Stem sell

After three decades of running a business as an independent florist, one of the largest in the Sarasota-Bradenton region, Art Conforti knew it was time to sell last year.

Conforti was spread too thin, spending time on a thriving related software and web development firm, in addition to the flower shop. His two adult children weren't interested in taking over the business, Sarasota-based Beneva Flowers. A onetime Sarasota County bus driver, Conforti and his father, who owned a neighborhood flower shop in the Bronx, N.Y., for 30 years, opened Beneva Flowers in 1986. The younger Conforti bought the business outright in 1992.

Next up: Find someone Conforti trusted enough to buy Beneva — a challenge many business owners confront. “I didn't want sell this company and see it fail,” says Conforti.