| Celebrating Small Business Month
According to the Statistics of US Businesses, US Census Bureau; in Florida there are over 2.18 million Small Businesses which employ over 3 million of the state’s private workforce. Of that, firms with fewer than 100 employees have the largest share of small business employment. Not surprisingly, 98.9% of employers in the state are small firms with employees. The latest information from the Bureau of Labor statistics show that small firms accounted for 60% of net new jobs since 2009.
Since 1963, the United States has recognized small businesses and their impact on American culture and economy. Small businesses make a BIG IMPACT- they are the building blocks of our local economies and bring growth and innovation to our communities. They help stimulate economic growth by providing employment opportunities and often invent new products or implement new solutions for existing ideas.
Register here to join us and 200 other Chamber members May 15th, as we honor amazing Small Businesses at our prestigious Small Business of the Year Awards. Support your fellow Chamber members.
This year’s extensive list of nominees includes:
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Ameriprise Financial Edward A. Wacks, CPA, CFP
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Doubletime
Digital Inc.
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Pilgram Group
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Apartment Two Events
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Green Monkey Yoga
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Prescod Life and Health
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BGM Certified Public Accountants
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Goodman Public Relations
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PrideStaff
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Bobby Rodriguez Productions
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LE Group
Industries, LLC
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Rebuilding Together Broward County, Inc.
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Bové Dental
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Legacy Bank of Florida
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Rotman & Associates
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Broward Community Development
Corporation Inc.
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Lifestyle Media Group & SFBW Magazine
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Sharyn Bey Productions
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Buy Your
Local App Now
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Lightship Media, Inc.
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South Florida Business Connections, Inc.
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Circle of Life Legal Services, PA
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Minuteman Press
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South Florida Hospital News & Healthcare
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Circles Enterprises DBA Circles of Fun
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MGM General Contracting, Inc.
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The Roasted Fig
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CMIT Solutions of Fort Lauderdale
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National Christian Foundation
of South Florida
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The Strauss Law Firm, PA
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Cornerstone Recovery Center
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Oriental Rug Care
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Tomorrow's
Rainbow, Inc
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Piccolo Ristorante
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“Small business isn't for the faint of heart. It's for the brave, the patient and the persistent. It's for the overcomer.” – Unkown
Our monthly networking events are yet another way to EXPERIENCE. BETTER. BUSINESS. Pick one from one of the upcoming events or visit us at www.ftlchamber.com and Plan to SUCCEED!
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May
May 5, 8:00am - 9:00am
Weston Member Orientation and Outreach
May 7, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Leaders Lunch
May 12, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Trustee Reception
May 13, 9:30am - 10:30am
Non-Profit Business Breakfast
May 14, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
GLBX Afterhours
May 15, 7:30am - 9:30am
Small Business Awards
May 21, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Business Afterhours
May 22, 8:00am - 9:00am
Member Orientation
May 28, 7:30am - 9:00am
Downtown Council Breakfast
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Peer 2 Peer - Tips From The Experts
By Members For Members |
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Hire Employees You Won’t Want to Fire
Submitted by:Lisa McGlynn, Fisher & Phillips, LLC
The best way to handle a problem employee is to never hire him. Having a well-developed hiring practice is essential in order to increase your chances of hiring only those quality employees who will benefit your company.
Your first step is to ensure that applications are completely filled out by every applicant– including rehires. Look for red flags such as gaps in employment, a history of declining pay, or suspicious reasons for leaving previous employers. These are not necessarily reasons to reject someone, but you will want clarification on these types of issues. Also, make sure that each applicant signs their application certifying that everything is true and correct.
The next step is the interview process which will likely be your only chance to get to know the applicant before deciding whether to offer him or her a position. Use the 80/20 rule to ensure that they do 80% of the talking. To help enable the conversation, ask open ended questions and pay attention to the applicant’s non-verbal cues along with their actual responses. One good idea is to have the applicant tell you what they think about their current supervisor. Whatever their response, it is likely that they will say the same thing about you one day.
Make sure you stay away from illegal questions. For example, don’t ask if someone is married (marital status discrimination), where their accent is from (national origin discrimination), or when they graduated from high school (age discrimination.) Likewise, avoid asking if an individual has any physical problems that would affect their ability to do the job at issue. Instead, you can list the requirements of the position and ask if the applicant is able to fulfill them.
Once the employee is hired, be sure to keep your eyes and ears open during their first 90 days on the job. Employers in Florida can usually avoid paying unemployment to an employee who learned about the 90 day probationary period within his first 7 days of if he is then terminated within 90 calendar days for “unsatisfactory performance.” Employers will still need to ultimately establish unsatisfactory performance, but it is easier to explain why an employee is terminated early in his or her employment, there is less risk of legal action, and the employee (usually!) doesn’t yet have a strong sense of entitlement.
Lisa McGlynn is an attorney in the Fort Lauderdale office of Fisher & Phillips LLP, representing employers in all areas of labor and employment law. She defends employers in state and federal court litigation and arbitration on a wide variety of matters, including claims arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Florida Civil Rights Act, and the Florida Private Whistleblower Act. She may be reached at lmcglynn@laborlawyers.com.
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To submit a potential article, or if you have any questions, please visit www.ftlchamber.com/newsarticle
Or contact: Cristina Agnone, 954.462.4139 | Cristina@ftlchamber.com.
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Greater Fort Lauderdale
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512 NE 3rd Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954.462.6000
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cristina@ftlchamber.com
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