Brevard County Success Stories - Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida

Terra Craft Sandwiches

Having a great business idea that is unique and appealing is only the beginning for an entrepreneur. So many steps must then follow: testing the market, finding funding, writing a business plan, and more. Sisters Amanda and Gina Manzano, owners and founders of the restaurant Terra Craft Sandwiches, had moved down the start-up path and covered a lot of those bases but soon realized, as the saying goes, that they ‘didn’t know what they didn’t know.’ That’s when they turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at Eastern Florida State College (FSBDC at EFSC), a sub-center of the FSBDC at UCF, to take advantage of its no-cost, expert business consulting and to access the FSBDC’s market research resources.

Based in Melbourne, FL, Terra Craft Sandwiches is a fast casual, elevated sandwich shop that prides itself in being “Flavor First”. “One of the things we feel makes our restaurant unique is our focus on flavor and high quality, fresh ingredients,” shares Amanda Manzano. For example, one of their Signature Sandwiches is the Mojo Pork Banh Mi, featuring roasted pork, creamy ponzu vegetable slaw, and chicharron crisps on a hoagie roll. “We take ‘center of the plate’ food and put it into a sandwich for a very flavorful, globally inspired bite,” Amanda states proudly.

With that and many other exciting choices on the menu, the Manzano sisters were eager to launch their business but had questions they then began posing to the FSBDC. “One of the many reasons we sought out counsel from the SBDC was because we were new to the Melbourne market and really valued the expertise they had in this area and they’ve done just a wonderful job guiding us,” remarked Gina Manzano. “The SBDC had honestly been integral since Day Zero of our journey opening this restaurant,” added Amanda. “Everything from helping us scout a location to market research of the demographics in this area, and best practices for marketing to the local demographic and even making great connections with other local business leaders and community figures.”

“Apart from the invaluable business advice that we’ve gotten through the SBDC, our favorite part is the relationship we have with the people there,” Amanda Manzano continued. “Robin Braswell (FSBDC at EFSC sub-center director and consultant) has made the experience so wonderful for us. Having her as a trusted support and then a great customer and friend of Terra, it’s just been marvelous to work with the SBDC because of the people like her.”

“From opening our doors to coming around the corner to our first year, the impact of the SBDC on our business has been huge,” Amanda claims. She credits the SBDC with helping the business with both marketing and human resources issues that have resulted in Terra achieving profitability and contributing to local economic growth through job creation. “We have been so fortunate in our first year to really flourish and every day is truly a great day here,” Gina Marzano declares.

“I definitely speak for both of us when I say we would recommend the SBDC to any aspiring business owner,” concluded Amanda. “It’s been a wonderful resource. So, I would reach out to them. You won’t regret it.”

For information about Terra Craft Sandwiches, please visit https://www.terracraftsandwiches.com/.

Wonder Waffel

Starting a business is typically a steep climb for anyone, but the degree of difficulty is heightened significantly if you happen to be in a new country and introducing a foreign food concept to a different and unfamiliar customer base. All of that and more was true for Swiss-born Seraina Hug, founder and owner of popular European restaurant chain Wonder Waffel, when she set about bringing her concept to Melbourne, Florida. Fortunately, Hug contacted the Florida Small Business Development Center at Eastern Florida State College (FSBDC at EFSC), a sub-center of the FSBDC at the University of Central Florida, which was able to assist her on her way to a successful opening of her waffle shop.

Boasting its position as one of the first in the US, Wonder Waffel Melbourne features a different take on comfort food. All of the dishes on the menu are built around a waffle made from a proprietary recipe then loaded with amazing ingredients chosen by the customer. “We serve waffles made from scratch,” explains Hug. “We have savory (think Mexican, Italian, or chicken bbq-like sandwiches made with waffles). We have sweet ones (piled with the customer’s choice of sauces, fruits, and toppings). We have shakes. We have sundaes. We have Italian coffee. We are a place for a sweet tooth!”

“What makes us unique? Hug continued. “You can customize your own waffle with us. Just let me know what you want and I make it possible. I am from Switzerland and we don’t eat waffles for breakfast. We it all day, especially in the afternoon and after dinner for a sweet treat.”

“We immigrated to here and things are a bit different. The rules are different, the laws are different, its hard and you have to learn a lot,” recalls Hug. Under new circumstances, she turned to Robin Braswell, sub-center director and consultant at the FSBDC at EFSC for help. “From our first appointment with the SBDC where we met Robin, she helped me a lot with many questions. She helped me with marketing research, with permits or if we had any question. We are so thankful that Robin is always here and she is part of our amazing journey.”

