Florida SBDC Network Announces Keynote Speakers for 2025 Small Business Success Summit

Florida SBDC Network State Office (Pensacola, Fla.) – The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, the state’s principal provider of small business assistance, is pleased to announce the keynote speakers for the fourth annual Small Business Success Summit, which will be held August 18-19 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay.

The 2025 Small Business Success Summit will bring small business owners, experienced Florida SBDC Network consultants, knowledgeable experts, and valued partners together to share information to help business owners take their business to the next level. The event will feature keynote speakers Erik Qualman, five-time #1 bestselling author, and Jess Ekstrom, two-time bestselling author and creator.

“We’re excited to welcome Erik Qualman and Jess Ekstrom as keynote speakers at this year’s Small Business Success Summit,” said Greg Britton, state director of the Florida SBDC Network. “Their insight and experience will be invaluable as we explore this year’s theme: The Power of Small Business – Driving Change, Creating Opportunity. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, fueling innovation, transforming communities, and opening doors to opportunity. Erik and Jess exemplify the resilience, creativity, and leadership it takes to thrive and make a meaningful impact.”

Qualman has spoken in 55 countries and reached 50 million people. His Socialnomics work has been featured by various media and used by the National Guard and NASA. His book Digital Leader propelled him to be voted the second Most Likeable Author in the World behind the Harry Potter series. He is a professor of Digital Leadership at Northwestern University and former sitting professor at MIT and Harvard’s edX labs.

His keynote address, Transforming Your Future…Today, will explore how small businesses can confidently embrace the fast-changing digital world, especially with AI on the rise. Qualman will break down what today’s technologies mean for small businesses and how they can use them to grow stronger, connect with customers, and build a future-ready team.

Two-time bestselling author and Forbes Top Rated keynote Jess Ekstrom has inspired audiences around the world with her work in social entrepreneurship and women’s leadership. She turned a $300 grant into Headbands of Hope, a company that provides headbands to kids with illnesses. Since launching, the company has donated millions of headbands around the world and is now the official headband provider for the NBA and WNBA. Her second venture, Mic Drop Workshop, helps empower women to share their message as public speakers and authors. Ekstrom has been featured on TODAY, Good Morning America, People Magazine, and in a global Canva campaign.

Her keynote address, Making It Without Losing It, will explore how to create motivation that lasts. She will discuss how deeper internal connection—not external rewards—drives fulfillment, innovation, and sustainable success.

Event registration is $300, with a discounted early bird rate of $250 available until July 18.

The Florida SBDC Network wishes to thank its 2025 sponsors and partners: Florida First Capital, Square, The Florida High Tech Corridor, Florida Business Exchange, Suncoast Credit Union, Cyber Florida, FloridaMakes, the Jim Moran Institute, Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Florida Trend.

For more information about the Small Business Success Summit, event speakers, sponsorship opportunities, and to register, please visit https://floridasbdc.org/success_summit/.

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About the Florida SBDC Network:

For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy. In 2024, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 107,812 hours of consulting to 15,474 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $304 million in capital, $732 million in government contracts, impacting 19,800 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.8 billion, and creating 1,019 new businesses.

With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.