There’s quite a buzz around the entrepreneur ecosystem developing in South Florida. Miami is specifically garnering national attention as a leader in business startups. While starting a business is relatively easy to do, scaling a business is another matter entirely. It is estimated that only 8% of businesses make it out of the foundational stage and develop an infrastructure that can support scaling – regardless of how long they’ve been in business. In this article, Jacqueline Bueno Sousa shares some insightful thoughts on scaling businesses. Similarly, Jody Johnson, managing partner of the local ActionCOACH Business Coaching firm, has witnessed many of these same points in working with business owners over the last decade to establish stable, scalable foundations. Read Bueno Sousa’s Miami Herald article here! Are

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It’s hard to believe that summer is already here! The kids are out of school and vacation season is in full swing. For business owners and their teams, it’s time for the mid-year course correction. June and July are the ideal time to review all your dreams, goals, plans, strategies, learnings and assumptions. It’s the time to take stock of what’s working and what’s not. Based on your findings, you can make course corrections to ensure that you and your team accomplish your goals and stay on track with your dreams. If you set aside the time and put in the effort for this process, it can make a difference this year and in the years to come. Here are seven things to consider and

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The Background Chinedu Okoro started Continental Global Services in 2014 as a compliment to his father’s commercial janitorial service business. His business was growing slowly and organically. When we first met Okoro, had just completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and he’d learned a lot; however, implementing all the new information was a whole other matter. Okoro had two employees and was working days, nights and weekends trying to grow his client base and move away from dependency on his father’s business. He was working hard to fulfill orders, invoice, collect, purchase products and run the business, all the while seeking government contract certifications. Shortly after we met, his office admin assistant – pregnant in her third trimester with her first child –

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Transcript: In this video I’m going to tell you why employee engagement is so important to you, to your business and to your community and world. Hi! This is Jody Ann Johnson and welcome to another video. If you’re new here, and you’re looking for business tips on how to have your business run better, grow your team, make more money, then subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss a thing. Why is employee engagement so important? Well it’s really quite simple. When people are engaged, they perform better and your business grows. That’s it. It’s actually that simple. There is a massive investment in employee engagement and employee engagement programs, and many of them are not working. So why has employee engagement

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A strategic narrative is central to a healthy company’s branding and their decision-making process. It’s the lens through which your small business perceives itself and the lens through which outsiders perceive your small business. It shapes your culture and strategy, casting a vision for the future and illuminating a path to get there. Your strategic narrative is unique to your company’s DNA and sets you apart from industry competitors. What is a strategic narrative? A strategic narrative is a compelling, concise and yet comprehensive story that captures your unique history and your vision as well as the way in which you as the owner, your employees and your customers can participate as co-contributors towards your unfolding story. On engageforsuccess.org, one writer explains that this narrative

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The United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs created The Agenda for Sustainable Development. This Agenda outlines a plan for “dignity, peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future.” These goals are set in 15-year increments and through a collaboration among business entities worldwide, nearly all of the goals from the past 15 years were accomplished. Nonprofits and government bodies don’t have the structure to address many of the effects of global economic inequality but business people are nimble and innovative and as such, are able to make a profound impact. Take for example, TOMS Shoes who, for every pair of shoes purchased, donates a pair of shoes to a child or adult in need. As of 2016, TOMS

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Transcript: Jody: Hello everybody. This is Jody Johnson. Welcome to Made In Miami, where we interview small businesses here locally to learn more about why they love doing business in Miami, how they got started in their business and what their advice would be for others who are about to start a business or looking to grow their businesses. Today we’re going to be with Liz Nieves of Ilo Gear.  Hi Liz. Welcome to Made In Miami. Liz: Hi Jody. Thank you so much. I’m super grateful to be here. Jody: We’re delighted. So tell me a little bit about how people can find you, the name of the company, and the best way for them to be able to find you once they know

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Brand fascination may sound a bit mysterious but it’s actually something we are all familiar with in our personal relationships. Do you ever feel like you gravitate towards someone because of their personality or the way they communicate? The same can be said for business relationships. The way you communicate your brand affects whether or not people are drawn into a relationship with your brand. Therefore, positioning your brand to fascinate your audience and draw them in is one key to attracting clients and operating a successful business. So what are some key components of brand fascination? A solid understanding of your company’s identity Take time to assess what beliefs and values your company is built on and how you are pursuing your mission. Instead

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Transcript: Jody: Welcome to made in Miami where we’re interviewing small business owners that have their businesses here and are thriving in Miami. Every month we’ll be interviewing another small business to give you insights on how they’re making it. In Miami today we’re going to be talking with Cris and Claire from FrameWorks. So would you two introduce yourselves. The name of your company in the best way for people to find you. Cris Sweeny: Our company is FrameWorks the best way to find us is frameworksmiami.com. My name is Cris Sweeny on one of the founders and co-owners of FrameWorks. Claire Lardner: My name is Clare Lardner and I’m the other founder of FrameWorks located in Miami. We have two locations, one in

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All small businesses are affected by change. It could be something as simple as implementing a new payroll system or as monumental as switching to a new operating system or moving the office to a new location. Even if the change is warranted and the results are promising, change is rarely easy and a large percentage of change efforts fail. So how can leaders set themselves and their teams up for success when it comes to implementing change? It truly all begins with effective change leadership. Personality types of effective change leaders When you look at the Clifton StrengthsFinder personality types, effective change leaders can emerge from any of the four strength domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building or Strategic Thinking and any combination thereof. When

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