“Frankly speaking, the SBDC helped us open our restaurant. Robin and her team have been so supportive,” Hug states today. ”It’s hard to be self-employed. My head is everywhere. It’s with the customer, it’s in the kitchen, it’s with my employees. I have to do the marketing, the social media, pay my bills on time. There’s just a lot and the SBDC and Robin have helped me focus to be here and to run my business.”

Today, Wonder Waffel is open and thriving, having already built a loyal clientele. “We did great,” exclaims Hug proudly. “We opened our restaurant and I’m happy Robin is on my side all the time.”

For information about Wonder Waffel, please visit https://wonderwaffelmelbourne.com/ .

The Viera Studio

The COVID epidemic threw a lot of curve balls at nearly every small business, and those involved in the arts and cultural activities were no exception. Reinvention and sometimes even a fight for survival were the order of the day. Monica Toro Lisciandro, founder of The Viera Studio for the Performing Arts and director of the Black Box Theatre Programme, recognized immediately that the pandemic was taking a toll on her organization and turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at Eastern Florida State College (FSBDC at EFSC), a subcenter of the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF).

At the Viera Studio for the Performing Arts, they pride themselves on building confidence, creativity, and fun! Professional entertainers hold events and workshops year-round for all ages, including cabarets, showcases, and special one-night engagements. They like to say, “When you’re here, the fun never ends.” Through their programs, students can explore various aspects of theater including acting, singing, dancing, stage design, and production. Experienced and highly trained instructors guide them through every step of the process, from auditions to rehearsals to final performances.

“The Viera Studio is a special place to be because of the magic that our families and our students bring,” Monica Lisciandro states proudly. “All of our students and our families are uplifted. When our kids come in, they feel like they are supported and they’re seen, they’re heard, and they’re valued. Because of that, they’re able to excel and feel like they can be confident and truly be themselves.”

“I sought out guidance from the FSBDC because, after COVID, we really needed to pivot for our business,” recalls Lisciandro. “We needed the guidance and the support of the FSBDC and their knowledge in order to be able to move forward and continue our business and continue to be successful in the times we were facing.”

Working with FSBDC at EFSC sub-center director and consultant Robin Braswell and others, Lisciandro took advantage of the full spectrum of the FSBDC’s services: no-cost, expert consulting; business training workshops, seminars and webinars; and access to deep and broad market research databases and resources. “My journey with the FSBDC has been excellent,” Lisciandro affirms. “I’ve been able to consult with Robin about my business. I’ve received data about our marketing, about our website. I’ve been able to access a plethora of trainings that have helped me be able to develop and take my business onward and upward.”

“The FSBDC has really helped our business grow,” concludes Lisciandro. “Our clientele –students from children to adults – has increased. We have reached out to schools in the community, and they are very interested in partnering with us to bring our programs into their school. We have a bigger reach and are able to offer the arts programs to not only the kids who come to our studio but also to the community. My personal experience working with the FSBDC has been excellent. For anyone that’s considering working with them, I would highly recommend it.”

For information about The Viera Studio for the Performing Arts, please visit https://thevierastudio.com/.

Baby Fairy Tale

Doing anything for the first time can be challenging and, for a small business owner who has her or his company’s future on the line – navigating new possibilities for expansion is no exception. For Diana and Tim Willis, owners of Baby Fairy Tale – a unique mother-to-be ultrasound video studio that captures enchanting, magical pre-birth baby moments in 3D/4D/HDLive – there were growth opportunities in unfamiliar territory before them, so they called upon the Florida Small Business Development Center at Eastern Florida State College (FSBDC at EFSC), a sub-center of the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF).

Baby Fairy Tale is an ultrasound clinic specializing in recording magical moments for the expecting mother and her loved ones. Beyond being a wonderful and unique way to make memories, what makes Baby Fairy Tale exceptional is its offer of a spacious theatre setting in which the mother-to-be and her family and friends can experience a remarkable and special moment. “Everybody leaves Baby Fairy Tale happy,” says Diana Willis proudly.

Customers have been flocking to Baby Fairy Tale and the Willises saw opportunity in expanding to a second location. “But how do we do that?,” they asked themselves. Their search for assistance led them to the FSBDC. “I had heard of the FSBDC but wasn’t sure what they did,” recalls Tim Willis. “So, I looked them up and got in contact with Robin Braswell (EFSC sub-center Director and FSBDC consultant),” he went on. Braswell described the FSBDC’s services: no-cost, expert consulting; business training seminars and webinars; and access to expansive market research and databases. “She’d send me emails about the different programs and projects that the FSBDC was doing around here,” Tim says, and it piqued his interest.

