Archive for category: Success Stories

Silver Dolphin Restaurant and Country Store of Hernando County

Nestled between the ocean and canal, Silver Dolphin Restaurant and Country Store, a Hernando Beach destination for locals and tourists alike. With a unique main dining area known as the Secret Garden—a lush outdoor space with nearly 100 seats—guests can enjoy fresh food while surrounded by wildlife and the natural beauty of the Gulf coast.

The business was born from, owner, Yann Milcendeau’s appreciation for the area’s abundant parks and recreational opportunities. “With the ocean being right next to us and all the things you can do around here… it’s an absolute playground for anybody who wants to go on vacation,” Milcendeau said.

When challenges struck, the Florida SBDC at USF and senior business consultant Bill Burnham were there to help. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the business received critical assistance securing a Florida Emergency Bridge Loan, which allowed them to continue paying employees and complete renovations while closed. “The SBDC was instrumental in us surviving COVID,” Milcendeau shared. “The Florida SBDC actually saved us. Some businesses have never reopened because they had no cash up front, nothing that they could get on short notice. We did it and because of that we’re open today and we still employ our 32 employees at the Silver Dolphin,” he added.

Disaster struck again when a hurricane caused substantial flooding. “When the storm first hit you think that there is no hope – it’s over, you look at your property and you can’t believe what you’re looking at compared to what you had before, but we took the time to rebuild,” Milcendeau said. Once again, Burnham assisted in securing both a bridge loan and an SBA disaster loan, providing the funds needed to reopen.

“I want to thank the Florida SBDC at USF for all they’ve done for us, I really believe that they’re the greatest reason we’re still here because of the bridge loans and the money that we received as a loan to reopen so quickly. Most of all I want to thank Bill, he was instrumental in taking the application and making it easy for us,” Milcendeau said.

Today, the restaurant and store continue to thrive, welcoming families and friends to gather over food and enjoy the scenery of Hernando Beach. “Here at Hernando Beach, we’re all in business still. We’re all open and we’re better than before. We have come back to be more attractive to all the tourists, all the people that want to come and visit us,” Milcendeau said.

Thanks to resilience, community support, and guidance from the Florida SBDC at USF, this small business is stronger than ever.

Spectrum Custom Molds & Manufacturing Inc of Manatee County

After two decades in corporate America developing new products and technologies, Michael Guidoboni felt a shift coming in the industry. “In 2016, 2017, the corporate industry was taking a little bit of a turn, and I started exploring what other options I had,” Guidoboni said.

Reflecting on an early passion for metal fabrication, Michael and Son, Adam Guidoboni, took a bold leap: purchasing a tool shop and transforming it into a full-service manufacturing company, Spectrum Custom Molds and Manufacturing Inc. “Bada bing, bada boom. Here I am eight years later, and you see where we’ve come,” Michael said.

The family-owned company has since grown into a one-stop shop for customers—offering everything from tool building to production, assembly, and distribution. With support from the Florida SBDC at USF and consultant Brad Mix, the business received guidance on financial planning, which led to successful results. “Our relationship with the Florida SBDC at USF has been ongoing for about five years now. I originally touched base with the SBDC for some assistance in getting financing for building the building that we’re sitting in right now. Needed the resources, didn’t really know where to go or how to proceed with that process. And early on I was connected with Brad from the Florida SBDC at USF and he helped me put my financials together so that we could go approach banks and lenders in an attempt to get funding for the building,” Michael said.

With Mix’s help the family business secured financing through a U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) loan with help from their bank in Wisconsin and Florida First Capital, which oversees the SBA 504 portion.

That funding helped fuel a major milestone: the build of a new facility in 2023. “Our biggest success is our new facility that we moved into in 2023 and all the equipment we’ve acquired since then,” Adam said. “We’ve purchased about three machines per year, which has really given us the opportunity to grow. The 10 acres we’re on gives us unlimited capability to grow past where we’re at,” Adam added.

In recognition of these achievements, the business received the 2025 Florida SBDC Veteran Business Owner of the Year Award during the Florida SBDC at USF’s Annual Business Awards. “Since the award ceremony from the Florida SBDC at USF, we’ve seen a lot of uptick in growth. Especially connections, new opportunities, quoting, it’s really given us an opportunity to grow as a business. And, that recognition, we put it on our website. We’ve seen a lot of interest from that and brought new parties,” Adam said.

