SBA loan approval rates vary dramatically based on preparation quality. The applications that succeed share a set of common characteristics that have nothing to do with the strength of the business and everything to do with the quality of the documentation and presentation. There is a persistent misconception that SBA
SBA loan approval rates vary dramatically based on preparation quality. The applications that succeed share a set of common characteristics that have nothing to do with the strength of the business and everything to do with the quality of the documentation and presentation. There is a persistent misconception that SBA
Miami has long been known as a city where social connections happen effortlessly. For years, those interactions often centered around restaurants, nightlife, hospitality venues, and traditional networking events. Today, however, a growing number of professionals are finding that some of their most meaningful connections begin somewhere entirely different: on
Reinvention rarely follows a straight line, and few stories show that better than the one behind Becky Vannes’ personal growth brand. The Florida author and entrepreneur spent years working behind the scenes, in market research, in business, and at home, before stepping forward as the public face of a
Entrepreneur, investor, music producer, and DJ Sam Dehko has spent much of his career refusing to fit into a single category. While some know him through business ventures, others recognize him through music, fitness, investing, or the growing Dehko brand. What connects each chapter of his journey is a
The sunscreen that fills beach bags across the country traces back to a Miami Beach pharmacist who first mixed it not for sunbathers but for soldiers. Benjamin Green’s wartime experiment, developed during World War II and refined afterward in his own kitchen, became Coppertone, one of the foundational American sun-care products and a piece of consumer history rooted firmly in South Florida. A Soldier’s Problem In The Pacific The product grew out of a military need rather than a commercial one. By the early 1940s, the Army Air Forces were searching for a way to protect personnel exposed to relentless sun, whether stranded in deserts or adrift on life rafts in the Pacific. Green, who served as an airman, saw the problem directly. He served in the Pacific during World War II and recognized that he and his fellow soldiers needed some way to protect against the sun. His first
Miami Luxury Moves Toward Intention Miami’s luxury residential market is entering a more mature phase. Buyers are no longer looking only for polished finishes or dramatic visual statements. They are paying closer attention to architecture, construction quality, long-term value, and how a home supports daily life. That shift has created space for designers who understand both the creative and technical sides of residential living. Karina Elias, founder of Lupa Design, represents that intersection. Her work connects architectural design, interior direction, construction execution, and personalization in a way that speaks to where Miami luxury is heading. Lupa Design is a Miami-based residential design studio specializing in high-end custom homes and upscale developer residences. The studio approaches each project as a complete living environment, where architecture, interiors, materials, lighting, and execution work together from the beginning. A Studio Built Around a Complete Residential Vision For many luxury homes, design can become fragmented.
Florida voters will decide this November whether to dramatically expand the state’s homestead property tax exemption, after lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment on June 2 during a special legislative session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure cleared the required three-fifths threshold in both chambers and now needs at least 60% support at the ballot box to take effect. The amendment would raise the homestead exemption from its current $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028, applying to the value of a primary residence for tax purposes. The expanded exemption would not apply to school district property tax levies, a carve-out designed to shield education funding from the cut. The proposal emerged from a session that ran June 1 through 3, branded by the governor’s office as the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” plan. What the Measure Would Do For Florida homeowners, the math
Madrid is increasingly positioning itself as one of Europe’s most attractive destinations for internationally mobile entrepreneurs, investors and luxury business leaders. This shift is being driven not only by the city’s economic growth and international appeal, but also by the emergence of a new generation of private, high-end networking events designed for globally connected business audiences. Among the clearest examples of this trend are the upcoming Best CEO Awards, scheduled for October 3rd, and the Best Company Awards, taking place on November 28th, both hosted at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid. While still relatively niche compared to mainstream corporate conferences, the two events have been attracting growing international attention within entrepreneurial, investment and luxury hospitality circles. According to individuals familiar with the organization, attendees this year are expected from more than 40 countries, including the United States, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom. Part
