ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Small businesses are booming across the country. According to the Small Business Administration, small business applications reached 10.5 million over the last two years. That’s the most in any two years in our nation’s history.

The boom can be seen here locally. Coach Tii Wood is one of the newest entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg. She started up her own business, Burg Body Fitness, last summer.

“So I started my business in August, so almost barely a year, barely like eight months,” she said. “But everything’s kind of aligning, so I know this is what I’m supposed to do. Fitness is my jam, so the more time I have for fitness, especially with other people, the happier that I am.”

Since it’s a new business, Coach Wood is having to build her business while still working as a hostess at a local restaurant to pay her bills. She says she’s found a way to make her job and her business serve her. 

“It’s kind of like a social experiment. It’s being around different people all the time and seeing how I’m affecting their energy, seeing how I can help their energy if they’re in a bad mood,” she said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Florida leads the country in new business formations from January 2021 to January 2022, accounting for almost 12% of all new business startups in the nation. To help Coach Wood grow her business, The Greenhouse in St. Petersburg offers support for new business owners through mentorships.

“And that mentorship provides everything from understanding of marketing, business plan development, cash flow,” said Greenhouse business liaison Tracey Smith.

So, as Coach Wood sets her sites on building her new business, this Army veteran says she’s thankful she’s not marching into this new territory alone and that she’s getting the right ammunition to attack any small business issues that lie ahead.

“I’ve literally been working with my mentor since day one and she has literally given me all the tips and just with the natural ability to adapt and learn and do research,” she said. “I feel like I’ve just plummeted into the universe with my business and it feels real good, because it feels natural.”