“We got more involved with the FSBDC when we decided to purchase a piece of property for a second location,” Tim Willis continued. “I contacted Robin and she immediately started sending me resources and recommendations. She connected me with an SBDC consultant who is an expert in capital access and loans, Maggie Incandela. She helped me write a business plan for Baby Fairy Tale and that business plan helped us to acquire a loan to buy the property for our second location.”

“It’s been wonderful working the FSBDC,” Willis shared. “Whenever I have a question or thought or doubt, I would write Robin and she would either answer that question, direct me to the right person or resource, or give me ideas. The other thing that’s really cool about working with the SBDC is they have meetings, like a lender’s panel, and different seminars that are super informative and helpful to grow your knowledge as a business owner.”

“The FSBDC has been very helpful” Willis concludes. “Since we started working with them, we’ve done a lot of things; the big one is starting to open a second location — getting the loan, buying the property and working on it. We’ve hired a second employee and now we’ve started on getting a loan for a second ultrasound machine. I would recommend the FSBDC to any business. I mean, why not? To get some free help, that’s awesome.”

For information about Baby Fairytale, please visit https://babyfairytale.com/home .

Innovative Routines International (IRI)

Successful business owners seize opportunities when they see them. Even more successful business owners anticipate those opportunities and take steps in advance to prepare their companies to maximize the growth that can be achieved from changing markets and customer requirements.

David Friedland, as a business leader at Innovative Routines International, Inc. (IRI, Inc.), has identified several emerging market opportunities for his company. He turned to the Florida SBDC at Eastern Florida State College (FSBDC at EFSC) for operational advice that would better support IRI’s expansion path.

IRI is a long-running software development company –often called an independent software vendor (ISV) –that specializes in technologies for fast data management and data-centric security for customers around the world, large and small, across multiple industries. Management of big data and the protection of sensitive information are fast-growing segments of the software industry. IRI has been working to capture some of that growth as those segments mature and further evolve.

“We saw the chance to grow more rapidly amid industry changes and the resulting opportunities we’ve encountered,” recalls Friedland. “We were moving beyond one or two core products to a broader data management platform and richer product line offering. We saw the FSBDC and its strategic consulting as a source of new knowledge that would help us scale better and modernize more of our internal processes.”

Working with Florida SBDC at EFSC sub-center Director Martin Duffy, Friedland and IRI sales director Lisa Mangino set to work in the areas that IRI wanted help in, including sales forecasting, pipeline management, customer marketing, and the streamlining of internal customer handling and financial reporting procedures. They took advantage of the FSBDC’s training seminars, consulting services, and market research tools to leverage existing IRI capabilities in the enterprise software business while adding fresh perspectives and approaches.

“It has been very positive working with the FSBDC,” says Mangino. “It confirmed that some of the things we were doing were right on the money, and highlighted others needing change or enhancement.”

Various FSBDC service strategies worked to IRI’s advantage. The FSBDC’s team approach to seminars brought together partners from the Small Business Administration and local professionals that helped IRI connect with SEO and digital marketing experts. Monthly accountability meetings with FSBDC consultant Duffy served to keep the company on track and build momentum.

“The proof is in the pudding,’ Friedland continued. “Business is up significantly, nearing 30 percent over last year. It’s significant. We credit the FSBDC for not only fattening our pipeline but also helping us manage it more efficiently. We are now able to pursue the opportunities we have in front of us with more vigor and intelligence.”

“There’s always room to improve and get better,” Friedland states. “If you’re not learning, you’re falling behind. I’d tell any business owner to see the FSBDC if you want to grow, regardless of your current size or track. Just keep an open mind.

For information about Innovative Routines International, please visit www.iri.com/.

Enviro-USA American Manufacturer

“You don’t know what you don’t know.” That’s the mantra of many of the smart and successful small business clients that seek assistance from Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF). And all credit goes to those business owners; recognizing that they don’t have all the answers and that they can benefit from the FSBDC’s services, including its programs for established, second stage companies as well as its expert, confidential, no-cost consulting.

Jennifer Vargas, President, and Luis Vargas, Vice President, lead and are co-owners of Enviro-USA American Manufacturer LLC, the producer of environmental protection apparatus. It makes containment booms for the oil industry, silt or turbidity curtains for the marine construction industry, and seaweed barriers for the tourism industry. They had grown the business to more than $1 million in sales by 2016 but had hit a rough patch.

