Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/13/2014

What do small businesses want from their government?

Policymakers often sing the praises of small business owners. And with good reason--entrepreneurship is a key foundation of American economic life, and dynamic, growing companies account for 70 percent of new job creation. But too often, political prescriptions are driven by ideology or rhetoric, not practicality. Read the three part series from the Huffington Post:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Sales and Marketing Advice for Florida Business
Create a contingency plan for times when business is lean

Entertainment
Theme parks aim to fight the lines

Amusement parks have plenty of motivation to lessen waits, or at least make them less boring, analysts say. Guests leave happier -- and are more likely to return. Parks have been experimenting with different "FastPass" tickets to fight lines. Fixing the lines is crucial to success because time not spent in line means more cash at the registers in a park's shops and restaurants.

» More at the Orlando Sentinel

You have a blueprint for getting your business to where you want, and all is going well. Your plan is solid and you think all the bases are covered. Yet, things often don’t go as we expect. More from Ron Stein.

Three finalists named for University of Florida president

The University of Florida's Presidential Search Committee has narrowed its list of finalists to three, all from out-of-state, with the president-elect expected to be named Wednesday. The three are:

Dr. W. Kent Fuchs, Provost, Cornell University
Dr. David W. McLaughlin, Provost, New York University
Dr. Sibrandes Poppema, President, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

More at the Orlando Sentinel

Venture Hive accelerator in Miami accepting applications for 2015 class

Venture Hive is seeking applications from technology startups for its 2015 accelerator class in the following industries: creative (art, music, film, design, fashion, etc.), finance, healthcare, hospitality/travel and trade/logistics. More at the Miami Herald.

Small Business Advice
Should loyalty trump competence?

I am not saying that loyalty is not important. My point is simply that competence is so much more important to your business than loyalty. You can have competence without loyalty, but you just cannot have loyalty without competence. Read more from Jerry Osteryoung.

Sports Business
Hartline masters money as well as passing routes

Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline has always been a numbers guy. And not just on the football field. Hartline studies profit margins, spreadsheets and investment risks with as much attention as he gives his passing routes. The sixth-year pro from Ohio is a careful investor and a rising entrepreneur.