Jenny Townsend, owner
Music Compound / Sarasota
Music lessons and jam space
Opened in 2016

Jenny Townsend’s passion for music and desire to offer aspiring musicians a place to play gave her the idea for Music Compound in 2009. Working with the Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, she created a business plan and developed a marketing strategy. But with no prior experience, she hesitated approaching a bank until “David Auxier said, ‘Why not an SBA loan?’ He made me see that I could get approved and helped with the application.” With the $120,000 she received, Jenny opened Music Compound — where all ages can take lessons on any instrument — in January 2016.