Family business sales can be emotional

Between 80 and 90 percent of all U.S. companies are family businesses. Over the course of the next decade, more than 40 percent of those companies’ top executives will retire, making family business succession a major issue for thousands of enterprises and thousands of families. Here are five questions to help your family-owned company navigate the prospect and process of selling. [Source: Miami Herald]

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» Florida Small Business Toolbox

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Ron Stein Column Follow through on details to build business It’s amazing how many businesses launch a promotional campaign and seem to forget key details needed to make it work. These are usually little things that tie everything together nicely, making the difference between modest and dazzling results. Not long ago I was looking for a place to eat downtown after a late morning meeting. As usual, my focus was on fast but healthy, and I had a number of restaurants in the main business district to choose from. Which one would catch my eye? » More from Ron Stein... Florida Trend's business coach Ron Stein

COLUMN: Table for one? For busy workers, your desk

So I’m settling in at my usual lunch spot. The decor is nothing fancy. Wood accents here and there. Fairly comfortable chairs. Fluorescent lighting. I usually start with some cheese, and then have fresh vegetables and hummus. This place makes things pretty convenient, too. When I’m done eating, I merely clean my area — no busboys here, alas — and get back to work. By moving my hands back onto my keyboard. Like millions of other workers across the country, I rarely eat lunch anywhere other than my desk. [Source: Florida Today]

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Northeast Florida nonprofits rethinking fundraising efforts

As governments have shrunk their budgets, programs that were totally or in part supported by government funding have had to look elsewhere to survive. As a result, the competition for private dollars has become more crowded than ever. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

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Mote Marine growing its caviar business

People know Mote Marine Laboratory, the world-renowned research center in Sarasota for much the last 56 years. What fewer know is Mote, the grower and purveyor of Siberian sturgeon caviar. What started more than a decade ago as a demonstration project for commercial viability has turned into a successful money-making venture. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

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Jerry Osteryoung's small biz advice
You must have decision authority set for each employee

Ensuring staff knows the extent of their decision-making authority is so important for every business, otherwise, chaos can reign. So often, managers assume their staff knows how much authority they have, but this is just not the case. More small biz advice from Dr. Osteryoung.

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Out of the Box Florida town bans nightclubs, skating rinks in attempt to lower crime Weston is no place for getting down on the dance floor. The city has no nightclubs or dance halls and, thanks to a new ordinance, it never will. The commission specifically banned those kinds of businesses, and skating rinks, to prevent a temporary rink from being used conceal a nightclub or dance hall, said City Manager John Flint. Most South Florida cities regulate those types of businesses, but few ban them outright. Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and TIME.

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