News
Don’t Be a Target: How Small Businesses Can Stop Cyber Threats Early
Small businesses are often the backbone of local economies — but they’re also prime targets for cyberattacks. Limited resources, fewer dedicated IT staff, and a growing dependence on cloud tools make them especially vulnerable to phishing, ransomware, and data theft. The good news? Strong cybersecurity doesn’t require a massive budget. What’s needed is clarity, consistency, and a few smart systems that build protection.Key Steps to Take Right Away Identify and protect your most critical data — finances,
News Release: 1/27/2026
Central Florida Classic Combines Golf, Music, and Community Impact Blessings in a Backpack Central Florida will host the Central Florida Classic, a two-day community event featuring golf and live music to benefit children facing food insecurity across Central Florida. The event will take place at The Club at Venetian Bay and brings together business leaders, golfers, and community supporters in support of local students. The Central Florida Classic includes two days of golf and a concert. Golf events
Everpath Partners, LLC and Cogent Bank announce strategic agreement and minority growth equity investment
Everpath Partners, LLC and Cogent Bank announce strategic agreement and minority growth equity investment Orlando, Fla. and Tampa, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2026) – Everpath Partners, LLC (Everpath) and Cogent Bank (Cogent) announce a strategic agreement and minority growth equity investment that brings together Cogent’s full-service commercial banking platform and Everpath’s expertise in middle-market mergers and acquisitions advisory and private capital solutions. This partnership expands both firms’
Practical Ways to Strengthen Your Business’s Technology Backbone
Winter Park businesses thrive on community, creativity, and resilience — but today’s digital environment adds a layer of unpredictability that can strain even well-run organizations. Whether dealing with hurricanes, supply chain shifts, or fast-moving cyber threats, strengthening your IT foundation is no longer optional; it’s strategic. Here’s a quick snapshot of what follows: Practical ways to reduce downtime and keep systems running Guidance for protecting sensitive data A checklist you can act on
How Small Businesses Can Tap Creativity to Keep Marketing Fresh in Winter Park
Small businesses in Winter Park have a shared challenge: staying memorable in a crowded, fast-moving marketplace. Creativity isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a visibility engine that helps local brands stay top-of-mind while strengthening their customer relationships. Learn below: Why creative marketing stays effective over time How constraints actually increase originality Practical ways to keep ideas flowing in your business Simple formats that help you refresh campaigns quickly Inspiration
The Small Business Playbook for Getting More Word-of-Mouth Referrals
When you're navigating the critical decision point of growing your customer base without drastically increasing your marketing spend, tapping into referrals can be one of the most powerful levers. For local small businesses, especially in service-based or community-driven niches, referrals aren't just a bonus — they’re a scalable, trust-based channel for sustainable growth. This guide walks you through proven strategies to increase customer referrals, with practical examples, links to relevant tools, and
A Place for Everything: Making Sense of Your Digital Marketing Chaos
It’s not the analytics or the ad copy or even the creative concept that slows everything down. It’s the scramble to find that image, that logo file, that 60-second version of the video someone edited two weeks ago. You’ve got folders inside folders, duplicate files with names like “Final_FINAL_v3” and twenty Slack threads that might or might not contain the missing asset. Digital marketing doesn’t buckle under a lack of ideas. It collapses under poor organization. Getting your digital assets in order
Rebuilding Your Small Business: A Playbook for the Next Chapter
Running a small business is like riding a rollercoaster you built yourself—thrilling, exhausting, and, at times, terrifying. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you’re trying to rebuild after a rough patch. Maybe a recession knocked the wind out of you. Maybe supply chain nightmares or shifting customer habits forced you to pivot. Whatever the reason, you’re here, which means you’re still fighting. And that’s the first step. Now let’s talk about how to not just get back on track, but to rebuild
Stronger Together: Smart Ways Small Businesses Can Thrive Through Local Partnerships
For small businesses, forming and strengthening partnerships within the local community is a powerful way to drive growth, enhance brand reputation, and foster long-term success. Unlike large corporations with vast resources, small businesses thrive on relationships, collaboration, and mutual support. When you engage with your local community, you establish trust and credibility while opening doors for cross-promotion, networking, and shared resources. The key to building these partnerships lies in
