| Boca Grande Real Estate services provided
by Gasparilla Properties, Inc. website, www.gasparillaproperties.com.
We offer homes and lots for sale in Boca Grande, Little Gasparilla Island,
Rotonda, Placida, Cape Haze, Gulf Cove, South Gulf Cove, Manasota Key,
Casey Key and Venice Florida. Search our featured listings or enjoy
"no hassle" access to the area MLS system. Gasparilla Properties,
Inc. Boca Grande Real Estate is proud to offer the area's finest luxury
rental properties, including beach and waterfront homes on Gasparilla
Island, including the Boca Bay community. If you're looking to sell
or list your Boca Grande, Placida, Cape Haze, South Gulf Cove, Casey
Key, Rotonda, Manasota Key or Venice Florida real estate, allow us to
present a custom marketing plan suited to your specific home, lot or
property. |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Designed & Maintained
By: Boykin Design |
© 2005 Gasparilla
Properties, Inc. |
 |
 |
Visit Our Other Websites: |
|
Welcome to Boca Grande located on majestic Gasparilla Island, a one mile by seven mile barrier Island on the Gulf of Mexico halfway between Sarasota and Ft. Myers on the southwest coast of Florida. Boca Grande offers world class natural scenery including miles of serene white sand beaches and pelicans, osprey, dolphins and other marine life. It is a perfect place to enjoy all outdoor activities including boating, sailing, golfing, bicycling, or simply walking. The island offers some of the best Tarpon fishing in the world and hosts the annual "World's Richest Tarpon Tournament." Boca Grande is a peaceful and relaxing village with a unique atmosphere blending a slower pace of life with inviting, interesting shops and art galleries. The native Calusas lived here from about 800 AD and thrived with a culture based on fishing. Later the island was settled by people who came to fish commercially and the area became famous for sport fishing at the turn of the century. The phosphate industry and railroad transformed the town into one of the largest ports in Florida and brought many winter visitors from the North. These wealthy people mixed with the fisherman and railroad workers to provide an interesting community. Today the island economy is composed of tourism and sport fishing with residents and visitors who enjoy the quiet ambiance of this special place. Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce - October 2005 Newsletter (click here for larger print version) Dates to Remember October 11, 2005 2:30 pm, BGCC Board of Directors Meeting October 31, 2005 Halloween Walk November 8, 2005 2:30 pm, BGCC Board of Directors Meeting November 11 & 12, 2005 Boca Grande Back Country Tournament November 15, 5:30 pm, Chamber Membership Social and Annual Meeting, TBA November 26, 2005 Holiday Walk December 13, 2005 2:30 pm, BGCC Board of Directors Meeting December 26, 2005 Chamber Office Closed for Christmas January 10, 2006 2:30 pm, BGCC Board of Directors Meeting
Back Country to Feature Power & Paddle Divisions The Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce’s Back Country Fishing Tournament, scheduled for Friday November 11 & Saturday November 12 will offer two separate tournament divisions from which anglers can fish. The “Power Division”, will be open to two person teams in motorize vessels and the “Paddle Division”, open to single person kayaks & canoes. Participation will be limited to 40 entries per division. Each division has it’s own rules, prize money and Captain’s Party. There will be a combined Awards Party at the conclusion of the tournament. Power Division Contestants will compete as two person teams. Entry fees will be $500 per two person team or $600 for two anglers with a non-fishing Captain. Winners are determined by the total weight of one redfish and one snook per day and the total weight for the two day tournament. The event will provide $16,000 in prize money based on 40 boats. Paddle Division The entry fee will be $100 per angler. Winners are determined by the total photographed length of one redfish and one snook per day and the total length for the two day tournament. The event will provide $3,200 in cash and prizes based on 40 boats. Tickets to the Captain’s Party, Award’s Party, a tournament hat and T-shirt are included in the entry fees for both divisions. Entry forms are available at the chamber office, Grande Tours and soon online at www.bocagrandechamber.com Additional prizes will be determined by the depth of sponsorships acquired. Raffle prizes are needed, as well as sponsors and volunteers. For more information please call Craig at the chamber 964-0568. Chamber’s New Website #1 on Yahoo The chamber’s recently redesigned website is proving to be very popular with those surfing the internet. It currently is the most popular destination for those typing the key words “Boca Grande” in the Yahoo search engine. Both the number of visitors and requests for information have increased significantly from last year. The new website has expanded the information available to our internet visitors and simplified their search process. The membership directory provides easy access to those looking for area products or services. You are encourage to checkout the Chamber website at www.bocagrandechamber.com Developing a Business Idea Conventional wisdom says that your big idea for a small business will gradually develop into the exact replica of what you imagined when you came up with the idea. The reality for many business owners is that the first idea only serves as the kernel for the one that will eventually fly. Chances are by the time you actually launch the business, your idea will be molded by market research, customer input, cost of development, and other information you learn in the research process. For this reason, it is important in the set-up stage not to become discouraged if you have to abandon part of your business idea or even your entire idea. You will need flexibility and perseverance to keep your business afloat once you start, so applying it during the startup phase is good practice. Unfortunately, some potential business owners abandon their ideas too easily believing that if an idea has flaws, the concept is unsalvageable. To help you avoid this trap, use the five instances of idea-roadblock listed here to determine how you can keep going if your idea isn’t perfect. Problem: Lots of people are already running businesses doing what you planned on doing Solution: Examine the field