FLORIDA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT IRSC
“Most of our referrals
come direct via word of
mouth,” he said. “We work
very closely with all the
economic development
agencies across the Treasure
Coast.”
It’s a sad fact, according
to the Small Business
Administration, that only
50 percent of businesses
that open in 2020 will still
be around by 2025. Only
one-third will still be in
business by 2030. The vast
majority of small businesses
fail because of the
lack of knowledge of their
owners or managers.
The Small Business Development
Network offers a low- or no-cost support
system dedicated to keeping businesses
healthy and profitable. Contact SBDC at
IRSC at www.irscbiz.com to find out what
they can do for your bottom line. v
TCBusiness.com 35
since 2015.
SBDC offers expertise to both emerging
and established entrepreneurs, but on the
Treasure Coast, Kindred noted, his center
supports more existing businesses 70%
than new ones 30%.
“That’s our sweet spot: Businesses that
want to expand,” Kindred said.
The center at IRSC offers the advice of
seasoned local consultants and gives small
business owners access to workshops and
other training and an array of financial
tools to help their businesses thrive.
Kindred spoke about his office’s ability
to access various databases for marketing
and demographics that would be impossible
or extremely expensive for individual
business owners to gain access to. His team
also offers information on financial ratios
for determining food cost or profit margins,
and a host of other analytical tools.
In Kindred’s experience, the two most
common missteps for entrepreneurs are a
lack of capital and management experience
and expertise.
“Owners often get passionate about a
good idea for a company, but they don’t
really understand the big picture,” he said.
“I owned and operated small businesses
for 25 years,” Kindred noted. “If I’d had
access to all that expertise, I’m certain I
could have increased my operations and
profitability.”
Kindred is especially proud of his office’s
outreach efforts.
“Our center is pretty innovative,” he
said. “We have a weekly radio show and
a podcast, Small Biz Florida. We aggressively
promote SBDC. I was once a
business owner who didn’t know about
this program and I want to make people
aware of what we have available at the
college.
Frank Fink of the SBDC
meets with Rudy Kirchner,
owner of Doctor Kirchner’s
Natural Weed Killer to
review his business plan.
SUCCESS STORIES
Ed Ciampi is vice president of sales for Chicago Stainless Steel Equipment in
Martin County, an 80-year-old manufacturer of industrial pressure and temperature
gauges used in a variety of industries including food and beverage, pet food
and pharmaceutical companies.
“I have a long history with SBDC,” Ciampi said, “dating back to when I was a Martin
County commissioner from 2008 until 2012. I met with a lot of companies over
the years and many had become acquainted with SBDC and sang its praises.
“For my company, we have only about 12 people total, so SBDC is a real benefit.
We don’t have the personnel or resources to handle some of the things we need
to handle.”
The SBDC’s Spike Schultheis reviews designs for
new products available with Al Coffey, owner of
Dragonfly Graphics.
Michael Bernard of the SBDC discusses plans for expansion with Matt
Black, CEO of Ben Franklin Plumbing.
/www.irscbiz.com
/TCBusiness.com
