Small business owners’ concerns with inflation and lack of workers hit record low
Small businesses are gloomy about their future, with an index of future expectations plunging to a 48-year low. The top concerns: inflation and worker shortages.
The National Federation of Independent Business optimism index stood at 93.2 in April. The net share of owners expecting better business conditions in the next six months eased one point to a record low... Read more...
Small businesses can offer job candidates advantages when competing with larger companies
You have the business, you have the production, but you don’t have the people to make it all happen. Is this your business?
Imagine you’ve landed a big government contract but you can’t find enough workers to execute it. Right now, the talent shortage is affecting companies globally. In the fourth quarter alone, 15 million Americans resigned their jobs. This Great Resignation trend continues, according to Katherine Culhane, a business consultant at the Florida SBDC at Indian River State College... Read more...
Interruption of supply chain is painful for companies and consumers
If your small business is experiencing supply chain interruptions, you are not alone. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear about another small business experiencing supply chain issues.
Throughout the Treasure Coast, manufacturers are struggling to... Read more...
Center’s guidance designs contract strategy for graphics company in Stuart
What began as a simple inquiry regarding attracting and acquiring government contracts has quickly grown into a high-value business model for Kimberly Amsalem and her company, Graphic Designs International... Read more...
Center provides multiple training programs for aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners
The FSBDC at IRSC provides high-value training programs throughout the year that focus on vital business issues including social media marketing and financial management.
The center also offers Start-Smart, a class for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners... Read more...
SBDC network urges business owners to have a plan to deal with hurricane damage
The Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of small business assistance, urges small business owners to prepare for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and extends through November. Read more...
Experienced manufacturing specialist joins SBDC consulting team
Manufacturing specialist Duane Reiff is the newest member of an expanded business consulting team at the Florida Small Business Development Center at Indian River State College. Reiff’s specialization will be manufacturing with a concentration on growth and resources for trade industries within the Treasure Coast marketplace. Read more...
![U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio [R-FL]](https://www.tcbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Senator-Marco-Rubio-300.jpg)
SBDC, Rubio to host virtual conference to help owners navigate pandemic challenges
Florida’s small businesses are invited to register for the Virtual Small Business Resiliency Conference: Sustain the Pivot, a no-cost event hosted by the Florida Small Business Development Center [SBDC] Network and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. The event will take place May 18-19. Read more...
Qualifying requirements outlined for second round of Economic Injury Disaster Loan program
Update Jan. 20: The Economic Aid Act, signed Dec. 27, includes additional funding for Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. This article includes information about the targeted EIDL grant application process provided by the Small Business Administration.
Congress has allocated another $20 billion in EIDL grants [advances] in the new stimulus bill. Read more...
Tips to help working from home be a success for management and employees
Large and small businesses are finding interesting ways to keep employees engaged and feeling like they are part of the team while they are working from home. And amid the new reality, workers are expressing a desire to make the new arrangement work, even beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
Is remote work here to stay? The jury is still out on what the post-COVID world will be like, but some workers already are asking for... Read more...
Here are guidelines on how to qualify and apply for new PPP loans
Updated Jan. 20: The SBA has released guidance for new PPP loans available under the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act [the Economic Aid Act]. This article includes the latest guidance from the Small Business Administration along with the new application forms.
What are Paycheck Protection Program Loans?
The Paycheck Protection Program [PPP] loan is a type of SBA loan designed to provide funds to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19 to keep their workers on payroll. These loans may be completely forgiven if... Read more...
Community banks benefit from willingness to approve PPP loans for small business owners
In South Florida as well as around the nation, small business owners applying for the Paycheck Protection Program often struck out with big lenders — even when they had been loyal customers. They had better luck with smaller, community banks that were less deluged with applications and nimbler.
According to the Small Business Administration, about 52% of the loans and 44% of the PPP program dollars were approved by local community banks and specialty lenders... Read more...
SBA approves record number of loans designed to help business owners
At a time when small businesses across the country are struggling to stay afloat, some business owners are investing in business growth by expanding their facilities or buying equipment. In fact, a record number may be, according to some very recent loan data.
