Scott Costello and Christy Robinson-Costello of True North, a trend-setting business solutions firm, kicked off their business this past January with a vision to create, connect and consult with organizations.
Christy was born and raised in Gainesville, FL where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at the University of Florida. Following graduation, she pursued her passion for cooking and received a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. As a chef, she traveled around the country and then landed back in Gainesville to raise a family.
In 1990, Scott moved to Gainesville, FL to pursue an international finance degree at UF. He always knew he wanted to be his own boss. With that goal in mind, he founded Advantage Publishing in 2003 where he ran multiple publications such as HOME Magazine, BUSINESS Magazine, the Guide to Greater Gainesville and the Parade of Homes. He met his wife, Christy, in 2009 at the Taste of Greater Gainesville event, a fundraising event Scott created to feature dishes from local restaurants, raise money for children’s causes and bring the community closer together. Since then, the Taste of Greater Gainesville event continues to be held annually, and Scott’s admiration for Christy continues to grow.
“Over the 10 years, we raised $700,0000 and I met the woman who would become my wife,” Scott said.
In December of 2019, Scott and Christy were married. Both of them were at a place where they wanted to start something new and leave a legacy for the people of Gainesville. Scott left his Marketing and Communications position at the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce in January, and Christy left her position as an Executive Chef at North Florida Regional Medical Center in June.
“We had no idea what True North was going to be other than the fact that we knew we wanted to be creative, we knew we wanted to connect people, which we’ve already been doing, we knew we wanted to showcase the best that the community had to offer and we wanted to help those that kept asking for feedback,” Scott said.
Together, they left their full-time positions and kicked off their new business during the pandemic. For their 2021 business strategy, they’ve planned for the best and prepared for the worst.
“You’ve got to be more nimble than you’ve ever been, and you’ve got to have plan As and plan Bs,” Scott said.
At True North, Scott and Christy hear what businesses need help with and create a game plan that’s outside of the box to help owners truly scale up their businesses by removing the obstacles and helping them understand where their True North lies.
“We had a vision, we had a goal, and we slowly but surely got there, and it’s pretty amazing,” Christy said.Listen to the 127th episode of the WHOA GNV podcast to hear more about Scott and Christy Costello’s journey to starting True North and how they’ve strategically planned during the pandemic.