“We were at a point where we felt like we needed assistance,” recalls Jennifer Vargas. “Challenges were presenting themselves. Unfamiliar issues and problems were arising, daily it seemed. We knew we didn’t have all the answers and needed guidance. We needed professionals to help us move forward. That’s why we signed up with the FSBDC.”

Enviro-USA American Manufacturer’s Facility

Enviro-USA and the Vargases accessed multiple of the FSBDC’s services. They received in-depth marketing and financial analysis consulting from the FSBDC’s Eastern Florida State College sub-center. The local Procurement Specialist from the FSBDC’s Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center at UCF (Florida PTAC at UCF) assisted with government contracting opportunities. And the FSBDC at UCF’s International Trade Program Manager Jill McLaughlin led in developing an export marketing plan for the company.

“The FSBDC is amazing to work with,” says Luis Vargas. “They dived deep into our issues. In the export marketing plan, we learned what countries to target and so much more. With our financials, they opened our eyes and pointed out where we needed to focus. On the marketing side, they got is down into the nitty-gritty to grow our revenues.”

If that wasn’t enough, the Vargases also joined the FSBDC’s Advisory Board Council (ABC), a no-cost board of volunteer experts, selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client providing advice and counsel to help businesses grow. “Working with the ABC advisors was so important and so valuable. They shared so much knowledge; about production, sales, human resources, business-to-business marketing. It enabled us to make so many better decisions at the company. And ABC Program Manager Jill Kaufman was instrumental in making it happen,” stated Luis Vargas.

The Vargas’s work with the FSBDC has paid rich rewards. Enviro-USA has achieved remarkable results since starting with the FSBDC: the company has been able to double its factory space, its work force and its manufacturing capacity. Revenues have increased more than 90% and profits have grown by 1,000%.

“You can’t go wrong working with the FSBDC,” concluded Jennifer Vargas. “You can only improve your business. You get experts to help you with every aspect of your business and it’s at no cost. They are there for you, to help you every way that they can.”

For information about Enviro-USA American Manufacturer please visit www.enviro-usa.com.

SeaDek, Hyperform, Jill McLaughlin, Jason Gardner, Serenity Gardner

Hyperform Inc.

Hyperform Inc is an All-American success story. What started out as a maker of products for the surfing industry like surfboard fins and traction pads has transformed itself into a hugely successful manufacturer supplying, as its primary business, the marine industry with innovative, functional, and aesthetically pleasing PE/EVA non-skid decking products.

PE/EVA (Polyethylene/Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) is a closed-cell blended foam material that is soft yet durable, and SeaDek has developed a unique formula that is resistant to UV rays and the harsh conditions of the marine environment. Hyperform utilizes PE/EVA as decking (and a variety of other applications) in its SeaDek Marine Products line, its SwimDek aquatic surfaces line for the pool and spa market, and coming soon, the EndeavourDek line for automotive, off road, and multiple other applications. All are alternatives to fiberglass molded-in non-skid, painted-on textures, and other traction products currently available.

(L-R) Jason and Serenity Gardner with FSBDC Consultant Jill McLaughlin

Hyperform benefits from a strong group of seven principal owners and a dedicated workforce. At the helm guiding the company through its dramatic growth and playing key roles among the principals are President Kurt Wilson, Chief Operating Officer Serenity Gardner, Vice President of Marketing Jason Gardner, and Vice President of Sales Chuck Yates. In 2015, the principals of SeaDek extended ownership to over eighty full-time employees through the implementation of an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP). It’s that team that’s making success happen at the company, say the Gardners.

As unprecedented consumer acceptance throughout the United States placed the company on the forefront of the marine decking industry, word spread overseas. “There was definite demand in the international marketplace,” Serenity Gardner recalls. “We decided we wanted assistance from an outside organization rather than taking a reactionary approach and working with whichever customer came to us.”

Hyperform turned to the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its International Trade Services consultant Jill McLaughlin for assistance. The company applied for and was accepted into the FSBDC’s Export Marketing Plan service. Provided in partnership with Enterprise Florida and the U.S. Commercial Service, the program is focused on assisting qualified new-to-export manufacturers and service providers with overseas growth strategies through the development of customized Export Marketing Plans. These customized Export Marketing Plans provide comprehensive industry and market analyses, with target market recommendations and country specific market entry strategies.

