Tampa Bay Business News, Companies, Real Estate & Economic Development
Ari Page 
While unemployment numbers are relatively low, most Americans feel that the economy is in bad shape, partially because many are underemployed either due to low wages or not getting enough hours, and partially because inflation has driven the costs of everything up significantly in recent years. As a result, affordability has become a real problem … Read more
While most people know a little bit about personal credit, very few understand anything about business credit. Every day, I see countless people spreading false information about things like what lenders are looking for in underwriting, how to improve your business credit profile, and how creditors report it. The latter is what we’re going to … Read more
I’m a big fan of using 0% introductory rate business credit cards to fund a company because this strategy is superior to others by a large margin. But that doesn’t mean it’s foolproof. The most common mistake I see entrepreneurs make is securing and deploying capital, and then not repaying it in a timely manner. … Read more
If you spend enough time doomscrolling social media, you’ll eventually see someone claiming the financial system is about to change forever. Recently, someone forwarded me a viral video warning that major changes to the credit system would destroy Americans’ credit scores overnight. The creator pointed to three issues: Buy Now, Pay Later accounts, the rise … Read more
While there’s something to be said for bootstrapping a business, leveraging debt to launch or scale can be a game changer if handled properly. The key to success here is twofold. First, you need to be responsible with debt because it can quickly spiral out of control—especially in a soft economy, so how you use … Read more
There’s been a lot of talk lately about using regulatory bodies to cap credit card interest rates as a way to lower costs for Americans in today’s softening economy. On the surface, this sounds logical. If you cap credit card interest rates to some arbitrary lower number—like the 10% cap currently being proposed—consumers’ monthly payments … Read more
Business credit, when leveraged properly, can be an absolute game changer for entrepreneurs because it gives you the opportunity to scale your business in ways you never could by simply bootstrapping. This enables you to invest in the necessary inventory, equipment, and acquisitions that help you to make bigger moves and gobble up market share. … Read more
I became an entrepreneur at a relatively young age after my mother immigrated here in pursuit of the American Dream, and then I went on to build a multimillion dollar business from that idea. As much as I’d love to say that everything went as smoothly as that first sentence might indicate, nothing could be … Read more
I’ve worked with thousands of business owners over the years. I’ve watched some build companies that sell for life-changing amounts of money, and I’ve seen others stall out, even when they had a great idea. The biggest difference usually isn’t talent. It’s not the product. It’s not marketing skill or who they know. It’s how … Read more
Business credit can be one of the biggest game changers for a company. It lets you invest in growth, cover expenses, and compete with larger firms. But too often, business owners believe myths that just aren’t true, and those beliefs stop them from getting the funding they need. As someone who has spent years helping … Read more