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 […]
Operations
This South Beach café is gaining fans – of the feline kind, too
Celyta Jackson had a Plan A, B and C for her Miami Beach small business when Hurricane Dorian threatened. After all she had some very precious assets to protect: 30 formerly homeless cats. Luckily, the hurricane did not strike South Florida and Veronica, Sylvester, siblings Willow and Wilson and the […]
How to prepare your business to be franchised
Is franchising your business model the key to unlocking more revenue for your company? It certainly can be a profitable growth strategy — if you are ready for it. “The obvious benefit is you accelerate the pace you can expand your brand and you are not taking as much risk […]
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 […]
Miami-Dade’s manufacturing sector is small, but its impact is mighty
Paul van Hamond is founder and CEO of Expressed Juice, an organic, cold-pressed juice company based in Miami-Dade. His production is in Allapattah, his biodegradable bottles are made in North Miami, the labels are created in Hialeah and he has purchased much of his manufacturing equipment in Doral. Most of the […]
Everyone wants to hire veterans but are they doing it?
Most small business want to hire veterans, but few are actively trying to do it. Those are the findings of a large small business survey out this week. This quarter, the MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index surveyed small businesses about their experience in hiring and retaining […]
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 […]
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: […]
Interested in franchises? How to avoid 3 common pitfalls
An interesting young company offering franchises for the first time might sound like a sexy opportunity, but buyer beware. With franchising, you are buying into a proven business model – it’s one of the key benefits of franchising. Because 70% of startup companies fail, your risk rises fast with younger […]
Growing? Hiring? Avoid these 4 common small business mistakes
Think your business is too small for “HR” processes? Think again. It’s understandable that your growing small business is sharply focused on accelerating sales, managing cash flow and, of course, serving your customers. But with growth comes the need to hire, and with that comes the burden of complying with […]