Operations

Operations, Strategy

Do you have a succession plan in place for your small business? More than 70% do not.

Succession planning isn’t just for family businesses and large corporations. Many small business owners don’t plan for what will happen to their companies during a prolonged illness or after their deaths. Unforeseen circumstances could put their businesses at risk of shutting down. I’ve seen it happen, unfortunately. The young owner […]

Florida SBDCs launch Cybersecurity Basics for Small Businesses program
Operations

Florida SBDC Network launches Cybersecurity Basics for Small Businesses program

According to Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report, 43 percent of cyberattacks target small businesses, including hacking, social attacks and malware. What’s more, Symantec’s 2019 Internet Security Threat Report found that “formjacking” attacks have skyrocketed, with an average of 4,800 websites compromised each month. That’s where cyber criminals load malicious code onto retailers’ websites […]

Disaster Preparedness, Operations

Haven’t updated your business hurricane plan? Now’s the time

Last year, the Category 5 Hurricane Michael caused $18.4 billion in estimated losses in Florida and severe devastation for thousands of small businesses. Listen to Panhandle business owner Ben Kaempfer, general manager of Cottondale-based Register’s Meat Company: “We lost $35,000 worth of inventory because we weren’t able to refrigerate it. Our employees […]

Finance, Growth Stages, Operations

A small business dream was almost blown away. With Accion’s help, this story takes a sweet turn

When Corina Jimenez’s doctor in Venezuela urged her to cut dairy from her diet, she explored options for satisfying her sweet tooth. She didn’t like what she found out there – eating healthy shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste, she believed. So Jimenez did what others in her entrepreneurial family would do: […]