Now thriving with sales growth, job retention, and national opportunities, the company continues to set its sights on the future of U.S. manufacturing and plans to keep the Florida SBDC at USF along for the ride. “So, as we continue to see success and the business grows, I can envision our relationship with the Florida SBDC at USF providing future opportunities for us. If we have to go build another building, we’re gonna need to get financing. I’m gonna reach out to Brad and say, ‘Here’s the situation we’re in, you know, how do you recommend we move forward? I value your input.’ I think all the information we’ve been given from the Florida SBDC at USF has been spot on and obviously has worked out,” Michael said.

As for advice to other local small business owners, the father and son duo mentioned taking advantage of the opportunities that are readily available. “For new small businesses that are coming into the area and growing, I think the Florida SBDC at USF really gives a good connection and opportunity, especially when you’re a new business and you’ve never been in business before,” Adam said. “I mean, we’re a fairly young business going into our eighth year and for anybody that’s in year one, year two, all the connections and advice in the beginning is more than helpful,” he added.

Bia Candle Company of Sarasota County

Founded in 2019, Bia Candle Company, a Sarasota-based candle company has quickly risen from a startup idea to a thriving manufacturer and retailer with partnerships across Florida. The business, which specializes in high-quality, clean-burning scented candles, was born out of the founder, Bia Antunes’ passion as a candle aficionado and frustration with the inconsistent quality on the market.

“I realized that even though the market was saturated with candles, there were very few that offered safe, clean ingredients at an accessible price,” Antunes said. “I set out to create candles made with high-quality wax, safe scents, and wicks that burn cleanly without smoke or soot,” the owner explained.

Since its launch, the company has developed strong retail and wholesale relationships, including with Whole Foods Market and Chase Bank, while also selling directly to consumers online. As with many manufacturers, managing cash flow was an early challenge. That’s when the business turned to the Florida SBDC at USF.

“My consultant Scott from the Florida SBDC at USF has helped me tremendously. He has extensive experience in business, from marketing to finance. He’s always willing to sit down with me and go over all these crucial business tools that, you know, as a new business owner, I’m constantly learning. I don’t have an MBA, I didn’t graduate from my college ready to start a business,” Antunes said.

Business consultant Scott Carpenter provided guidance on marketing, financing, and securing capital. “Funding is a really hard part of business and I’m self-funded,” Antunes said. “Scott helped me get a loan with the SBA, which helps a lot because especially with manufacturing, you’re buying materials and you’re making product, and then you have to go to market to sell that product. So, you have that time lapse where your money is tied up in product and it takes a while to get that money back,” she added.

The business owner goes on to say that one of her biggest successes was actually lighting the flame and bringing her idea to life. “I would say my biggest success so far was initially starting my business. Having the courage to do it. I create a product which I had to learn how to make. I thought it was going to be a lot easier to make a quality candle than it actually is,” she said.

Now, with sales growing and partnerships expanding throughout Florida, the company continues to thrive, crediting much of its success to its loyal customer base. “One thing that really makes me proud and keeps me going every day is getting great reviews from people online that buy our candles and buy them again and again and write wonderful reviews, sometimes even personal emails saying these are the best candles they’ve ever had. They love all our scents. They love how they burn. All that positive reinforcement is a success. It warms my heart and keeps me going because every day there’s a challenge with business,” Antunes said with a smile.

Antunes didn’t fail to mention how the Florida SBDC at USF has helped in providing not only resources but also the confidence to scale sustainably. “So, in the future I hope to use the Florida SBDC at USF to advance my business even more,” she said. “I hope to work with Scott more extensively, where he can help me up the game a little bit more and increase my revenues and help me keep costs lower and also with ideas, right? Because he’s in the market. He’s helping a lot of other businesses, he knows what’s going on, so he can always give me advice as to which direction I should take and making decisions for my business,” she added.

As for her fellow small business owner, Antunes offer this piece of advice: “I would suggest that everyone that starts a new business, you know, try to have access to all these tools that are offered by the SBA, by the SBDC, by the U.S. government. There are a lot of tools out there and sometimes they feel like they’re out of reach just because you don’t know where they are or how to get to them,” she said. “Working locally with your chamber or with universities or trying to find the local [SBDC] office, through the SBA or directly, you can find very helpful people and tools and executives that wanna help you,” she concluded.

BN Star of Pasco County

For more than 20 years, Magnolia Munoz, Omar Orjuela, and Tomás Orjuela, a family in Colombia, dedicated itself to improving health and wellness through workplace activities. When the family decided to expand to the United States, they brought their business, BN Star, and their vision with them— helping businesses build healthier, more productive teams.

“We started our business to continue a twenty yearlong business in Colombia and the benefits of our activities to more people to improve health and wellness in the workplace,” Magnolia explained.

The company focuses on wellness and healthy habits for the workforce, offering services designed to boost morale, reduce stress, and promote a culture of wellbeing. Their mission is simple: healthier employees lead to stronger businesses.