“Thanks to the Export Marketing Plan,” Serenity Gardner remarked, “we didn’t take a shotgun approach. We looked at markets one-by-one and decided which areas we wanted to target and which ones we didn’t. It allowed us to go into new markets with a good plan and a strong understanding of what we would be dealing with.”

“Working with the FSBDC couldn’t have been easier,” continued Jason Gardner. “Communication was great. It was a positive experience across the board.”

“It’s interesting to look back now at the decisions we made with the help of the report and see that we were really pretty successful,” Serenity Gardner concluded. “Even with taking a measured approach, in just the past year and a half our export revenues have climbed from 1 – 2 % to over 10% now. We’ve gone from being in one country to more than 15 today. If you’re contemplating selling internationally, you absolutely want to use the FSBDC and get an Export Marketing Plan. It’s a really valuable resource.”

Millefiori Medical Skin Rejuvenation

Owners Kyle and Iris Graham, and FSBDC at EFSC Area Director Marty Duffy (L-R)

Having a great idea for a new business is only the beginning for an entrepreneur. After the market has been researched and the business plan is written and the funding has been arranged, the company opens its doors. And that’s when the fun starts; now the business needs to be managed.

Iris and Kyle Graham, founders and owners of Millefiori Medical Skin Rejuvenation, had just that experience. Millefiori MSR is a boutique medical spa offering aesthetic skin care services including facials, chemical peels and micro-needling for tattoo removal, as well as Botox, laser and injection treatments. They cater to a high-end clientele in Melbourne, FL where they are extremely active in the community.

When they opened in 2015, the Grahams were first-time business owners and were inventing their business as they went along. “We used to do everything on paper,” Iris Graham recalls. “We were ‘Old School’. I balanced my checkbook. We had a spreadsheet, and a ledger, and the checkbook. It was so redundant.”

“I network a lot in our community,” continued Kyle Graham. “I was telling people about the 30 – 35 hours a month we were spending on our financial system. And someone said that the FSBDC could help us systematize it and make it a lot quicker.”

The Grahams contacted Martin Duffy, the area manager and a consultant at the Florida SBDC at Eastern Florida State College, a sub-center of the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF). “Working with the FSBDC, we went through the problems and diagnosed them and came up with a plan. Now we do everything electronically. Today we only spend 2 hours a month on our financials and all the information is at our finger tips,” Kyle says.

Getting their financial management house in order was only the beginning. The Grahams were already reviewing all of their business activities and codifying them into a company manual. The FSBDC’s support complemented this effort. “We call it the Millefiori Bible,” Iris Graham notes. “Everything is written down. We have a process or procedure for everything in our business. We can now give our employees great training, they can do a great job and our clients get great service. Knowing we have it all down helps us sleep at night.”

The FSBDC team has also helped Millefiori MSR hone its marketing plan with in depth marketing research. “With the FSBDC’s assistance, we have gotten much better at understanding our target audience, segmenting it and reaching out to the right clients,” says Kyle Graham. “Since starting with the FSBDC, we’ve seen our business increase by 40% consistently, until this year when we have seen a 50% increase in revenue. We have been slammed!”

“The FSBDC is an amazing resource,” concluded Iris Graham. “It’s a huge opportunity for us to get very professional consulting at a high level like this, all at no cost. We’ve been able to improve as business managers. Now we have a laser-like focus on what’s important to increase our business. We would highly recommend the FSBDC to anyone.”

Pond Science

Water is a big issue for Florida and its future growth. Population growth, agriculture and industry threaten the natural beauty and water quality of our springs, waterways and wetlands. Invasive foreign plant life infests our ponds and streams. In the face of these challenges, there are solutions to be had and business opportunities to be pursued.

Pond Science LLC of Brevard County, FL, led by founder and owner Laura Parkel, was started 10 years ago to improve the ecology and enhance the natural beauty of Central Florida’s ponds and shorelines. Building on a B.A. in Limnology (Freshwater Ecology), her experience as an Aquatic Biologist at Walt Disney World and a subsequent M.S. in Soil and Water Science with emphasis in wetlands and aquatic systems from the University of Florida, through Pond Science LLC Parkel has set about “to create healthy, beautiful ponds” in two ways: by revitalizing earth-bottom retention ponds and by building, rebuilding and/or repairing water gardens and features, and maintaining both.

