Posted: 8/13/2010By: Mark Nolan
An Orlando, Florida, mall will soon be receiving new tenants who sell nothing, but give small business advice - and often, for free.
The Disney Entrepreneur Center’s board of directors is currently in discussion with the Orange County Commission to receive final approval on a lease allowing the center to move into the Orlando Fashion Square, a local mall, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The center, which provides free and low-cost counseling to potential and existing entrepreneurs, stands to save approximately $50,000 a year on rent - money it hopes could be used for additional small business programs and marketing efforts, the paper writes.
The move will make the center more accessible to dozens of small businesses and entrepreneurs, Eugene Campbell, chairman of the center’s board of directors, told the paper.
"I think it offers a great opportunity for all of the service providers to really expand their access to the entrepreneurial landscape here in central Florida,” he said.
The Disney Entrepreneur Center is a collection of more than eight nonprofit organizations that provide networking events, seminars, certification assistance and other services. So far, the center has helped train and coach 70,000 businesses and has facilitated $1.25 million in loans.