Small Business Week Offers Insight to Help Entrepreneurs Survive
16BB AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD MONDAY , JULY 17 , 2017
SMALL BUSINESS
By Gary T . Hartfield
Small Business Development ( SBD ), a Division of the Internal Services Department , celebrated Small Business Week 2017 with a series of events across Miami-Dade County , offering small business owners the opportunity to learn about contrac�ng opportuni�es and receive educa�on on the issues impac�ng small firms the most .
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava and Mayor Peggy Bell of the Town of Cutler Bay kicked off Small Business Week during the “ Breakfast
By Zach Rinkins
Miko Branch
Hair Care Company Miss Jessie ’ s Moves NY Headquarters to Miami Beach
A�er 20 years in the Big Apple , a mul�-million dollar African-American hair care company has headed south to Miami Beach . Miss Jessie ’ s offers salon services and products designed for curly and natural hair . Founded by sisters Miko and Ti� Branch , the company has already hired staffers to help establish and strengthen its new headquarters .
" My sister and I frequently visited Miami and we enjoyed ourselves . We felt like we were in the American Rivera ," says Miko
Small Business Week Offers Insight to Help Entrepreneurs Survive
Conversa�on with the Director--South ” event . Commissioner Levine Cava enthusias�cally outlined some of the ini�a�ves in District 8 that foster economic opportuni�es for small businesses . As a small business owner herself , Mayor Bell gave a presenta�on on recent developments and reiterated her commitment to entrepreneurship in Cutler Bay . I discussed SBD ’ s role in developing small businesses in Miami-Dade County and highlighted the small business community ’ s importance to economic development . Wrapping up this event , Barron Channer of BACH Real Estate shared both his experience of running a small firm as well as best prac�ces for cul�va�ng a small business at every stage of development .
During the second “ Breakfast with the Director ,” hosted at St . Thomas University ( STU ), Dean Somnath Bha�acharya reemphasized the importance of the growth and development of small businesses . Dean Bha�acharya revealed his plans to launch a program that marries business and technology to give STU students a compe��ve advantage while strengthening
Branch , the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie ’ s . “ Miami is an interna�onal community with many mul�cultural people . Businesswise it ’ s a wonderful place to set up shop and be helpful to many people when it comes �me to care for their hair .”
With product names such as “ Coily Custard ,” “ Quick Curls ,” and “ Pillow So� Curls ,” this line of creams , shampoos and condi�oners are popular among heads with kinky and wavy textures . It ’ s the type of hair the sisters had to manage while growing up with the Branch family matriarch . Branch says she always encouraged them to be independent and determine their des�nies , so it ’ s no surprise they named the company a�er their paternal grandmother .
“ Miss Jessie was an inspira�on to my sister and me ,” says Branch . “ She was the first female CEO we ever saw . She ruled our family from her kitchen table . She was a great delegator because she could tell you what to do . And , you always did what Miss Jessie asked you to do .”
Branch recalls that her grandmother had a natural command in her tone and voice . But she says Miss Jessie always treated people how she wanted to be treated .
“ That combina�on in connec�on with the local business community . The event ’ s featured speaker , Adriana Clark from the U . S . Department of Transporta�on , gave a�endees insight on op�mizing resources and contrac�ng with the federal government .
Small business owners were treated to an all-day training and development session on the fourth day of Small Business Week . Dr . Jus�n Peart of St . Thomas University ’ s Business School provided best prac�ces for managing resources as a small business owner . John Fleming , CEO of Outcome Labs LLC , gave a�endees much needed insight on effec�vely using social media to market their small businesses in a contemporary and dynamic technological landscape . Alex Barthet of The Barthet Firm shared pro bono legal advice on the “ do ’ s and don ' ts ” of managing a small firm . Finally , Alfredo Lacayo Evertsz , a business consultant at Florida Interna�onal University ’ s Small Business Development Center , presented a session on financial management and budge�ng .
The week ’ s fes�vi�es concluded with an Award and Recogni�on Ceremony at the
her wan�ng to get things done made her an incredible role model for my sister and me when we became CEOs ."
Branch advises aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs to “ Dream it . Package it . Market It . Do it .”
“ You have to do it yourself . There is no classroom or mentorship that will give you the lessons and first-hand experiences that you ' ll gain in your line of business . Those experiences are valuable , even in failure ,” says Branch . “ If you learn an unpleasant lesson or do something that causes you to lose a certain part of your business , those lessons will s�ck with you and help you become be�er prepared for your next opportunity .”
Branch says these four principles helped her build business success and sustainability :
Commit to Your Reasons : “ I have a very strong desire to be my own boss . That desire serves me well in the good and hard �mes . But , my desire to be independent and to be in a posi�on of choice and decision is a key driver for me .”
Like What You Do : “ I ’ ve chosen something I like and something I do well . When the challenges come , the good news is that no one has to force me to do something that
Stephen P . Clark Government Center . Four small business enterprises were honored as the Small Business of the Year for each of SBD ’ s four cer�fica�on programs . Addi�onally , the maiden introduc�on of the Marsha Jackman Small Business of the Year Award was presented to honor one of the small businesses that embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship and community social investment and serves as an inspira�on to those small businesses that seek to grow and contribute to economic development in Miami-Dade County . The event ’ s featured speaker was John Hall , execu�ve director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Miami-Dade College . Hall highlighted formulas , factors and strategies for business owners to grow and scale their businesses in order to create personal wealth .
The week ’ s celebra�ons served as an example of Miami-Dade County ’ s recogni�on of the important role small businesses play and a rededica�on of our commitment to their success . SBD will con�nue to extend its support to our small business enterprises as they grow and we develop our community together .
I like to do and something I do well . My passion comes out naturally . That has served me well in terms of longevity .” Create Results for Customers : “ Together with my sister Ti� Branch we were able to create products that worked . We created products for a market that didn ’ t know they needed our products to help them . Once they discovered that our products could help them support their God-given texture , they used our products .” Build a Strong Brand : “ When you are successful in business , the compe�tors will come . When they come , it is very clear to our customers that Miss Jessie ’ s is a trusted brand that does what it says it ’ s going to do .”
Branch credits her sister for helping to create their hair care empire , which is marketed in major department stores and online . Sadly , Ti� Branch died in 2014 at the age of 45 .
“ I would not have been a success as an entrepreneur and a woman without the support and love of my late sister Ti� ,” says Branch .
Learn more about the hair care products at www . MissJessies . com .