By strategically deploying aerators to re-oxygenate the water and removing exotic nuisance weeds, Pond Science is able to rid retention ponds of muck, make the water clearer and cleaner and create a healthy environment for water creatures, insects and native plants. As trained and certified aquascape contractors, Parkel and her team are able build beautiful new water gardens, or repair and rebuild those that were originally installed by untrained developers and landscapers.

As worthwhile as Pond Science’s mission is, it is still a business and Parkel wanted to make sure it was sustainable and growing. Based upon her experience at weVentures, the Florida Institute of Technology’s program for ‘womenpreneurs’, she turned to Martin Duffy, a consultant at and the Area Manager of the Florida SBDC at Eastern Florida State College, a satellite office of the FSBDC at UCF. With support from Duffy and his FSBDC team, Parkel has been successfully growing her business ever since.

The assistance from the FSBDC has come in a variety of areas. Parkel and her employees attended seminars to build their marketing and finance knowledge. The company leveraged the FSBDC’s market research databases to identify business opportunities. And she benefited from Duffy’s consulting in the form of improved budgeting, financial forecasting and online marketing.

“My business has grown tremendously since we started working with the FSBDC,” says Parkel. “We have doubled our revenues and been able to hire two new employees. I may be an expert in aquatic science but, on the business side, I didn’t know what I didn’t know before. Now, with the help of the FSBDC, I want to see what else I need to know to take the company to the next level.”

“Building a marketing plan; financial management training; digital marketing best practices: these are just some of the services our team at the FSBDC can provide,” remarked Duffy. “We have the people to do labor-intensive market research as well as tools and databases that small businesses don’t have access to. Bring the whole package together and we are able to make a big difference in the community.”

Mainstream; QwikProducts; Export, Florida SBDC; Success Story

Mainstream Engineering

Mainstream Engineering’s president and founder Dr. Robert Scaringe has built a successful, diversified corporation offering research & development project work; military, commercial and retail products; professional engineering services, and lean manufacturing. Every corner of the company is working to realize its mission: providing “Solutions through Advanced Technology” by transitioning advanced technology into high-quality and cost effective products.

Based in Brevard County, Florida, Mainstream Engineering serves a broad range of customers including the government, private enterprise and individuals like you and me. And they are an American company through and through, headquartered in the U.S and proudly manufacturing all their products in the U.S.A.

One of their business lines, QwikProducts™, produces heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration repair products for the technicians who work on HVAC systems, refrigerators and walk-in coolers, among others. QwikProducts are sold through trade wholesalers across the U.S and have been extremely successful in this country. However air conditioning and refrigeration repair is a worldwide business and Scaringe wanted to take his solutions global, starting in Latin America.

To that end, he initiated an in-house market study of the markets in Central and South America. Soon enough, he and his team knew what they wanted to do and had some ideas about how to do it. But they didn’t have enough of the data necessary to make decisions and felt like they didn’t have all the expertise they needed either.

It was then that Mainstream Engineering’s QwikProducts turned for assistance to the Florida SBDC at UCF’s International Trade Services team led by international trade specialist Jill McLaughlin. Specifically, they asked McLaughlin to revise and improve Mainstream’s Export Marketing Plan. Developing Export Marketing Plans is a service provided by the FSBDC in partnership with Enterprise Florida and the U.S. Commercial Services in which the FSBDC develops a comprehensive, data-driven, tailored export marketing strategy for qualified Florida small businesses. The Export Marketing Plan is a customized plan which includes extensive industry research and market analyses to identify recommended target markets; a review of overseas trade opportunities; and an action plan.

The improved Export Marketing Plan was just what QwikProducts was looking for. With access to data that would have otherwise been extremely costly for the company to obtain without FSBDC’s services, McLaughlin provided market size, competitive information and other international marketing metrics to identify where the economics were and what countries made sense, even adding some countries that Mainstream’s team hadn’t considered. “The Export Marketing Plan told us what we needed to know,” remarked Scaringe. “How big the markets are; which countries are growing, which countries aren’t; where it’s safe to do business and where it’s not.”

With the completed Export Marketing Plan in hand, superior products and a strategy of using the home country’s language in all sales materials, packaging, training, and on a dedicated website, QwikProducts foray into Latin America has been a major success for Mainstream. “We’re really, really happy with the way it’s going,” says Scaringe. “Our year-to-date revenue is more than twice last year’s and last year’s revenue was several times larger than the year before.”

“It was a very good experience working with the FSBDC,” concluded Scaringe. “It was easy. Jill McLaughlin was very helpful and very professional. The quality of the Plan was excellent. Everyone had the same goal: to help us sell our product. And that’s exactly what we did.”