and see if there is still room for you. Often, lots of businesses cater to the same customer, but leave some small niche underserved. For example, if you planned on starting a dance studio and you find that there are already too many in town, there may be a market for someone who goes to private parties and teaches large groups of people who don’t have time to go to a dance studio. To find an underserved niche, look at the current offerings of your future competitors and think about what narrow markets you may be able to serve that they are overlooking. Problem: You are too late to market Solution: Just because other companies beat you to market doesn't mean you won't be successful. In fact, the first company to market has to spend a lot of money educating buyers about why this new product or service is worth purchasing. You can also learn from the mistakes of your predecessors. For example, look at how Microsoft came into the spreadsheet market and took over with Excel after Lotus had been dominant with its 1-2-3 product. Problem: Your research tells you the industry is flat Solution: See if you can look at the business a totally new way. For example, a recent article in the Harvard Business Review talked about a movie theater owner in Europe who recently entered a market that was saturated and suffering from a lack of customers. However, by starting a movie theater with huge comfortable seats, lots of parking, and other amenities that transformed the movie-going experience, he was able to pack his theater night after night. Problem: Set-up costs are too high Solution: Start out as a contractor to a business that you want to create. For example, if you really want to own a bakery, but you cannot afford rent, start out by baking a few goods and supplying them to existing bakeries. Over time you can save enough money to have your own store. Problem: You can't find information about the industry to determine if your idea is viable Solution: The best way to learn about an industry is to talk to small business owners who are in it. Many entrepreneurs will be willing to share a few hours with you to explain how they got started, how the business works, and industry pros and cons. As long as you do not canvass potential direct competitors, you will find many entrepreneurs helpful. You may need to call 50 people to find five who will help. 2006 Chamber Directory Advertising Deadline is Oct 15th By now Chamber members will have received their 2006 Chamber Directory advertising order form. Members of the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce receive a FREE listing in the Chamber Directory. (Please check your listing and directory information from last year for correctness.) Additional advertising options are listed on the order form. Those of you who advertised last year will find a copy of your ad included. If there are no changes simply check the renew same as last year box. Type alteration and page design is available through Heather Rozelle Design (941-423-8863). Those businesses advertising in prestige locations last year, will have the right of first refusal in this issue. Listings in the Restaurant Guide and Accommodations Chart are available to advertisers. Only Boca Grande Area Chamber members in good standing will be listed in the directory. This is a great way to promote your business as the chamber distributes 12,500 copies of the directories annually. Deadline for advertising materials to be submitted for publication is October 15, 2005. Please call 964-0568 with your questions. Membership Renewal Time These are exciting times at the chamber as the Board of Directors recently announced it is exploring many new avenues in which to create revenue for our community. We have redesigned the chamber website and are talking with representatives of various media and tourism organizations as we look to establish promotional partnerships. We ask that you continue to support the work of your chamber by renewing your investment for 2006 ********* Welcome New Members! The Board of Directors would like to welcome the following new members: Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation, Inc., Richard A. Nielsen, PO Box 2340, Boca Grande, FL 33921, 941-964-0099, Community Services. ************* Looking for a Few Good Members The Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking chamber members interested in serving the community by participation in the following areas. If you have an interest in any of the chamber opportunities, please call Craig before Oct. 11th at 964-0568. Board of Directors: The chamber is seeking a voting member or their representative to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Board of Directors. Committee Members: Members to serve on the Scholarship, Marketing or Silver King Festival Committees. ***************** Picnic Thank You The Board of Directors of the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who helped make the Community Picnic a grande event. Thank you to all of you who made this a special day by attending the picnic and sharing your favorite desserts. Thanks to our terrific chefs; Chief David Edmonds, Johns Knight Jr., Cpl. Bill Held and Rich Caccavale for bearing the heat and cooking up some delicious chicken, hot dogs and corn. Our Boca Grande Firefighters, as always, worked hard setting up, supervising and tearing down the various games. Thank you to Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Caiazza for providing security and support. Thanks to volunteers Lidija Migliaccio, Stephanie Caiazza, Joe Caiazza, Betty McHugh, Marcellyn Diaz, Doug Stewart, Pete Sanger, Kim Hoover, Rick Hoover, Cindy Lutz and Bob Melvin. Hats off to all the kids who volunteered to help run the children’s games. The tasty chicken was provided by Hudson’s Grocery, who also prepared baked beans, and provided hot dogs, and breads. Thanks to South Beach Bar & Grill for providing fresh crisp salads, the Boca Palms Restaurant for donating a keg of beer and McHugh-Porter Builders for providing the corn, fans and setting up the tent. Thank you to the Lee County Parks Department and to the board of the Crowninshield Community House for providing a superb facility for this community event. We are also grateful to the Boca Beacon, Boca Banner and Gasparilla Gazette for publicizing the picnic. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did. ************************** Board of Directors and Committees Dave McHugh, President
|