"The services from the Florida SBDC in Broward are exceptional. Parbatee and the SBDC were a tremendous help to me as well as a great encouragement in writing and finishing a business plan which is instrumental in guiding my business to success. I appreciate the assistance in helping me secure an approval for a small business loan. I am grateful for all the work she did and for following-up with me to make sure things are going well and offering assistance. It is wonderful knowing they are there to help me navigate the complexities of owning a small business and available should I need anything. The website and resources they provide are great."

A BUSINESS WITH MANY AWARDS
Mindy Debrecht is the principal owner of Crown Trophy #21, a trophy and award store that is located centrally in Broward county. They specialize in the recognition market and offer a wide range of products from medals and custom ribbons to beautiful crystal gifts. The store is an existing franchise that was established five years ago and has a large repeat customer base. Mindy developed an interest in taking over the store from the previous owner and did considerable research which she discussed with the SBDC before she made a wise decision to actually own and manage the business. She believed that she had the experience, the right connections, the enthusiasm, and the right marketing strategies to grow the business and make it even more successful than it was. She looked at the existing staff that were there for over three years and re-assured herself that she would be taking over a business where the staff was fully committed and they worked well together.

During the review period, Mindy saw that the staff complemented each other's strengths and they were also fully trained in all aspects of the business from taking orders to operating all of the equipment. They were also skilled at building the trophies. The employees were rewarded bonuses based on the total monthly sales and a portion of their pay was also determined by sales. All of these features motivated Mindy to commit to taking over Crown Trophy.

In addition to doing a complete situational analysis of the business, Mindy also believed that she has the experience and expertise necessary to own and manage such a business since she has several years of experience in running a 24 hour alarm company that had over $500,000 of monitoring and phone equipment. Prior to that, she also worked as a purchasing agent for six years for a growing electronics company. Mindy also has over five years experience in owning a 50% share in a consulting business where she incorporated as an LLC. With her extensive and rewarding background, Mindy is well suited to own and manage Crown Trophy.

Mindy is a people's person and hence she is committed to ensuring that her employees and customers are committed and satisfied. As a result, Crown Trophy will certainly prosper under the management of Mindy Debrecht.

Mindy Debrecht has been a client of the Florida SBDC in Broward and has been working with Certified Business Analyst Parbatee Chang to obtain help with developing and completing her business plan for her business. She also worked with Parbatee to apply for a loan which was approved and should be funded shortly.

Mindy is very dedicated and committed and says, "We strive to build relationships with our customers and offer the best possible service."

Crown Trophy is one of 148 stores located in 43 states throughout the U.S.A. and is the only franchise of its kind. She bought her franchise and opened her store on October 1, 2009. According to Mindy, "There is a large untapped market for Crown Trophy that will continue to grow in a down economy as companies seek creative ways to retain and motivate their productive and valuable employees with recognition, especially when they are not in a position to reward them with pay raises or bonuses. Crown Trophy offers countless options in order to accommodate all budgets and their highly trained and friendly staff is able to offer helpful advice and work to meet customers' needs and satisfaction.

Mindy plans to upgrade and expand her business and increase her sales by doing extensive marketing to large corporations, churches, colleges, etc. to promote her goods; and she plans to do extensive networking by participating in events organized by the local Chambers of Commerce.

“I would tell anyone starting a business that it’s a necessity to make sure your thoughts are in order,” said Angel Santana. “In starting a business that’s what you need--the extra edge, and the SBDC definitely provides that.”

As published in the Florida Trend, Florida Small Business Guide by Barbara Miracle
Angel Santana has always loved to cut hair. Now, after spending most of his 20s working in the banking industry, he’s running his own Deerfield Beach barbershop. In August 2006, at age 29, Santana opened New Era Barber Shop in a busy strip shopping center on Dixie Highway. Already, he says, “I’m touching the green,” explaining that he is breaking even on expenses and working on paying himself back the $20,000 he invested to get the shop up and running.

Santana studied business in college, worked for an investment firm, Bank of America and, most recently, was a branch manager for Washington Mutual. Along the way, he kept his hand in haircutting, attending barber school with a friend six years ago and working part time at a shop in Boca Raton. The turning point came when Santana's son, now age 3, was born. “I was putting in at least 70 hours a week,” he says, adding that he wanted the flexibility to care for his son if he was not feeling well.

With the shop, Santana, now 30, is still working long hours, but the difference is that he can come and go and arrange his schedule to meet his family’s needs. He hired a part-time barber at the beginning, and he has added a full-time barber and a second part-time employee in recent months.

Santana consulted a Certified Business Analyst at the Small Business Development Center in Ft. Lauderdale for advice and used his savings to get New Era up and running. He has a $5,000 business line of credit as a backup, but hopes never to have to tap it. The shop does 150 to 200 haircuts in an average week at about $13 a pop.

Santana isn’t content with the one shop. He already has plans for a second location in Wellington next year. Also, he’s working with a graphic designer friend on a line of T-shirts and smocks with 40 different designs and is already pitching them to local barbershops.