Caffeinated collaboration

When 19-year-old entrepreneur Bill Tracy stood in front of a room of 56 people to present his natural energy drink, he didn't know what to expect. All he knew was he was “sweating bullets.”

But Tracy didn't have anything to worry about. After a six-minute presentation, he received 20 minutes of feedback and detailed questions from an engaged audience of St. Petersburg small business advocates.

Perhaps even more powerful were the connections he made after his presentation, as he continued to network and discuss his venture in the St. Petersburg Greenhouse, a facility specializing in entrepreneurial education and business development events.