COVER

>// THE HEADLINER

PHOTOS>// By Eric Cucciaioni

20 //< FIRST MON DAY

Taking Wing
For emerging entrepreneurs
and even seasoned veterans, extra
business support is priceless. With
shaky economic times adding challenges,
many are turning to nonprofit agencies,
like those found at the Disney
Entrepreneur Center.
by Sarah Sekula
Like any entrepreneur’s, Lorenzo Zayas’
work life seriously invades his home life.
Not only is the around-the-clock busi-
nessman surrounded by the ubiquitous
paperwork and paperclips, but he’s
also encircled by 25 species of brightly
colored insects, which happen to be his
main source of income.
Thanks to his 15-year-old business
— Nature’s Way Butterfly Gardens —
Zayas’ South Orlando abode is a giant
terrarium of sorts packed with swallow-
tails, monarchs and zebra longwings, all
at different stages of development.
Of course, the critters need to feel at
home; that explains the wild mustard
plants and passion flowers on the kitchen
counter and under the beds. And for
easy transport, plastic cups shaped like
McDonald’s ice cream sundae contain-
ers are scattered about. Then there’s the
fridge, not stocked with Diet Cokes and
leftovers, but jam packed with caterpil-
lar treats: sweet gum leaves, milkweed
and magnolia leaves.
It’s not the most feng shui setup, but
everything this “Butterfly Man” needs is
just a few steps away.
After moving from Camagüey, a small
province in Cuba, to Orlando in 1980,
Zayas found freedom in many forms —
the freedom to start a business (which
he did in full force in 1993) and the
freedom to fall flat on his face (which
he didn’t, thanks to the Hispanic Busi-
ness Initiative Fund). The nonprofit
economic development organization
provides assistance to Hispanic entre-
preneurs looking to establish a business
or launch an expansion.
//> COVER
Several years after opening his busi-
ness, Zayas was looking for a jump start,
a renewal of sorts. HBIF counselors gave
him new chops through QuickBooks
training, tips for marketing his delicate
creatures and for creating a meaningful
Web presence.
“I had wanted to be a bug man, but
I needed help to build my business,”
Zayas recalls.
“I had counselors available when I
had legal or accounting questions. I met
with them a few hours each week.”
Here’s the kicker: Much of this assis-
tance was free.
From Zayas’ days behind a micro-
scope studying ants and termites as
curator of the Cuban Academy of Sci-
ence’s massive insect collection to the
startup of his own butterfly business,
his zeal for multilegged creatures is
as apparent as the freckles dotting his
cheeks. He admits, however, he’s much
more science than he is sales. That’s
where the HBIF comes in. The agency
has taught him to promote his business
and, with notable clients and partners
like Orange County Public Schools, the
city of Orlando and Leu Gardens, it’s
all paying off.
Small Business Mecca
The HBIF is just one of a slew of
partners housed in the Disney Entre-
preneur Center, a 22,000-square-
foot facility in downtown Orlando,
which also includes the Black Business
Investment Fund, Florida First Capi-
tal Finance Corp. and the Minority/
Women Business Enterprise Alliance,
june 2008 >// 21
//> COVER
“I was thinking we were going to be the first
business to go out of business before we even
opened. There were so many factors that we
weren’t thinking about.”
— Sylvia Morse of Emilianna’s
(with husband Bob Morse)
did you know?
The Central Florida Partnership recently
called on the Entrepreneurship Center at the
Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Busi-
ness at Rollins College to thoroughly study
entrepreneurship in the region. Tom Kruczek,
executive director of the Center for Entre-
preneurship, along with Marty Rubin, CEO of
Smart City, is heading up the effort. Also, an
“E-Team” of top-notch entrepreneurs will help
guide the process.
For more information, see Page 36.
22 //< FIRST MON DAY
among others.
Budding entrepreneurs walk in with a dream (well thought
out or not) and walk out with the reality of pursuing it along
with a new team of supporters behind them. (Read: Walt Disney
World executives, members of the Florida High Tech Corridor
Council and representatives from three private-sector banks.)
Businesspeople who “have been there and done that” walk in
with problems to discuss, such as mortgage issues, marketing
woes or human resource nightmares, and walk out with new
ideas and a fresh perspective.
Unlike most entrepreneur centers across the nation, the DEC
offers a tremendous number of coordinated resources under one
roof. “It’s the community’s cooperation here that is unique,” says
Jerry Ross, executive director of the DEC. “To have our county
mayor working with the city mayor — you don’t find that in a lot
of communities.”
The DEC is so unusual, in fact, that Ross recently got a call
from the city of Los Angeles inquiring about how it could
mimic his center. And on an international scale, Ross has
hosted 40 representatives from 40 foreign countries over
the past year. From Russia to Israel, they all want to know the
DEC’s secret.
Not coincidentally, with all the hoopla surrounding the
center, small business owners within driving distance flock
to the shiny office building overlooking Lake Eola. There,
they can attend a “How to Start a Business” seminar offered
by the Orlando SCORE chapter, and they’re likely to meet
rosy-cheeked, high-spirited Bob Shephard, a retired ocean-
ographer who, along with 50 other business pros, volunteers
several days a week for SCORE. The nonprofit organization
of retired business gurus offers counsel to small businesses
in Central Florida and across the nation. As the district
director for SCORE’s Central and North Florida division,
Shephard lends his lifetime of experience through free one-
on-one business counseling, low-cost seminars and on-site
business evaluations.
Mama Mia! We Need Money
His knowledge of engineering, marketing, management and
home-based businesses, combined with the wisdom of 250
other counselors throughout the Central/North district, is what
prompted Sylvia and Bob Morse to seek help from SCORE’s
Lake County chapter.
The ambitious couple — with Emilianna’s, their successful
Italian catering business in full swing — were ready to move
into a retail location on Tavares’ Main Street. Their plans
for an old-world, music-playing bistro with a larger kitchen
to cook specialty take-out meals, including bakery-cut pastas,
a smorgasbord of soups and homemade sausage made from
//> COVER
“It’s almost like a sit-down therapy session.”
— Danielle Evans of Dream Design and Florist Inc. & Wedding Boutique
a recipe dating back 10 generations,
required greater marketing, manpower
and funding.
Fortunately, SCORE, in conjunction
with the Lake Sumter Community Col-
lege Business Resource Center, assists
businesses with microloans. New and
existing businesses can receive $5,000
to $10,000, with payback periods rang-
ing from six to 60 months.
To gain approval of their anticipated
$5,000 five-year loan, the Morses
needed to revamp their business plan,
which had aged, but not nearly like a
fine Italian Sauvignon Blanc. SCORE
counselors, including Bryce Norwood,
a retired Darden Restaurants executive,
walked the couple through the process.
They locked in the loan and were able to
squash the mounting surprise expenses,
such as extra equipment and inventory;
even their electric bill was nearly three
times the expected cost.
“I was thinking we were going to be
the first business to go out of business
before we even opened,” says Sylvia
Morse. “There were so many factors that
we weren’t thinking about. Because we
weren’t open yet, I think if we had not
gone through the microloan program,
we would not have made it.”
Business Buddy
All of DEC’s 12 service providers offer
counselors. And when Danielle Evans,
24 //< FIRST MON DAY
owner of Winter Park–based Dream
Design and Florist Inc. & Wedding
Boutique, talks up her counselor, you’d
swear they were buddies since childhood
rather than business associates.
Two years ago, after browsing the
SCORE Web site, the floral fanatic
was linked up with the Small Business
Development Center at the University
of Central Florida. She was ready to
open a storefront and SBDC counselor
Jill Kaufman — a certified business ana-
lyst, MBA holder and former owner of
her family’s British Virgin Islands hotel
— became her new sidekick.
“Jill has the background of owning a
business,” says Evans. “She also has the
experience of working with her mom. I
wanted to have my mom in the shop with
me, and we discussed the pros and cons. It’s
almost like a sit-down therapy session.”
The first step was getting Evans’
finances and operating budget in order,
something she normally did in a not-so-
structured manner. “I recommended she
develop a cash flow projection to ensure
that her business could support the new
overhead,” says Kaufman. “I provided
her with a template for a cash flow projec-
tion, and analyzed her cash flow and the
effect of seasonality on her business.”
Plus, the “fairy godmother–like” help
didn’t end there. Kaufman gave Evans
access to SBDC’s financial analysis
software ProfitCents and urged her to
 //> COVER

