Brian Barquilla is founder and publisher of Advantage Business Magazine and is an expert in privately owned small businesses. In addition to being publisher of Advantage, he also is the chief facilitator of Executive Advantage, a peer mentoring group for area small businesses. The Executive Advantage provides a forum for growth through coordinated discussion and exposure to expert speakers.
At the core of his motivation is helping others succeed in business. Each month he looks for great businesses (people) that are doing unique and innovative things others can learn from. He and his team package this editorial content both online and in print.
Understanding that some learn better from LIVE events, he also hosts monthly professional development events designed around specific business topics.
“I love connecting with entrepreneurs. There is something infectious about their attitude and drive that draws me to them. Typically, they take enormous risk by borrowing money from family and friends; perhaps mortgage their homes and maxing out credit cards. They do all of this to chase a dream of creating a better life for themselves and their families. I respect and admire that level of confidence. If I can help contribute to their success in my small way, I get a level of satisfaction that goes way beyond financial reward,” says Brian
In addition to being a publisher, journalist, and change agent, he volunteers his time with a number of organizations:
◦Advisory board Community First Credit Union
◦Advisory board Jacksonville University Davis College of business
◦Advisory board GrowJax for second stage businesses
◦2012 class of the Political Leadership Institute
◦Davis College of Leadership mentor
He was recently honored by the Rotarians when he was awarded the prestigious “Palmer Hall Business Person of the Year.” This award is to recognize an individual that displays exemplary qualities of leadership, service to others & achievement of outstanding success in business. In 2013, Brian was selected as the Small Media Advocate of the Year for not only Jacksonville but the state of Florida. Brian taps into his expertise to speak at many events and has been featured in a number of business publications. An entrepreneur with a drive for success, he is skilled with starting companies from scratch, refining business models, recruiting top talent, and ultimately executing his exit plan. To date, all of the businesses Brian has created are still thriving.
Brian is on LinkedIn