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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Matt Walsh |
  • February 6, 2020
Dropping licenses will boost economy

The racket of requiring occupational licenses protects existing businesses more than it protects consumers.

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Kevin McQuaid |
  • March 6, 2020
Vanguard Land weighs risk vs. rewards when investing

Sarasota company bought properties with seemingly little upside coming out of the recession. Several have had impressive turnarounds.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • May 15, 2020
Businesses face heightened lawsuit risk

Reopening offices and workspaces, two legal experts say, isn’t a simple process. One key: have, and stick to, a well-designed plan.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield |
  • June 21, 2019
Fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchisers see potential for 200 spots statewide

Lifelong buddies and business partners slowly grew 3 Pepper Burrito to nine spots in just five years.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield |
  • July 12, 2019
Area company takes big bite out of the snack stick market

Chomps makes some 4 million snack sticks per month, each one retailing for $1.99. Sticks are individually inspected by an outsourced provider with a dedicated team at a location outside Chicago

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • March 30, 2022
No cane, no gain: Niche fashion company sticks it to the competition

Largo, Florida-based Fashionable Inc.’s Fashionable Canes brand offers more than 1,000 styles of canes, many of them custom-designed.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Kevin McQuaid |
  • October 5, 2018
How Richard Lawrence became an accidental investor

Lawrence Capital founder Richard Lawrence is drawing on a diverse background in creating a firm that advises clients on commercial real estate investments.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • November 23, 2018
Event horizon: Faced with failure, entrepreneurs tackle a new frontier

EventPower Inc. founder Frank Powell was forced to reinvent his Tampa-based business when government budget cuts destroyed his revenue stream.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Kevin McQuaid |
  • February 8, 2019
q&a | Stan Stouder

Stan Stouder, a founding partner of commercial real estate brokerage firm CRE Consultants in Fort Myers, unpacks what's driving Southwest Florida's commercial real estate market and what might be ahead in the coming year.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • August 17, 2018
Entrepreneur's journey takes him from night clerk to store owner

John Nguyen worked his way up from a 7-Eleven night clerk to a franchisee with three stores. Success, he says, stems from systems — and a willingness to take out the trash.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By James Gwartney and David Macpherson |
  • May 3, 2022
Economics professors: Fed’s fingerprints are all over inflation debacle

"It is unbelievable that any member of the Board of Governors could think the Fed could finance a $4 trillion increase in federal spending without causing inflation."

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • April 30, 2022
Foundation CFO sets retirement date — with replacement at the ready

Good succession planning isn’t just for family businesses. A well-defined plan to have a leader in waiting, at any C-level post, can help eliminate transition headaches.

  • Leadership
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Amanda Postma |
  • April 8, 2022
Florist shop grows into third-generation family business

The Fort Myers shop Ruth Messmer Florist Inc. has one petal looking at the possible next generation.

  • Leadership
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • December 2, 2016
Mr. Sandman

A sand and sun-kissed hobby can really be a thriving business. Mark Mason has done it for nearly 25 years.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 19, 2017
Why not you?

Passion is a starting point for a great business, says a been-there, done-that entrepreneur. Then it's time to outwork everyone.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Traci McMillan Beach |
  • June 30, 2017
Space for Culture

Companies are trying to be more creative with their office spaces, going smaller, yet with greater impact. But the first step in redesigning office space comes from someplace deeper: company culture.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Matt Walsh |
  • July 1, 2016
Brexit reaffirms what we celebrate on July Fourth

Some readers, and some of my colleagues, tell me: Don't comment on national and international issues. We're local, they say. They also say, “You make our advertisers mad.” Yeah, OK.

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Traci McMillan Beach |
  • October 31, 2014
Full steam ahead

The group behind Greenlight Pinellas has rallied funds and influential business owners to support the initiative. We show who's on which side of the tracks.

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Cheryl O'Neill |
  • March 20, 2015
12 Steps to Successful Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a goal to which many wish to aspire. But, why do so many fall short?

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield |
  • April 17, 2024
County OKs 93-acre Sarasota Square mall redevelopment project

Last-minute height reduction of apartments secures enough Sarasota County Commission votes to transform the mostly vacant mall into an upscale lifestyle town center.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
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