SPC student veterans see business growth through Veterans Florida

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Inside the St. Petersburg College Clearwater library, Syanika Porter-Trumbull and Georgianna Dotson are working hard on expanding their business. 

They both are SPC students and just completed their first cohort of the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program at SPC. 

“It saved me. It gave me a lot of details that I had no idea, so I am very thankful,” said Dotson, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran and owner of W3 Tribe Fitness.

“This is my forecasting for three to five years. This is, you know, the good and the bad,” said Porter-Trumbull, a U.S. Air Force and Army veteran, and owner of SMPT Business Consulting. 

The pair are deep into doing all they can to make their businesses sustainable. 

“Veterans Florida is designed to help veterans with their next career,” said St. Petersburg College faculty member Greta Kishbaugh.

Kishbaugh teaches the intense, but free, six- to eight-week entrepreneurship training course, which is a partnership between SPC and Veterans Florida. 

Now in its third year at SPC, Kishbaugh said they see the local economic impact taking effect. 

“More than half of them have gone on now to start a business, and they’re starting to hire individuals now to help them,” said Kishbaugh. “So, it’s not just about a solo. We don’t just focus on the solopreneur. We want you to start a business. We want you to start hiring.” 

Dotson’s fitness business had only a handful of clients before the course. Now, she has dozens. 

“I’ve already grown my business,” said Dotson. “Not huge, but it’s grown and I feel really energized, and it wouldn’t have happened, I don’t think … it gave me confidence.”

For Porter-Trumbull it is the same, and they are both are expected to be mentors to future Veterans Florida cohort classes. 

“Coming back to mentor, if we can help the next veteran, I want to do that,” said Dotson. 

“I live by my favorite Bible scripture, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” Porter-Trumbull said. “So, much has been given to me by other people. So, I definitely want to give much to other people too.”

The program will be offered twice this academic year — beginning Jan. 19 at The Greenhouse in St. Petersburg, and March 28 at SPC’s Clearwater Campus. Veterans ready to start or grow their business can apply on the SPC Veterans Florida website.

The program is free for veterans, their spouses and their children at SPC.