With Small Business Administration 504 loans, businesses are able to purchase land, buildings, or other major assets such as large equipment. Besides low interest rates and long payback periods, what makes them attractive to small business owners is... Read more...
Treasure Coast business owners receive credentialed consulting from local SBDC
Since the end of last year, Florida and the rest of the world have been caught up in the throes of the coronavirus scare. While health is obviously the primary concern, COVID-19 presents just one more challenge for small businesses in the state.
According to the State of Small Business report 2020 from the Florida Small Business Development Center, there are 2.5 million small businesses in the Sunshine State. Eighty-eight percent of them have fewer than 20 employees. In total, Florida small businesses employ 3.4 million – or 41.6% of all private sector employees. Read more...
Vigilance urged when dealing with COVID-19 economic relief programs
With nearly $400 billion on the line between the Economic Injury Disaster Loans and the Paycheck Protection Program, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that there would be fraudsters targeting small business owners during these challenging times. Avoiding small business lending scams and fraud related to COVID-19 requires you to be diligent and on the lookout for grant fraud, loan fraud and phishing scams.
The Small Business Administration offers some guidance on how scams and fraud schemes work and what activities should throw up a red flag, warning you about possible fraud. Read more...
Pandemic and pending recession is a good time for small businesses to refocus marketing strategy
Amid unprecedented fear, anxiety and uncertainty, small businesses might think it’s time to pause their marketing.
Not so fast.
Marketing and branding experts say this is the time to strategically continue investing in marketing, yet the messaging needs to shift for the coronavirus recession we are entering. Read more...
Options available for small business owners if coronavirus affects ability to pay bills
Coronavirus is having a significant impact on many small businesses and no one knows how long or how hard the economy will be affected. If you are having trouble paying your bills due to a reduction or a complete stop in revenues or higher than usual expenses related to COVID-19, here are eight options to consider if your business can’t pay its bills.
Keep in mind there isn’t a playbook for this situation. No one knows how long this crisis will last and options are changing rapidly. Stay in touch with your local economic development agency or the Florida Small Business Development Center at Indian River State College to remain updated. Read more...
It’s a good idea if business owners apply for SBA stimulus loans right away
If you’re a Florida business owner struggling financially right now, the way so many are thanks to COVID-19, you know the future is uncertain for us all. If you’ve even toyed with the idea of applying for one of the Small Business Administration stimulus loans, I encourage you to go ahead and do so now.
While, yes, there is $367 billion green lit to aid small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the fact is: We don’t know how long it will last. An unprecedented number of businesses have shut down or have seen a slowdown in sales. And those business owners are lining up to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). Read more...
SBA loan can help finance real estate purchase
Are you looking to finance a commercial real estate or industrial equipment purchase for your growing small business?
If so, a specific type of SBA loan may be right for you.
Katherine Culhane, associate director of the Florida SBDC at Indian River State College, says many small businesses don’t know about — or don’t understand the SBA 504 loan program. This particular loan program provides small business owners the advantage of a lower equity injection, allowing them to preserve more of their existing working capital. Read more...
10 resolutions for success in 2020
It’s been a good year for most small businesses. The economy remains strong, and you all are a relatively optimistic bunch.
Still, every business should take the time to look at what went right — and not so well — in the past year and then create a road map for the New Year. It’s about setting your business up for success in 2020.
Treasure Coast Business Magazine has consulted the experts and compiled some tips for making your business stronger in 2020, some big moves and some small. This is a holiday buffet so consider the tips most appropriate for your business — or write your own. You can call them New Year’s Resolutions if you wish, as long as you stick with them better than you will stick to your diet or your vow to hit the gym every day. Read more...
Finding workers, recession are top worries for small businesses
Small business owners, what keeps you up at night? If it is finding workers or managing your debt, you’re not alone.
Finding qualified workers to fill open positions continues to be the top worry of Florida’s small businesses, according to a Florida Chamber of Commerce 2019 Third Quarter Small Business Index survey. Read more...
