May is Small Business Month

We first met Melanie Griffin, who now serves as secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, nearly seven years ago through our friend, the late Julie Tingley. She featured Griffin as one of her first Moms to Know in this magazine. Tingley was a huge supporter of small businesses in our community and was always looking for ways to lift female business owners like Griffin, who at the time ran her own small business, Spread Your Sunshine, in addition to her law career.

We lost our dear friend Julie one year ago, but her impact on the lives of so many women here in Tampa Bay can still be felt. So when we decided to pursue this article to help inspire someone to launch their own small business, we knew that by revisiting Griffin, we would be honoring Julie.

We met up with Secretary Griffin along Tampa’s Water Street in an enclave of locally owned businesses, including Wine on Water and Small Giant (owned by another one of Julie’s Moms to Know, Jennifer Bingham, who you’ll also hear from in these pages).

So let’s dive in and maybe be inspired!

May is Small Business Month. Let's talk about the importance of small businesses in our state, and also here in Tampa Bay.

Secretary Melanie Griffin: Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. It's wonderful because Florida has become the 15^th largest economy in the world. If we were our own independent country, we would be the 15^th largest economy in the world — not the U.S., but the world. The majority of those businesses represented in that statistic are small businesses. We could not do it without them. And really, Florida's economy is thriving because of all the mom and pops across the state, so thank you for being in business.

Let’s talk about the role of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Secretary Melanie Griffin: DBPR is the state licensure agency that helps over 1.7 million people or businesses obtain their licenses. So the way to think about it is if you need a license to make sure that Floridians are safe and healthy, then you have to come through DBPR’s doors.

So roughly, if you're not a doctor or lawyer and, again, need a license to open your business or act as a professional, you're going to be a DBPR licensee.

A few examples include construction workers, hairstylists, nail technicians, architects and engineers. If you think about all those things, they require a license to make sure that our buildings are safe, that you're going to restaurants that are clean and you can really feel safe about where you are in Florida.

For those who are thinking about launching a business, what are your top tips?

Secretary Melanie Griffin: We continue to have hundreds of people who move here every single day. We saw that for several years. There has recently been a bit of a plateau, but the Florida Chamber estimates that through 2030, we'll continue to add approximately 3 million-plus residents to the state. All those people, they want to eat, they want to drink, they want to go to hotels. And so there’s no better time to provide goods and services than there is in the state, I think, right now with our business-friendly policies.

And so think about that and go to openmyfloridabusiness.gov. The number one impediment to getting into business in a state is that you don't know how. Florida has worked really hard under Governor Scott and now Governor DeSantis to start this website, which is a collaboration of approximately 14 state agencies that have all submitted content in addition to their contact information. What you do is you input the business you're interested in opening.

For instance, if you wanted to be a cosmetologist, you put that into the website, and it will create a checklist for you of not only the state items you need to complete, but also different toolkits and checklists you might want to look at locally and federally. So you know you need to go to DBPR or the Department of Agriculture, and you're not sitting there spinning your wheels trying to figure it out.

What did you learn as a small business owner?

Secretary Melanie Griffin: I had a small business for a few years called Spread Your Sunshine. I did keynote speaking and training, and created personal inspirational products. It was so fun. And I made the mistake of thinking that everything had to be perfect.

The best thing that happened to me was that I was forced to launch my website when it said, “coming soon.” And that was such a liberal use of the word “soon” because it actually said that for 22 months. So for almost two years, I was not soon at all. But the best thing was that the minute I launched, even though it was imperfect in my eyes, the community immediately caught on and started supporting it.

The only way that you can learn and grow is by doing it because there were little challenges with some of the products I created. And if I hadn't launched and gotten those products and tested them in consumers’ hands, I never would have known, and it would have gone too far down the path that was the wrong direction.

So I would say, get yourself out there, get to know people, because there's no wrong time. And really, now is the best time.

That's such a good point because a lot of us do that. It's always “coming soon,” but we really just need to have the courage to launch.

