Small Business Resources
Every day our team connects small business owners with resources to help them grow. Through our network of skilled partners, you’re sure to find the right programs and organizations to help you address the needs of your unique business and continue to grow.
How Does Your Business Compare in Florida?
The Florida Power & Light Company provides comprehensive market analysis designed to help small businesses
Benchmark against the competition
Identify and map potential customers and suppliers
Map demographics, labor force and consumer expenditure data
Find the best places to advertise
Get the help you need
- Workforce/Training – Connect the dots from recruitment to training
- Business Consulting – Get access to business advisers and consultants that will help improve your business
- Employee Financial Education – Get free in-office training to help your employees learn about budgeting, finance, credit and other crucial life skills
- Export Assistance – Connect with research, strategies, and ultimately the foreign market itself
- Location/Expansion Assistance – Get data-backed research to find the right property to locate or expand
- Education Services – Tap into Sarasota County’s top-rated school district and four major higher education institutions
- Permitting/Regulatory Assistance – Navigate the processes and paperwork of running your business by connecting with the right information and organizations
Free, high quality content for businesses
Visit Sarasota County wants to share the amazing content and images that make Sarasota County such a special place with people around the world. Looking for free high quality imagery? This page is for you! Here you’ll find links to download images, video – and more.
Recovery & Readiness for Manufacturers
FloridaMakes has developed custom tools to help manufacturers navigate and mitigate the impacts of future crises. Get immediate feedback on your business risk and continuity preparedness. And it only takes 5 minutes. Click here to take the survey.
Find your network
The EDC’s network expands to meet your needs. If you have a specific question or need assistance that isn’t listed above, let us know and our team can guide you in the right direction.
How Can We Help?
Contact Erin Silk, VP of Business Development Services, to see how we can help you thrive in Sarasota County.
Small Business Ecosystem
This resource is intended to guide companies through the landscape of business assistance that exists in Sarasota County. There are a myriad of organizations whose core missions are to help businesses grow through the provision of workforce assistance, consulting services, regulatory assistance, industry expertise, networking, financing and incentives.
Invest in Sarasota County
The EDC of Sarasota County diversifies our local economy and helps create jobs for Floridians. Investing in the EDC empowers us to grow our economy and attract more business to our region.
Latest Business News
Full Circle: The Story of the Collaboration Between D-Trans LLC and the EDC of Sarasota County
D-Trans LLC is a full-service trucking and logistics company dedicated to the service-sensitive...
Ringling College Forms First-Ever XR Women Student Chapter
Ringling College student Jenna Watts '25 (middle), Virtual Reality Development, attended the AWE...
Ringling College of Art and Design launches AI undergraduate certificate program
Ringling College's new Artificial Intelligence Undergraduate Certificate program is the first of...