Recent Posts

Marketing, Operations, Strategy, Team, Uncategorized

A fighter, Half Moon Empanadas rolls out new branding, store reopenings and expansion strategy

Nearly six months ago, I interviewed Pilar Guzman Zavala, owner of Half Moon Empanadas, after she had to shut all but one of her company’s 13 locations for Argentinian style-empanadas, including the lucrative Miami International Airport sites. She and her husband and co-founder, Juan Zavala, were looking at zero sales […]

Disaster Preparedness, Economy, Operations, Resources, Strategy

Covid crisis spurs coffee business to refocus on core strengths and community connection

The java tastes unique and delicious in a shop that delivers an uplifting and welcoming experience. And all the while, the proprietors are successfully facing down the challenges of the pandemic economy. Gail Hamilton Azodo and her husband Uchendu Azodo opened SIPS, a coffee roasting company and eatery, in July 2019 […]

Disaster Preparedness, Economy, Education, Finance, Networking, Resources

Grit, pivots and a rallying cry: How MBF and its small business clients navigate this crisis

Michael Sellinger of Miami Bayside Foundation  recalls the early days of the COVID-19 crisis checking in on small business clients and offering MBF’s help.  Bayside is a nonprofit organization that mentors, holds training programs, and facilitates loans for small businesses in Miami’s underserved communities. His message: “There is nothing you can […]