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Tricycle Studios began, in the fall of 1996, as one of Tampa Bay’s first digital marketing agencies when founders, Tona Bell and Randy Rosenthal, combined their expertise in advertising and video production with business assistance from the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida (SBDC at USF).

From the beginning, Tricycle Studios has had a specialty in medical device and diagnostics, biotech and pharmaceutical marketing. By 2007, the company had grown to 11 employees to meet the demands of their growing global client base; however, by 2008, revenues were falling. The founders returned to the SBDC at USF for survival assistance due to the recession.

According to Tona, “the consultation we received from Jim Parrish at
the SBDC at USF was priceless. If not for his expertise and
recommendations, we wouldn’t be here today. He helped us through making
tough decisions, focusing our efforts on the medical industry, and
provided us the tools to not only survive, but also grow. Beginning in
2008, we met with Jim quarterly to discuss our progress. Since then, we
have had a 30 percent increase in sales. We’ve also reached 15
employees.”

Today, Tricycle Studios continues to work with the  SBDC at USF to grow and expand as a marketing communications agency by taking advantage of the center’s Growth Acceleration services. These  services will assist them with positioning their company to achieve its growth objective of 30 percent per year for the next five years.

“The SBDC at USF is performing a detailed business health assessment  and a financial analysis of Tricycle Studios in order to assess its growth potential. Then, the SBDC at USF will work with them to develop
and implement strategies to position the company to achieve its growth objectives,” said Growth Acceleration services coordinator and SBDC Certified Business Analyst Jim Parrish.

How do business quality for no-cost Growth Acceleration consulting?

Member of the FL & National Association of SBDC Networks

State Designated as Florida’s Principal Provider of Business Assistance, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network has more than 30 locations  from Pensacola to Key West. The SBDC at USF region spans a 10-county  area providing free, one-on-one consulting and offering more than 300  entrepreneurial programs each year. Its Certified Business Analysts are specialized in industry-specific sectors to help small businesses make
sound decisions in a complex and ever-changing marketplace.

The Florida Small Business Development Center Network is  funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and a partnership with  higher-education institutions,  economic development organizations, chambers of commerce and other  organizations dedicated to economic prosperity through small business success.