Apr
30
Creative practices help marine industry find safe harbor
Filed Under Economic Development, Tourism, Trends | Leave a Comment
Efforts yield red skies at night
Second in a three-part series about challenges facing the marine industry in Southwest Florida.
By JIM BALLEW
Business Writer
Captain John Wood is a part-time fishing guide who operates a custom home improvement business when he’s not on the water. Year to date his offshore guide business is down as much as 60-70 percent.
Also due to the economy, his home improvement business has increased substantially.
More people are remodeling rather than buying newer homes. A lot of foreclosures, too,
need work after sitting vacant or incomplete for “who knows how long.”
Wood’s flexibility is characteristic in the local marine industry. When the going gets tough, the tough still go fishing.
Apr
30
“Rapid Recovery”
Filed Under Economic Development | Leave a Comment
Job Training Program at Edison State College
Edison State College announced a new education initiative “Rapid Recovery” designed to help people adversely affected by the economy quickly retrain for in-demand jobs.
“As the economic conditions began to decline thousands in the community turned to Edison State to enhance their education and to retrain for jobs,” said Noreen Thomas, executive vice president of Edison State College. “We knew we had to do more than add faculty and classes to serve these students. We wanted to be a part of the solution to create new opportunities for Southwest Floridians.”
In the past two years Edison State’s student population increased 25 percent. Many of these students are mid-career workers hoping to retool their skills.
Edison State and the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board recognized that not everyone has two years to work on an associate’s degree or four years to work on a bachelor’s degree. There is an immediate need to get the education necessary to become employable.
Apr
30
Lee’s $25 million is mighty attractive
Filed Under 2007 Issues, Going "Green", Trends, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Countywide partnership gets big bucks to spend on biz development
By ANNIE LINDSTROM
Business Writer
It hardly seems possible but – at the moment – Lee County could be in a better position than ever before to attract new business and jobs to the area.
For the first time in its history, the Lee County Economic Development Office (EDO) has $25 million at its disposal to use to attract businesses. And the group is putting the finishing touches on its new brand: the Fort Myers Regional Economic Partnership.
The mere fact that the EDO has $25 million to work with is a positive sign to site selectors who are considering Lee County as a new home for their clients, said James Moore, director of the EDO, in an address he gave to the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association at its April meeting.
“It says we are well managed and open for business,” Moore said, adding that the county’s Moody Rating had been upgraded to A2 earlier in the day.
Apr
30
Franchising - the way forward?
Filed Under Business Builders, Editorial & Guest Columns | Leave a Comment
Part II
By KARL GIBBONS
Guest Columnist
Editor’s note: This is part two of a column on franchising. Last time we looked at the characteristics of a successful franchise business. This installment explores personnel considerations and franchisor support.
A franchising company will be in the business of guiding and assisting a network of independently owned and operated businesses rather than managing their day to day operations. Cultivating a capable staff at the home base and standardizing a solid support package is key to watertight relations with franchisors.
Apr
30
Three keys to business survival
Filed Under Business Builders | Leave a Comment
Why most businesses fail – and how you can avoid it
By JESSICA HEHIR
Business Writer
In his book “The E Myth,” author Michael Gerber states that more than a million small businesses are started in America every year. Of those, more than 80 percent of them fail within the first five years. And those statistics were cited before the economy showed signs of decline.
According to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), businesses fail for one of three reasons:
• the business has a poor financial structure
• there are internal factors within the business or
• there are external factors beyond the business owner’s control.
Apr
30
Marketing expert sounds off on promoting your business
By JESSICA HEHIR
Business Writer
You have an idea. You choose to capitalize on the idea by going into business. Now what?
Marketing your small business may seem like a daunting first step – especially when it is so closely linked to advertising campaigns and therefore money. It may be tempting to push thoughts of marketing your business aside until you are either comfortably established or this bleak economy turns around.
Not so fast, says Peter Keating, certified business analyst and Charlotte Country representative of the Small Business Development Center. Marketing should be done before you open your doors, and doesn’t need to cost much more than your own time. For those small businesses already operating, there are still lessons to be learned. Read more
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