The I-4 Ultimate project can be a small-business gold mine

If you own a small business in Central Florida I hope you’re doing your homework to cash in on the I-4 Ultimate project.

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few months the I-4 Ultimate project is probably the biggest road building project in Central Florida since I 4 was built in the 1960s. It involves widening 21 miles of I 4 between Kirkman Road in Orlando to State Road 434 in Seminole County. In addition to adding express lanes to the interstate the project includes rebuilding 15 major interchanges, widening 13 bridges, replacing 74 bridges and adding 53 bridges.

Work begins early next year and won’t be finished until 2021. The price tag? $2.3 billion. Yep, you read that right – billion.

Project leaders describe I-4 Ultimate as a “dirt and diesel” job requiring huge trucks and bulldozers moving mountains of earth.

OK, so you’re not in the construction business and you’re thinking: What’s in it for me?

Considering that there’s more than $2 billion on the table, there could be a lot in it for your business.

In addition to a wide variety construction specialties, they will need:

Janitorial services

Office supplies

 Progress photos

·        Equipment rental

·        Office trailers

·        Catering and much more

Construction leaders say segments of the project will be broken down in bite-sized pieces to give small businesses opportunities to get manageable portions of the work. They encourage businesses to partner to pool resources, knowledge and experience to get work. As this is a government project, there will be generous portions of work available for certified minority and disadvantaged business owners.

Think about it. This project will last for at least 6 years. Imagine what it could mean for you if your business can get a bite of this pie.

So what’s the first step?

Get educated by clicking here to visit the project’s website.

Next step, click here to get registered as a vendor.

Now grab your hard hat and let’s get going.

This post was written by David Porter, principal and owner of David Porter Communications Inc., an Orlando public relations and marketing company that works with small businesses. The firm also owns www.SunRailRiders.com and www.B2BFlorida.com

Send your greetings this year with a Video Christmas Card

Getting ready to spend hours and a fortune buying and addressing Christmas cards to your business customers and vendors?

Don’t put yourself through that headache again.

This year, let us produce a customized, fun VIDEO CHRISTMAS CARD for your business.

Check out this sample.

Making a video Christmas card is fun – let loose with your imagination. It only takes a few minutes to shoot the video.

We provide the props – Santa’s elf caps, tabletop Christmas tree and wrapped gift packages. We have 3 Christmas card “covers” and 2 musical selections to pick from.

Let us produce your “video” Christmas card today for $100.

Call us now at 407-965-0080. www.DavidPorterCommunications.com

Ready for a disaster?

What would you do if you came to work tomorrow and there was nothing left of your small business except a big hole in the ground?

That scenario is not farfetched if you’ve ever seen what’s left after a structure fire.

So if your physical business was destroyed by a fire or some other disaster, would you shut down, or would you get back to work?

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, the perfect time to work on your business continuity plan.

Scary as it is to think about, a small business can survive a disaster, as you can see in the accompanying video about the owner of an Orlando restaurant who was able to rebuild after a late-night fire destroyed his business. http://youtu.be/3_s9LG91vxA

How to start your plan:

1.    Invest in insurance that covers the physical plant, equipment, inventory and also offers business-interruption coverage. Don’t scrimp.

2.    Protect your proprietary information, such as customer lists, data bases, vendor lists, processes, strategic plans, etc. If possible, keep that information in a file-proof cabinet at the office and also in off-site locations. It makes the most sense to back up computerized information to the “cloud” so it can be accessed from anywhere.

3.    Hopefully your business has an active and lively Facebook page, Twitter feed and website. You need these digital communications tools after a disaster to let customers know what’s going on – to tell them that you’re still in business and how they can contact you.

4.    Hold disaster drills and discussions with your team so everyone knows what to do in an emergency. Make sure all employees have one or two call-in numbers so they can contact you to find out what they’re needed to do. Make sure you have phone numbers to contact your employees. Keep copies of that information at home, in your car, and in the “cloud”.

5.    Plan on where you can set up business temporarily if your main business location got knocked out. Sometimes other businesses will let you share space. Work out those arrangements now, not when you’re standing in the ruins of your business.

The information presented here only covers the very first steps. Disaster preparations vary, depending on your industry. Having a disaster plan can reduce that stress you’re bound to experience during an emergency. The plan will help your business survive. All large companies have continuity plans, so should your small business.

Click for more information.

This post was written by David Porter, principal/owner at www.davidportercommunications.com, a Orlando-based firm that provides public relations and marketing support to small businesses. That firm also produces www.b2bflorida.com and www.sunrailriders.com

Small business citizenship?

Is your small business a good corporate citizen?

Many small business owners I know are so busy getting the daily work done that they don’t have time to think about anything else, such as getting involved in the community activities and charities.

Getting involved is smart business. Here in Central Florida the Walt Disney World Resort and the Orlando Magic basketball franchise pour a fortune into local charities and community events.

They don’t do it just to be nice guys.

