Walk into Jaxson Maximus on the ground floor of a glittering high-rise in Brickell area of Miami, and you’ll find a bustling luxury custom clothier, a full-service tailor shop and a salon for men all in one shop. Madison Boehm, who had recently graduated from the University of Houston with […]
Success Stories
Entrepreneurship can be a crazy ride, but this small business owner wouldn’t have it any other way
For the love of key lime pie, Fookem’s Fabulous creates the recipe for business success, with help from SBDC at FIU
Fresh and delicious key lime pie delivered in a convenient vending machine? Yes, please. It’s the latest expansion of Coconut Grove small business Fookem’s Fabulous, which popped up during the pandemic’s early days as a home business and has since served thousands of Miamians and visitors the oh-so-Florida dessert. Hungry for more? […]
SBA Administrator hosts a roundtable with local small businesses at FIU Business
By Cynthia Corzo and Michelle Lopez – FIU News Hosted at FIU Business, Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), met in July with South Florida small business owners who shared their challenges and offered suggestions on how the organization can improve opportunities for growth. “It’s […]
Florida SBDC at FIU helped launch more than 250 businesses in the last two years. Here’s how they did it.
The Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU, which was recently named the National SBDC of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration for its work supporting small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, may be best known for its work helping established businesses grow larger, creating more jobs […]
Engineering minds, founder chemistry and SBDC at FIU’s assistance help catapult Air Changes to win big HVAC contracts
Sebastian Munera and Ricardo Ardila have known each other since their college days at Florida International University, both earning undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. They worked in the HVAC industry for many years, including industry giant Carrier. As they were contemplating leaving their leadership roles at their companies […]
Owner takes Caribe International to new heights, with the help of SBDC at FIU
For Karina Vaguez, owner of a full-scale meetings and events production company, the pandemic could have been a time to retrench. Obviously, a business like hers was going to be hit hard with convenings shut down. But instead of wallowing in worry, Vaguez used this traumatic time to prepare her […]
Award-winning small business AmePower exemplifies how a success story is made
Vision. Expertise. Tenacity. Hard work. Perseverance. Teamwork. Resilience. These are ingredients of a successful small business. AmePower, an industry-leading technology company in the transportation and renewable energy sectors, is a success story. This week, as part of National Small Business Week, the Miami small business’s CEO, Luis Contreras, and President, […]
Leaping into business ownership becomes a ‘magical’ experience, with help from SBDC at FIU
When Kenerly Wright and her husband decided that she would leave her job as a successful property manager to be a stay-at-home mom for several years after her children were born, she discovered that she was having so much fun being home with her kids. When contemplating what she would […]
With Florida SBDC at FIU’s help, small business success stories thrive in North Miami Beach
Small business owner Melissa Guzman offers the beloved foods of her Caribbean homeland – but she veganizes them for healthier living. She should know – it’s helped her, too. Now she wants to expand The Caribe Vegan brand into retail. Darren Mendoza’s Lutong Pinoy restaurants are wildly popular with the […]
