Lovely Vilnius Strange Little Uzupis

July 14, 2016July 18, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Lovely Vilnius Strange Little Uzupis.

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and was chosen as my post Riga next stop on my Summer 2016 Entrepreneur Social Club travel adventures. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, which, when you plan weddings and complex events for a living (NOVA 535 Unique Event Space) it’s nice to just let things happen as they happen. Minimal planning involved. So I took the 3.5 hour bus ride from Riga, easy peasy, and landed here in lovely Vilnius, on a beautifully sunny day. And Sunny night as this part of the world seems to enjoy looooooong days. Let’s explore!

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Just the Fax Ma’am

July 13, 2016August 25, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Just the Fax Ma’am. Fax? Don’t you mean Facts? Er, nope. Read on… Spending a day experiencing the Belarus Consul (and their delightful 1950’s style of customer service, brought to you by Stalin.Inc) to a modern, friendly, tech savvy Latvian Entrepreneur named Dovainis Sinkevičius, owner of a new, really cute cafe, Localt. End to end of the spectrum here ladies and gents. See while traveling through the delightful Latvia and Lithuania, I decided to pop over to neighbor Belarus, into the capital Minsk….but not before a few days here in lovely Vilnius!

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2016 Entrepreneur Social Club at Souzou DTSP

Sushi Night at Souzou Downtown St. Pete

June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

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!!

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Why we should not discount our pricing

June 10, 2016June 11, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Tonight we are delving into “Why we should not discount our pricing when asked by a prospective client.” Aside from the fact that it’s irritating – like when you’re in Outback Steakhouse and you offer them $15 for their $23 Ribeye. Huh? My mortgage holder, tax collector and insurance men would laugh in my face if I suggested 15% off. When you agree to give a client a discount, you are undermining your business, value and reputation. You are now open to negotiating everything, including the value you place on your time and efforts. Once you know, really know your costs and value, then you set your pricing to where it needs to be at and that’s that.

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Where Science meets Science Fiction

June 3, 2016July 14, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Tonight June 3, 2016, here in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida at the award-winning, historic venue, NOVA 535 Unique Event Space, we gather once again to enjoy, celebrate, network, schmooze, teach, learn, and blow off steam. Who are we? We are the Entrepreneur Social Club, aka the ESC. We are the risk takers, the dreamers, the inventors, and the doers. Where is the place where science meets Science Fiction? Read on and find out!

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Hot Pucks and Cold Fish

May 26, 2016May 28, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Tonight Thursday May 26, 2016 we decided to stay at historic event venue NOVA 535 for our post meeting dinner and drinks so we could watch our local hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, play in game 7 of the Stanley Cup semifinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hence the title Hot Pucks and Cold Fish. This was a smart suggestion made by Nick Mazeika (Business Consulting and NOVA 535 Sales) in our weekly meeting with Chris Jenkins (I’m Their Web Guy and CTO Symphoni Media), so we were sure we’d have plenty of space and be able to watch or schmooze or both, right here in the comfort of our NOVAverse. We love frequenting the many fabulous restaurants, cafes and nightlife options here in Downtown St. Pete, aka DTSP, but it’s also nice not to have to drive anywhere. You all are welcome for the extra 20 minutes and free parking!

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Filmmakers, Funny URLs and Getting Drunk with the Queen

May 18, 2016May 26, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Tonight, Thursday May 12, 2016, for the Entrepreneur Social Club, affectionately called the ESC, we had a really good crowd and some Funny URLS. This included a group of local film makers (Ondric Lavon and Daniel Michael, below) of Red Polar Studios, brought in by returning owner Ricardo Duval, below light blue shirt. On their right is the always fun and witty Julia Haddad of Fruityz All Natural Skin Care. Julia’s great, just don’t leave your unfinished wine bottle near her….haaha.

Tonight I’ve titled our Entrepreneurial Adventure “Filmmakers, Funny URLs and Getting Drunk with the Queen”. Read on at your own risk!

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ESC enjoys the DTSP 2016 Sunscreen Film Festival

May 1, 2016May 1, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

ESC enjoys the DTSP 2016 Sunscreen Film Festival. Tonight, Thursday April 28, 2016, was the opening night of the 11th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival, one where I and my venue NOVA 535 have sponsored since the beginning. So tonight as my fellow Entrepreneurs gathered here at NOVA, for our weekly meeting, I informed them we were going on a field trip. Just around the corner to the Palladium, to enjoy the red carpet and the opening night Film, “Spare Parts“. The carpet was electric, the film charming and delightful. Spare Parts is what all film makers try to accomplish – a film (and story) with heart! We cared about the characters and their struggles. We laughed and cried. We cringed and cheered. What a wonderful film to have shared with my fellow Entrepreneurs – a film about Mexican and Mexican American kids, who were “troubled” each in their own way, that found a bond of friendship and mutual respect via a underwater robotics challenge. Spare parts was based on a true story, and that story and film are certainly worth your time – enjoy it and, you’re welcome!

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Stay Authentic to Yourself

April 24, 2016April 25, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Another beautiful Thursday night here in Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, aka DTSP, as we gather once again for the ESC. It’s a great evening to Stay Authentic to Yourself, while learning and growing. The Entrepreneur Social Club, meets every Thursday since 2009 – except when colliding with a major holiday like Thanksgiving – most always at historic DTSP venue NOVA 535. Tonight, Thursday April 21, 2016, NOVA was booked all day for a film shoot with the fabulous Sullivan Productions, So around 6pm, Team NOVA just finishing up and heading out as we Entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, start-ups and students strolled in. My NOVA 535 Unique Event Space project, now 10+ years in the works, allows me the opportunity to give back a bit each week, gathering like-minded humans who want some fun, time to unwind, plus a chance to earn, grow and evolve.
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Entrepreneur Social Club at venue NOVA 535 in DTSP

Entrepreneurs Stick Together in Sickness and in Health

April 16, 2016May 5, 2016 Michael Scott Novilla Leave a comment

Entrepreneurs stick together in Sickness and in Health. Tonight we shared that we’re creating a series of live events here at NOVA 535 called “St. Pete Healthy Lifestyles” while our favorite John with a “Z”, haha, Jzon, has made much progress into his speaking publicly to those also afflicted with MS. We Entrepreneurs, dreamers, visionaries, creators, risk-takers are the ones who push evolution forward, the problem solvers, we who make our world a better, smarter, nicer place to live work and play! That’s why we meet weekly, every Thursday night from 6pm to 8:30 pm, followed by dinner and (more) drinks here in beautiful Downtown St. Pete (also known as DTSP). Speaking of dinner, tonight here in beautiful Downtown St. Pete DTSP we visited the delicious Italian Restaurant, Il Ritorno , owned by hubby and wife team, Erika and David. IL Ritorno is located at 449 Central Ave #101, DTSP, and I’d strongly suggest making reservations via (727) 897-5900, as they are usually quite busy. We rolled in about 9pm, fully lubricated and ready for the 2nd half of our ESC weekly adventure! Oh do read on!!

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