Restaurants already have one of the highest failure rates among industries. Add to that a pandemic crisis that has dealt a huge blow to the eateries just trying their best to keep the lights on. Three Florida International University seniors — Albertina Manosalva, Analys Rodriguez and Camila Navarro – have set […]
Growth Stages
From $375 to billion-dollar beauty company: How Joe Martin built Boxycharm.com without venture capital
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor Joe Martin started his first business in 2004 with $375 when he was an international student at a community college in Florida. He built this business to more than $10 million in annual sales by 2012. He used $500,000 in profits from this business […]
How he built it: This FIU Business alumnus is growing the ‘Uber of Accounting’
By Ellen Forman Back in 2015, Richard Laviña (MAcc ‘13) was rising through the ranks at accounting giant PwC. He was offered a job at the firm’s national headquarters in New Jersey, required for all partnership candidates, which meant leaving his Miami home and family. Hitting what he called “a fork in […]
How StartUP FIU Procurement pivoted programming during pandemic and the lowdown on big plans ahead
It’s been nearly three years since Florida International University launched StartUP FIU Procurement to help minority-led small businesses grow and navigate the world of government and anchor institution contracting. Let’s check in with StartUP FIU Procurement Director Barbara Cotto and see how they are doing. The small business incubator was […]
5 tips for starting and growing an F&B business
Knowledge is power. With that in mind, GrowBiz tuned into the second of a series of panel discussions hosted by Florida SBDC at FIU and StartUP FIU Food in which small business owners and branding experts shared their advice about starting an F&B business. (You can read about the first […]
How do you step up your startup? Start here.
“Entrepreneurship — it’s not for everybody. You have to be able to weather uncertainties, and you have to fail your way to the top.” That’s according to George Ray III, a consultant for Florida SBDC at FIU, who specializes in assisting startup entrepreneurs and franchisees. Some pretty famous entrepreneurs had […]
How to move your business idea all the way to a company
On Growbiz we talk alot about growing your business, but what about if you are just starting out on your entrepreneurial journey? What if you have a great idea? The real question to be answered is, can it be a great business? First, you have to really understand and evaluate […]
Why Shark Tank is barking up the wrong tree: The 4 Steps from Idea to Aha
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor Shark Tank has taken the entrepreneurial world by storm. Many of my students are eagerly devouring every episode. I tell them that they are wasting their time or worse, headed in the wrong direction. Based on an analysis of 122 billion-dollar entrepreneurs and hundred-million-dollar […]
What can you learn from Airbnb: Focus on your skills – not the idea
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor Has Airbnb succeeded because of its terrific idea? Or is it because of the entrepreneur’s ability to encapsulate his idea in a fantastic pitch and attract VCs? Or is it because of the entrepreneur’s skills in finding the right strategy and executing it to […]
Why 100% of venture capital can be explained in one 4-letter word
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor I know the word you are thinking of. But, actually, the word is ‘exit.’ Many have tried to explain venture capital (VC). For entrepreneurs, VC is hope in a check. They hope that VCs like their idea (hence the fascination with Shark Tank) and […]