They do it because they want to enhance their corporate reputations.

 They don’t want to be seen as only making money in this community.

They want to be seen as giving something back to the community. It makes them look better to the public. Many people – especially young adults – consider the social responsibility of a company when deciding where to spend their money.

Small businesses should take a page from that book. Figuring out how to demonstrate that social responsibility can be tough. Having owned a small business in the past I know that hardly a week goes by that someone drops by asking your business to buy an advertisement in a club journal or an advertising banner at the high school football stadium.

That’s one way to support community efforts. Though I caution you not to expect that ad to make your cash register ring. Do it to support the cause and think of it as a donation. To avoid being overrun with groups that want you to buy ads. Set an annual budget for the total amount you’re willing to spend on those ads. Once you’ve spent that money, that’s it. And just tell the group, “I’m sorry, but we’ve exhausted our donation budget.”

Frankly I think there are better ways to support local efforts. I think it’s a lot smarter to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty as a volunteer working on a community project.

For one thing, community projects can be a lot of fun. You might learn new skills. But the best thing is that you get to network and meet new people. You tell them what you do, and don’t be surprised if a week later they come walking through the door of your store to spend money.

They came there because they met you, and they know that you care about the community.

Volunteering for community projects can be a great team builder for you and your employees. It creates an opportunity to interact with your team on a different level. And when you leave, you feel pretty good.

If you and your team are volunteering it’s important that you invest some money in volunteer T- shirts that identify you as volunteers and that say what company you’re with.

Whenever you make donations, or volunteer to support community projects, make sure the organization sends you a thank-you note for your files, and gives you credit in the group’s annual report, and on their website. Maybe you can even get the group to put a hyperlink for your business on their website.

When you support community causes, be sure to list those groups on your company’s website.

You did something good and you deserve credit for it. Remember, most people feel good about doing business with companies that give something back.

In addition, heaven forbid your business gets some bad publicity, being a good corporate citizen can buy you some goodwill in the court of public opinion.

This post was written by David D. Porter, owner and principal at www.DavidPorterCommunications.com, which produces the www.B2BFlorida.com website. David Porter Communications provides video production and marketing services for small business in Orlando, and throughout Central Florida.

Trying to save you $400

 

This is a warning, not a sales gimmick, and it affects all Florida companies.

May 1^st is the deadline for all for-profit corporations in Florida to file their annual corporate report with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations – also known as SunBiz.

Companies must pay a $150 fee when they file their annual report by the May 1^st deadline. If you miss the deadline you have to pay a $400 late fee.

You have until Sept. 3 to file your annual report and late fee. If you miss that deadline, your corporation will be dissolved by the state. Many large companies and most government entities will only do business with companies that are incorporated. Banks only open accounts with businesses that are incorporated.

Don’t worry, the annual report is not a financial statement. It’s used to confirm that your business (corporation) is still functioning. The report is used to confirm and update your corporation’s officers, registered office and mailing address.

For more information on filing your annual corporate report, visit www.sunbiz.org.

Save yourself $400, don’t miss that May 1^st deadline.

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This post was written by David D. Porter, owner and principal at www.DavidPorterCommunications.com which produces the www.B2BFlorida.com website. David Porter Communications provides video production and marketing services for small business in Orlando, and throughout Central Florida.

 

3 cheers for Obamacare!

Gotta give President Obama a shout out on the Affordable Health Care Act!

Despite all the criticism 7 million people have signed up – including my wife and I!

Obamacare is pro-American and pro-business! Our economy can’t afford tens of millions of uninsured Americans. Obamacare helps solve that.

Nothing can be more devastating to a family, or a business, than medical bills from a major illness, or injuries resulting an accident. Treatment for cancer can quickly exceed $50,000. I have one prescription medication that costs $700 a month without Obamacare.

And Obamacare isn’t a giveaway – far from it. Everyone pays based on what they can afford. And a major component of Obamacare is that it stresses regular doctor visits and preventative medicine. Can anyone say: Personal responsibility?

Sure Obamacare has some glitches. Big deal. Check out the Wright Brothers first airplane compared to a modern airliner. It takes time to work out the problems.

As for the Obamacare haters: Quit your whining.

This post was written by David D. Porter, owner and principal at www.DavidPorterCommunications.com, which produces the www.B2BFlorida.com website. David Porter Communications provides video production and marketing services for small business in Orlando, and throughout Central Florida.

Pop-up business opportunities at SunRail stations?

Imagine getting a nice shoe shine in the morning before boarding a SunRail commuter train, or picking-up dinner from a food truck in the evening when you step off the train.

Those are just a couple of ways that pop-up businesses could cash in on SunRail when the Central Florida commuter train begins operations in May.

During a briefing recently at the South Orange Chamber of Commerce, a SunRail representative was asked about pop-up business opportunities. See the video for his response.

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For more information that can help small businesses in Central Florida make more money, be sure to visit www.B2BFlorida.com