly Entrepreneur Social Club Meeting. This week our home base, historic venue NOVA 535, was booked for a wedding. Luckily one of our favorite members, photographer and charity Little Light Of Mine founder Sheri Kendrick, offered up her 2542 central Avenue, DTSP space. Coincidentally it was her birthday – Happy Birthday Sheri!! Sheri Kendrick is a little light of ours!! Conveniently next door at 2444 Central Avenue is fellow ESC member Mandy Keys, with her delightful Community Cafe. A cafe perfect for coffees and other yummy hot and cold beverages, brews and ciders, plus a healthy, tasty menu for lunch, dinner and late night dining! Check out their game night! Thanks Mandy for sharing some chairs with us; and mmmm that caramel coffee of yours was delish!
ESC Wrap-Up
Novaween Social and Delicious Brick and Mortar
This week was a change of pace for Entrepreneur Social Club as we opted to focus a bit more on the “social” aspect of the night. The group met at historic downtown St. Pete (DTSP) venue Nova 535 for drinks and social hour before heading over to one of DTSP’s finest dining and wine spots, Brick & Mortar. This allowed an opportunity for each of our members to feel more relaxed and open as we got to know one another a little bit better.
When your credit is sleeping with the fishes
When your credit is sleeping with the fishes
It’s Thursday night in Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida! The weather here could have been playing a major factor in our decision making. Luckily for the west coast of Florida, Hurricane Matthew stayed just east of the east coast, sparing Florida much of its deadly potential. Many many homes and businesses elsewhere were trashed and flooded. Ugg. We feel for those who were affected and send them our love and support. Thursday also means it time for us Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, Start-Ups, Dreamers, Students, and Wizened Mentors to gather for our weekly Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC) meeting. It’s most always at my beautiful event venue NOVA 535, except tonight NOVA 535 is booked for a wedding. So the ESC is off site, back again at the well gorgeous modern sushi restaurant, Souzou. 
Celebrating Bishop’s Coffee and Tea Prohibition
We are Celebrating Bishop’s Coffee and Tea Prohibition here in downtown St. Pete, aka DTSP. That means it’s Thursday Night, that time when Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, Students Start-Ups and the Curious gather (mostly always here at) historic venue NOVA 535 in beautiful Downtown St. Pete, Florida. The Entrepreneur Social Club: a mix of networking, partying, socializing, and schmoozing, plus mentoring, evolving, learning, growing and sometimes even sampling delicious new products! Thursday September 29, 2016, was a large rowdy group, with lots of newbies. People from every industry, ex-Military, coffee and spirits companies, mortgage brokers, action coaches, and team building puzzle companies came together… Welcome to the ESC!
Dining in with Spotlight Catering after another Fabulous ESC
Tonight Thursday September 8, 2016 was another gorgeous yet hot St. Petersburg evening as we rolled into historic venue NOVA 535 for another ESC gathering. Instead of heading out after our scheduled ESC meeting, which runs 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, dinner was in tonight, testing out Spotlight Catering. Hint! Their food was delicious! Who am I? Michael S. Novilla the founder of the Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC), way back in 2009, in honor of Ben Franklin’s Junto Club. Also I own and run NOVA 535 Unique Event Space and DowntownStPete.com. But tonight isn’t about me (below) it’s about my fascinating fellow Entrepreneurs like good old Ben….do read on!
Just One and Done
Hey there fellow Entrepreneurs! This is the Entrepreneur Social Club, and I DO warn everyone that Social is in the heart of our name and attitude. Yes we are super productive and helpful. Yes we have lightbulb moments each Thursday night during our meetings. Yes we provide real, honest constructive feedback, starting with your pitch and business card. Yes we create a ton of real value and new business, plus global connections and new friendships. Yes this is a business social club. However, as previously aforementioned, this IS a SOCIAL CLUB and we will get completely dark alley, sideways now and again. Watching a gorgeous downtown St. Pete sunrise on Friday morning, after a hilarious and SAFE uber ride home across the Howard Frankenstein Bridge, enjoying a morning-cap of apples, cheeses, gourmet organic pickles, super hydrating coconut waters and such is the way to complete a night FULL of tom foolery. Especially when we “promised” ourselves that at Ruby’s Elixir, we’d be “Just One and Done” HaHaHahaaaa!! Just One and Done, really, just one and done…. that’s Hilarious!
Our Summer 2016 Community Cafe Visit
Each Thursday night the Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC) meets in person, most always at my meticulously renovated, historic wedding and event venue NOVA 535 Unique Event Space in beautiful Downtown St. Pete, Florida. Last week, Thursday August 18, 2016, NOVA 535 was booked for a WIFT event, that’s Women In Film and TV. It was hosted by Rose Rosen, of Casting by Rose, she’s fabulous! I wrote a story about it, “I Make Films Like a Girl” , if you’re interested. As to tonight, since I was co-hosting WIFT at NOVA, Nick “I’m You When you Can’t Be” Mazeika and Audrey Jennifer, ESC’s new Hostess (with more than the Mostess!) met Jason (it was his birthday, happy birthday Jason!) and Mandy Keys Owners of Community Cafe at their really cute location at 2444 Central Avenue for our weekly planned ESC gathering.
No Religion No Politics No Liars No Bullies No Thieves and No Racists
Hi I’m Michael Novilla. As I travel the world connecting with my fellow Entrepreneurs, I found that we all need a help and support, so I created a system called the NOVA Way. In 2005 is used the Nova Way to built my hometown St. Pete our own unique world-class event space called NOVA 535. In 2009 created a charity, the Entrepreneur Social Club, and now I also own and operate DowntownStPete.com, where everyone goes for the Best of what’s Local in DTSP. Again I’m Michael Novilla. So that is my general social pitch, a quick way of describing me and my enterprises. We always spend about 20-30 seconds each pitching the group (always seated here at ESC, it’s a fun casual SOCIAL club, not a boring seminar with people standing up and droning on and on and zzzzz…) after I’ve explained the Entrepreneur Social Club Rules.
No Religion No Politics No Liars No Bullies No Thieves.
Our group is like a big welcoming family. We are TOUGH, but in the kindest of ways. We are here to help and love and support you and your enterprise(s)…
When the Cat was away the mice did play
Summertime in Florida is hot and sticky, even here in Downtown St. Pete, aka DTSP, with the cooling breezes off the gulf and bay. So when I can, I escape to somewhere else. Not a vacation, which implies NOT working. Traveling is how I describe it. I know, whaaaa poor me! See we created a digital system to run NOVA 535, my historic wedding and event venue, remotely. NOVA is where most every (physical) Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC) meeting is held. So this week, July 21, 2016, When the Cat was away the mice did play. Play, well mainly some “forgot” to show up for our weekly Thursday night ESC meeting. I mean we’ve only been holding these EVERY THURSDAY night since February 2009. Some habits take longer to sink in I guess…haha! Though some of my favorite meetings have been when there are under 20 guests; it allows for much deeper discussions than where our table is overflowing with 50 and more. Tonight big
Sushi Night at Souzou Downtown St. Pete
Sushi Night at Souzou Fusion Restaurant Downtown St. Pete
Tonight, Thursday June 16, 2016 we are off-site at Souzou Fusion Restaurant, located at 435 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Call (727) 823-4050 for reservations. Typically we are at my historic wedding and event venue NOVA 535, but tonight NOVA is booked for a private affaire, a glamourous wedding ceremony and reception. So we’ve ventured out to my pal Mike Harting’s (owner of 3 Daughter’s Brewing) swanky spot Souzou for our meeting, dinner and drinks. A night filled with sushi and sake! Compi!!