Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 7/25/2016

With competition, Florida marijuana business expected to grow rapidly

With the opening of what is the state’s first medicinal marijuana dispensary, some in the fledgling industry speculate that the floodgates will soon be open for competition as other marijuana licensees begin to follow suit. More from the Tallahassee Democrat, Inquisitr, and CNBC.

Sales and Marketing Advice
These tools can help automate your marketing efforts, boost sales

Isn’t automation wonderful! Today, we have robo-advisors that are quickly replacing active money managers and aircraft flying on autopilot. Cars, too. although I’m not sure autonomous automobiles are quite ready for prime time. How about marketing and selling automation? More from Ron Stein.

Florida Polytechnic University names Dr. Terry Parker as Provost

Parker is a long-time academic leader and engineering researcher who most recently served as Provost and Executive Vice President of the Colorado School of Mines, one of the world’s leading engineering institutions focused on applied research. More from Florida Trend.

Duke Energy pushes development in Central Florida

Electric utility Duke Energy is trying to expand its customer base in Central Florida by promoting the development of business parks there. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke has about 1.7 million customers in its 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida. More from the Real Deal.

Small Business Advice
The more engaged your employees are, the more successful your business will be

Having staff engagement is so important for every business. It is critical for your profitability and customer service. Highly engaged employees are more committed to your business, its goals and its success. In short, they are better employees. More from Jerry Osteryoung.

Florida Small Business
Promotion

What if you opened the door to your business and nobody came? Advertising and promotion for your small business can take many forms, and some are quite costly. So before you shell out precious dollars for a full-page newspaper ad or a spiffy direct mail campaign, spend some time determining how best to promote your venture.

» More from Florida Small Business.

Legal Trends
Bitcoin Not Money, Miami Judge Rules

Bitcoin does not actually qualify as money, a Miami-Dade judge ruled Monday in throwing out criminal charges against a Miami Beach man charged with illegally selling the virtual currency. Monday’s decision came in a case that is being closely watched in tech, financial and legal circles as the popularity of the virtual currency has skyrocketed in recent years.