By C. James Williams III, Principal, Burnett & Williams Any car accident can be catastrophic, but this is particularly the case with motorcycle accidents and pedestrian accidents, which leave the victims exposed and in danger of serious injury. Unfortunately, the 1,747 pedestrian accidents and 2,245 motorcycle accidents in Virginia in 2024 were overlooked for a variety of reasons, which is why victims must find a Virginia motorcycle accident attorney or pedestrian accident lawyer who will stand up for their rights. A Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Explains Why Motorcycle Accident Injuries Are Often Overlooked One of the main reasons motorcycle and pedestrian cases are often overlooked is that there is often a bias against these victims. Especially with motorcycle accidents, people tend to stigmatize riders, assuming that they are being reckless and dangerous, even when they are following every law and safety precaution. Even in pedestrian accidents, people can jump to conclusions
By: Ethan Rogers Boca Raton-based window and door company warns that the time to prepare is closing as June 1 approaches. With the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning on June 1, Atlantic Window Repair, a licensed window and door repair and installation company serving Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, is urging homeowners across South Florida to act now on impact window upgrades before the season begins. Every year, South Florida homeowners face the same challenge. The urgency of hurricane preparedness collides with the reality that quality installations take time. Scheduling, permitting, and proper installation by licensed technicians cannot be compressed into a 48-hour window when a storm is already named and tracking toward the coast. “Impact windows are not something you install the day before a hurricane. The process involves a proper assessment, custom measurements, permitting, and a meticulous installation by experienced technicians. We encourage homeowners to schedule
Moving heavy construction equipment across Miami requires more than finding a truck and setting a delivery time. The city’s dense traffic, busy commercial corridors, port activity, bridge clearances, urban access limits, and jobsite constraints make heavy-haul transportation a carefully managed process. Excavators, cranes, loaders, bulldozers, lifts, and industrial machines must be measured, loaded, secured, permitted, routed, and delivered with precision so they reach the jobsite safely and without disrupting the construction schedule. For contractors, the stakes are practical and immediate. A delayed excavator can slow utility work. A late loader can affect site preparation. A crane arriving without proper access planning can create expensive downtime. Heavy equipment is not ordinary freight. It is high-value machinery tied directly to project deadlines, crew productivity, and customer commitments. Safe movement depends on planning before the machine ever leaves the yard. Miami Heavy Equipment Transport Starts With Accurate Assessment The first step in safe
Florida homeowners could be asked this November to decide whether to phase out property taxes on their primary residences. Speaking in Tampa on May 27, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he would convene a special legislative session beginning June 1 to advance a proposed constitutional amendment that would sharply raise the homestead exemption now and chart a path toward eliminating homestead property taxes entirely. For Miami-Dade, where rising assessments have stretched household budgets, the plan would land directly on the region’s homeowners and the local governments that depend on their tax dollars. The Proposal: A Phased Path to Eliminating Homestead Taxes The plan, branded “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” would immediately exempt the first $250,000 of a homestead’s value from taxation, up from the current structure built around a $50,000 exemption. It would then direct the Legislature to set a schedule for fully eliminating homestead property taxes over time.
By Natalie Johnson Culture is non-negotiable, even for those who negotiate for a living.” That principle sounds straightforward in theory. In practice, it is tested in the moments where pressure is highest: when a difficult deal is close to breaking down, when the economics no longer make sense, or when an exhausted client wants to push through a transaction that should not happen. Those are the moments that reveal whether a firm’s culture is genuine or simply a well-written values statement. Steven H. Nigro, an investment banker and a principal at TAG Financial Institutions Group LLC, has built his practice around the conviction that culture is not a backdrop to the work. It is inseparable from it. “Integrity of character is a requirement, not an aspiration,” Nigro insists. “We want our professionals, from the newest analyst to the top executives, to be viewed as objective, fair, and aligned with our
At 14, Jany Martinez-Ward crossed the southern border of the United States with her mother and brother after a three-hour Greyhound ride from Matamoros, Mexico. What followed was more than a month in foster care while her mother remained in an immigration detention center, an experience marked by uncertainty, separation, and the challenge of adapting to a new country without speaking English. Today, Martinez-Ward is the co-founder of The Ward Law Group, a Miami-based personal injury law firm that has represented thousands of accident victims and their families across South Florida. Known throughout the region as an advocate for the Hispanic community, she has helped build a firm focused on car accidents, truck accidents, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury cases, including a significant recovery of over $100 million for one victim in a single case. But long before she became a Miami accident attorney, her story began in survival mode.
