SMALL BUSINESS
Doris Tillman, Fort
Pierce Main Street
TCBusiness.com 15
aid, we reached out
to Tom Kindred of
the Florida SBDC at
IRSC. He came here
to personally interview
business owners
about grants that
could help them.
“The biggest problem
we’ve encountered
is that some of
our business owners
are a bit lax in keeping financial records
and bookkeeping,” she said. “It’s tough
for them to come up with the required
paperwork.”
To publicize the training program,
Tillman said she advertised on Facebook
through the Downtown Business Association,
targeting hospitality and retail
clothing businesses. Main Street Fort Pierce
offered six classes covering the areas of
understanding sales and marketing, an introduction
to internet marketing and social
media. Time management and financial
literacy were also covered.
Tillman noted there was a “very, very
high level of enthusiasm among business
owners. They got very excited learning
new stuff.”
MAIN STREET VERO BEACH
Main Street Vero Beach also volunteered
to launch its own Better Business Program.
Manager Susan Gromis reported that the
workshops ended in September and that
11 businesses took part.
Unlike Fort Pierce Main Street’s concentration
on downtown merchants, Vero
Beach attendees are more spread across
the city, including the executive director of
a nonprofit agency, Gromis said.
Gromis said participants were “very interested
in the knowledge” they are acquiring.
“I’ve gotten very positive feedback and
they really enjoy the lectures,” she said.
Gromis had hoped for more participants
but said the short time frame in which
they had to pull the program together and
its timing in August, when some business
owners were traveling or on vacation,
may have contributed to the relatively
low numbers. She had hoped for 35-40
people at the lectures. Perhaps adjusting
the dates of future sessions would help,
Gromis suggested.
MAIN STREET OKEECHOBEE
Paulette Wise, executive director of
the Okeechobee Chamber of Commerce,
reached out to Kindred
at the Florida
SBDC to take part in
the Better Business
program in partnership
with Main Street
Okeechobee.
Wise said classes
were scheduled
to run throughout
September and into
early October.
“But I think it’s going to be great,” Wise
said. “It’s early days as far as assessing the
number of businesses taking part, “but
we will be sending out more details of the
classes using social media and personal
emails to all our 300 members. SBDC is beginning
to come into our community and
I’m looking forward to that happening.”
The Main Street Better Business Program
looks to be a valuable and useful
precursor to more advice and mentoring
from SBDC subject experts. So far, all participants
have shown great interest and
enthusiasm in learning more about the
basics of business. More in-depth classes
are just over the horizon and should help
strengthen this important sector of the
local business community. v
Susan Gromis, Vero
Beach Main Street
WWW.ARTISTICCLOSETS.COM
CUSTOM CLOSET SYSTEMS & HOME CABINETRY
CLOSETS ~ GARAGES ~ OFFICES ~ MEDIA CENTERS ~ LAUNDRY ROOMS ~ PANTRIES ~ BUILT INS ~ WALL BEDS
10% OFF $300 OFF
ANY ORDER UP
ANY ORDER OF
TO $10,000
$2,500 OR MORE
Cannot Be Combined With Any Other
Offer. No Cash Value. Not Valid On Prior
Purchases. 1 Per Household, Per Customer.
Must Present Coupon At Time Of Purchase.
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME
OR VIRTUAL CONSULTATION!
Stuart/PSL: 772-692-8447
Vero Beach: 772-770-1797
Palm Beach: 561-745-0044
Stuart Showroom
2303 NW Federal Hwy
Stuart, FL 34994
St. Lucie West
Manufacturing Facility
660 NW Enterprise Dr.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
LICENSED & INSURED
LIFETIME WARRANTY
/www.artisticclosets.com
/TCBusiness.com
/WWW.ARTISTICCLOSETS.COM