input the preceding three years’ worth In Evans’ case, and for any small forcing businesses to close their doors. close within four years.
of financial statements in order to com- business, careful attention to finances is Consider this: One million new busi- Yet, take heart. Help is available. Just
pare her wedding boutique/floral shop obviously crucial. In fact, Ross says that nesses start up each year. And 33 per- ask the Butterfly Man, the pasta maker
to the industry average in terms of debt, it’s poor budgeting, lack of research cent of those businesses close within the in Tavares or the Winter Park florist
liquidity and sales. and poor inventory control that end up first two years. What’s more, 50 percent with a dream.
Another major push: Evans’ market-
ing and business development efforts.
For marketing, the main thrust had
been direct mail campaigns, developing
her Web site with e-commerce capabili-
ties and e-mail efforts.
“I encouraged her to track and mea-
sure the results of various marketing ini-
tiatives to ensure they are cost effective,”

Business to
says Kaufman. “I also recommended
Danielle form strategic alliances with
complementary businesses in order to
attract more business referrals.”
“Jill was a vote of confidence,” says

business
Evans. “She believes in my energy so
much that it’s kind of contagious. We
actually kind of propel each other.”
Beyond the boost of enthusiasm,
Kaufman is also helping Evans search for

and person to
a qualified intern through UCF’s Rosen
College of Hospitality Management.

Under the
umbrella
In a distinct spirit of collaboration,
the Disney Entrepreneur Center
houses the following organizations:
person.
African American Chamber of Commerce YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A PARTNER WITH
Black Business Investment Fund COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS.
Florida First Capital Finance Corp. You’re looking for someone to help you meet your goals.
Hispanic Business Initiative Fund To help you take advantage of opportunities. Someone
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce who understands your strengths and weaknesses,
of Metro Orlando and who knows what will work for you – and when.
Metropolitan Orlando Urban League You’re looking for a partner who is both reliable and
Minority/Women Business responsive. You’ve just found one. Let us help you find
Enterprise Alliance
your next financial opportunity
Orange County Government
Altamonte Springs Downtown Orlando Hunter’s Creek
SCORE, Counselors to America’s 407-869-7070 407-841-3333 407-851-3245
Small Business Lake Mary Lake Howell St. Cloud
University of Central Florida Small 407-804-9165 407-671-1440 407-892-2191
Business Development Center Kissimmee Waterford Park Winter Park
The UCF Incubator Network 407-846-2171 407-277-3320 407-691-2140
407-846-3000
U.S. Department of Commerce 407-847-5566

More information: 407.420.4848,

www.floridanec.org.

B A N K I N G I N S U R A N C E I N V E S T M E N T S

BBT. Member FDIC. Only deposit products are FDIC insured. ©2008 BB&T. BBT.com

june 2008 >// 25