FEDERAL CONTRACTING: GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR
If you are a small business that has met with a Procurement Technical Assistance Center consultant to determine whether federal contracting may be right for the business and you have identified some potential contracts to pursue, it is time to put your best foot forward to get in the door.
By now we hope you have read our two previous stories “Is Your Business Ready for Government Contracting” (Summer 2019) and “Researching Federal Government Contracting Opportunities” (Fall 2019). Read more...
Proper strategic planning can lead to profits
Goals, goals, goals — we all have them, but did your company hit them last year? How about for the Q3 and Q4 of 2019? What are your growth goals for 2020 for all of your functional areas and does everyone in your company know what they are?
If your company is like a lot of small businesses, there’s room for improvement. In a recent holiday period discussion, one owner of a local restaurant chain described his planning effort as “just winging it.” Read more...
RESEARCHING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITES
While small businesses may have been discouraged by the recent government shutdown, you should know that the federal government is the largest buyer in the U.S., spending billions of dollars annually on products and services in construction, R&D, manufacturing, logistics, IT and other industries. Federal agencies also have prime contracting goals for small businesses and set-asides in a variety of categories, such as for women-owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned small businesses. Read more...
EXPORTING? CONSIDER AN EXPORT MARKETING PLAN
In Florida, 60,000 Florida companies are exporting $55 billion in goods and services overseas. Small businesses account for 66 percent of all those exports. The exporting process may seem daunting but if you have a product or service with a proven track record in the domestic market, you may be already planning on international expansion.
Once you have determined exporting is right for you, you can tap a number of resources to help you research markets and defray your costs of doing business overseas. Read more...
THE DEMAND IS OUT THERE – BUT WHERE? SMART MARKET RESEARCH CAN HELP
Researching your market thoroughly is time well spent, and databases can open up a world of information.
The Florida Small Business Development Center at Indian River State College can provide a business owner and operator access to market research and demographic databases that can help the business grow, expand and potentially increase sales and revenues. These database and research tools will help the business mine trade data, industry financial data, government contract information and regional demographic data, allowing the business owner to make more informed decisions regarding growth strategy. Read more...
FINANCIAL LITERACY — BUILDING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The financial statements of the organization are the written record of its operations and its history. The statements can be used as a basis for the planning of its future. Your organization’s financial literacy can be thought of as its ability to “read and understand” the critical financial statements of the organization. Read more...
WHEN THE BANK SAYS NO, WHERE DO YOU GO?
It’s a growing problem: Small businesses are getting in over their heads with debt, often brought on by the use of online lenders that typically charge higher rates and can require shorter payback periods than banks and other alternatives.
Because traditional bank loans are difficult for many small businesses to qualify for, more Florida business owners are turning to these non-bank online lenders, such as OnDeck, Lending Club, PayPal Working Capital and Kabbage, to name a few. And a recently released national survey of small businesses showed Florida was not alone. Read more...
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 complex federal, state and local employment laws. Read more...
STAY TUNED FOR ALL THINGS BUSINESS
Want to be in the know about Treasure Coast business? Then tune in to WPSL and WSTU for Startup Talk, a weekly business talk show entering its fifth year of broadcasting.
Startup Talk has broadcast more than 175 live episodes of the program. The show was designed and created to promote and create awareness regarding the business assistance and resource programs available at Indian River State College under the Dan K. Richardson Entrepreneurship Development Institute. Read more...
BUSINESSES, COMMUNITY LEADERS IGNITE STRATEGIC GROWTH AT SMALL BUSINESS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
More than 300 small business owners, professionals, and community leaders gathered for the ninth annual Small Business Leadership Conference June 26-28. Held in Orlando, the conference featured more than 40 speakers who discussed strategies and best practices for igniting strategic growth. Read more...
IS YOUR BUSINESS READY FOR GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING?
Winning a government contract can be very rewarding, but getting there is an extremely complex process, especially if you’re not prepared beforehand.
Scotty Wilson, a Procurement Technical Assistance Center consultant who specializes in government contracting, helps businesses assess whether they are ready for government contracting by looking at five key areas of a business. They are...