To ensure a successful launch in a new country, the owners turned to the Florida SBDC at USF and business consultant Pablo Arroyo. “We have used Florida SBDC at USF and Pablo’s guidance to build a stronger foundation to grow our brand in the American market, also advice and more peer review on how our idea would look in this new country,” Tomás shared.

With support from the Florida SBDC at USF, the business gained insight into legal requirements, financial planning, and branding strategies. The team also participated in no-cost training and received valuable peer review to better understand how their idea would fit into the American market.

“We have felt empowered to know that our idea was viable in this market. So from starting [with] our first clients and building the bridge from clients from Colombia and getting the confidence through market research and different variabilities, it has been really key for our stronger presence in the county and the state,” Tomás said.

That foundation has paid off. The company has established its presence in the United States and continues to grow its reputation as a trusted resource for workplace wellness.

“Our biggest success is with no doubt being able to start our business and in a short time have it strongly running and out there. That has been incredible. When you move from abroad, everything is unknown. Everything is scary, but having a strong foundation and a smooth start has been a great success in a short period of time for sure,” Tomás added.

Looking ahead, the owners plan to continue working with the Florida SBDC at USF to support their expansion and reach more businesses. “As we continue to grow our business, we’re looking forward to using more of the networking resources and also continuing to use all the consulting possibilities that we can get… so from refining our strategies to going into more specific areas of our business, like marketing or financing. I think it would be great to explore,” Tomás said.

When asked what advice they would give to their fellow small business owners, Tomás said: “I would tell other small business owners that are wanting to start, that Florida SBDC is gonna help you a lot so don’t be scared. There are many resources that you can explore, a lot of ways to learn new things and that they’re definitely gonna make it easier.”

The family emphasized how they will surely use the Florida SBDC at USF as their go-to business resource as they continue to advocate for wellness in the workforce and provide their services. “Florida SBDC at USF are wonderful,” Magnolia concluded.

Innovative US of Sarasota County

Since 1993, Innovative US has focused on manufacturing cell-protective eyewear and safety gear used for lasers—an industry that has grown exponentially across sectors like healthcare, defense, manufacturing, and research.

Driven by a passion for safety and innovation, Andrew Barrows took over his father’s business to meet the rising demand for high-quality laser protection. “My dad started this company in our basement in Minnesota in 1993. So, we’ve been doing this longer than any other company in, well, possibly in the world, that I’m aware of. We started with a focus on the medical industry and the dental industry. About three years ago, I decided to expand into the industrial laser area,” Barrows said.

Looking to expand their reach, Barrows turned to the Florida SBDC at USF and business consultant and international trade specialist, Selma Canas. With Selma’s guidance, the company developed an export marketing plan that identified viable markets and targeted demographics.

This plan provided valuable insight into which countries had both the need and purchasing power for their specialized products. “We are located here in Sarasota County and we’ve been interested in exporting to other parts of the world, and our customer base is mixed of physicians and dental practitioners among other industrial users, but we didn’t know where we wanted to spend most of our time focusing because we didn’t know which countries had these types of professions. We didn’t know which countries had the income to be able to buy the products we’re looking for, so instead of going at it blind, we contacted Selma at the SBDC for a marketing review specifically for our customer base,” Barrows said.

The business now exports to multiple countries, with its biggest success being the ability to manufacture and sell directly in Brazil—a major milestone in the company’s international growth.

“After this report, we found that Brazil actually had the second largest amount of dermatologists after the United States per capita. We weren’t expecting that. We decided to target Brazil. We found a manufacturer in Brazil and we started to build a relationship with them. They’re now our customer base. We are now selling into Brazil. We’ve overcome some of the regulatory shipping into Brazil, and we have found a very nice market for exponential growth for years to come,” Barrows said.

Since partnering with the Florida SBDC at USF, Innovative US has seen steady growth and continues to refine its global strategy. “As we continue to grow our business, we’re looking to the SBDC to help us things with grants. So, for example, we want to do more trade shows and we’re gonna use some of the grant money that’s available to be able to attend trade shows that we think are gonna open up new export potentials in different parts of the world,” Barrows explained.

For other small businesses considering SBDC services, Barrows shares this advice: “You can rely on entities like the SBDC to help us with grant money, with market data. As a small business, we have to be very concerned with every dollar spent and working with the SBDC allows us to make that dollar go further and allows us to make more revenue based on some of the market, but also, do it in a smart way, making the right decisions.”

With a global vision and a strong support system, Innovative US is protecting more than just eyes—it’s securing a future built on innovation and smart strategy.