Nearly 400 small businesses and service providers came together at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus on Friday, Oct. 24, for the 2025 Elevate Small Business Conference, hosted by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins.
The full-day event inspired local entrepreneurs to connect, grow, and lead, while setting a new standard for sustainability in community events.
“Helping small business owners connect to opportunity has always been my passion,” Commissioner Higgins said. “When local entrepreneurs have access to the right tools, partners, and resources, they don’t just grow their businesses; they transform our neighborhoods.
“The Elevate Small Business Conference was about building those connections that turn ideas into action and dreams into thriving businesses. That’s what Elevate is all about — opening doors, sharing knowledge, and growing together as a community.”
The event featured a vibrant vendor market showcasing local small businesses, along with more than a dozen workshops led by local and national experts on topics such as digital marketing, artificial intelligence, access to capital, and growth strategy. Conference highlights include:
• More than 100 attendees walked away with a new AI process or tool they could immediately implement to boost productivity — offered in both English and Spanish.
• Nearly 50 entrepreneurs participated in specialized Speed Coaching sessions with local small business experts, leaving with actionable growth strategies and new connections to resource providers ready to support them every step of the way.
• More than 100 entrepreneurs received free professional headshots to help elevate their personal and business branding.
• Each participant left with a ready-to-post job description, tailored to their specific needs, helping them recruit tech talent and take their business to the next level.
• Attendees practiced networking skills they could put to work immediately (and did), building new connections and partnerships to grow their businesses.
“The Elevate Small Business Conference changed everything for me,” said Amanda Nicol, founder of Jewelry One of a KIND. “Thanks to Commissioner Eileen Higgins and her team, Jewelry One of a KIND connected with the people I needed to speak with and the resources
I needed to continue to grow. Eileen’s leadership builds more than businesses — it builds community rooted in kindness, connection, and the belief that we rise by lifting each other up.”
The Elevate Small Business Conference was designed with the planet in mind. From recycled notebooks and reusable tote bags to eco-friendly signage and staff shirts, every material was thoughtfully chosen to be sustainable and responsibly sourced. Attendees received refillable aluminum bottles and had access to water refill stations to eliminate single-use plastics.
In partnership with Compost for Life, composting stations were available throughout the venue for food scraps, paper, utensils, and containers. This effort diverted 762 pounds of trash from landfills, resulting in 200 kilograms of CO2 being kept out of the atmosphere, equivalent to the environmental benefit of five trees absorbing carbon for ten years.
The Elevate Small Business Conference is part of Commissioner Higgins’ Elevate District 5 initiative, launched in 2022 to help small businesses grow and scale. Since its inception, Elevate District 5 has supported over 1,000 small businesses by providing 50-plus training sessions and awarding nearly 750 grants.
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