Secretary Melanie Griffin: One of the things that was most fascinating to me in terms of researching to start a small business is that the businesses that most often fail are those that are overfunded. There's a great business case study on a Segway, which they thought would be revolutionary, and if you think about it, we don't see a lot of people just rolling down the street on a Segway, right?

One of the things the business case points out is how much capital they had. They never truly got it to market early to know if people would really want to roll down the sidewalk, which apparently we don't, or at least not that way. So I think that, again, you know, just because you have to be scrappy, that's what makes you stronger and more resilient. Get out there. Do your thing.

Are there support programs to help people launch their business in Florida?

Secretary Melanie Griffin: The two best places I would check are Florida Commerce, and their website is floridajobs.org. They'll have information on their website about any grants that are available to Floridians and their businesses

The second place is Career Source. The legislature this past year infused, I believe it was an additional $3 million to Career Source. So right now, they have approximately $5 million to give away to support businesses, especially those that create a pipeline of our trades and other skills that are really in need for which we necessarily don't have enough workers in our state.

Many kids have that entrepreneurial spirit. Any advice for parents that they can share with their kids?

Secretary Melanie Griffin:One of the things I would encourage you to do is, again, to visit Career Source, because they were one of our vendors last year [at Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day]. And I loved this.

They had so many resources about different careers that kiddos are interested in.

And one of the ones they've added in recent years that makes me think of my own 8-year-old is YouTuber because Maverick is so into that and being an influencer, being a YouTuber.

Content creators are in high demand these days and can really create a great living. I know personally, I feel guilty every day that I don't help him launch his own YouTube channel. I've told him I'll support him when he can do that for himself, so CareerSource is a wonderful place to go and maybe get some initial ideas for your kids and how we can best help them launch their entrepreneurial spirit.

Anything else you want to add that we didn't go over?

Secretary Melanie Griffin: My last piece of advice is don't be afraid of failure. And I don't like that word, but I think so many of us let fear hold us back.

The mistake that I made, for instance, with inspirational products is that I created the wrong size stationery and the wrong landscape. So, to give you an example, what I learned the hard way is that I made note cards that were all sideways.

Come to find out, I went to paper camp after that, after spending money, and learned that most card shops only stack vertical cards. If you think about when you go to the grocery store, they're all up and down. That never occurred to me. And so again, if I hadn't had the courage to launch and fail and learn that lesson, it would have actually impeded my business even further. And so you've got to get out there. Don't worry. You'll find the right audience that wants to support you.

Since we interviewed Secretary Griffin along Water Street at Cru Hospitality Group’s Wine on Water/Small Giant, we wanted to chat with Jennifer Bingham, founder and sommelier of Cru Hospitality Group, about her journey as a small business owner in Tampa Bay.

Jennifer Bingham of Cru Hospitality Group poses for a photo featuring some Cru Cellar wines — Jennifer Bingham, founder and sommelier of Cru Hospitality Group, started her small business adventure over 15 years ago!

At what point did you realize it was time for you to break out on your own as a small business owner?

Jennifer Bingham: I started Cru Cellars with my husband when I was 28 (over 15 years ago!) so I feel like it's most of what I've known! I had experience in the wine business in Chicago, and when we moved here, a combination of naivety and passion allowed me to embark on my own venture. Loving the business side of running a wine business turned out to be a nice bonus for me.

What lesson did you learn along the way that you think would help others who are considering launching their own business?

Jennifer Bingham: Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs because then you will not feel alone in the big decisions and situations you will face. Understand that things will always take longer and cost more than expected, but trust the process and put faith in what you are building.

What’s the best part about being a part of the small business community in Tampa Bay?

Jennifer Bingham: Our restaurant and bar concepts are meant to feel like neighborhood spots across Tampa. Seeing the energy in the room and talking with our regulars, it’s something we’re really proud of — becoming that third place where people gather, connect and spend time together

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Small Business Month: The Courage to Launch