By: UFIRST Art Production In a crowded contemporary art world, Sherry Shefts has built something distinct: a personal brand with genuine depth, a recognizable painting style, and a mission rooted in the belief that art belongs in the most beautiful spaces, and should move the people who inhabit them. The Brand: Sublyme Art and What It Promises The name says it. Sublyme Art by Sherry Shefts is not a casual label, it is a declaration. The word “sublyme” carries within it the philosophical heart of her entire practice: the sublime, that aesthetic category defined by experiences that overwhelm the senses and move the spirit beyond ordinary feeling. Nature at its most powerful. Beauty at its most piercing. Emotion at its most elemental. That is exactly what Shefts delivers. Her brand promise, made implicitly through every canvas she creates, is that her work will not merely decorate a space. It will
The shift from traditional bank lending to online direct lending platforms is one of the most significant structural changes in the small-business capital market over the past decade, and in 2026, it is accelerating rather than slowing. Business owners who have experienced both models consistently report that the comparison is not close. The online platform is faster, more transparent, and more accessible and requires less administrative burden at every step. The question is no longer whether online direct lending is a viable alternative to traditional bank lending. The question is why any business owner who has a choice would accept the slower, more burdensome option when the modern alternative exists. In 2026, the landscape for small business loans has made this question easier to answer than ever before. Understanding why this shift is happening requires examining what, specifically, the online direct lending model does better and why those differences matter
The contemporary art world is shifting, and Jason Perez is among the curators helping shape how it gets presented, experienced, and connected to modern culture. As an art broker, curator, and founder of the Jason Perez Art Collective, Perez approaches the industry with the understanding that success is no longer built only through gallery walls. It is built through vision, atmosphere, relationships, storytelling, and the ability to create experiences people genuinely remember. Over the last several years, Perez has developed a reputation for connecting artists with collectors, entrepreneurs, luxury audiences, and cultural circles across Miami, New York, and beyond. His projects are not simply exhibitions. They are carefully curated environments where art becomes part of a larger lifestyle and emotional experience. A Background Built on Family Legacy and Personal Resilience Perez’s path into the industry was shaped by resilience, hard work, and an authentic understanding of both artists and the
The American entrepreneurial tradition has always been defined by the tension between ambition and access. The ideas are there. The work ethic is there. The market opportunity is there. What has historically been missing for too many business owners is the capital to move from concept to scale at the pace the opportunity demands. In 2026, that gap is narrower than it has ever been, and the businesses being built in this environment reflect that reality in their speed, their ambition, and their results. A New Era of Business Building The startup and small business sector in 2026 is more diverse, more technology-enabled, and more capital-accessible than any previous generation of American business. The industries that are growing fastest, home services, health and wellness, e-commerce, food and beverage, logistics, and professional services, are characterized by strong unit economics, high revenue potential, and relatively modest capital requirements for initial scaling. These
Miami International Airport is getting a new nerve center. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and MIA Director and CEO Ralph Cutié unveiled plans for a $33 million Airport Operations Center and Digital Monitoring Hub on Monday, May 18, billed as the first airport-wide digital monitoring hub of its kind in the United States. The 13,254-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in 2027 and will consolidate operations and emergency response under one roof — bringing together representatives from 30 different agencies that today work from scattered offices across one of the busiest airports in the world. What the Center Will Do The Airport Operations Center (AOC) is designed to provide 360-degree visibility across MIA’s airside, landside, and terminal areas. According to the Miami-Dade County press release and reporting from WLRN, NBC 6, and Local 10, the facility will integrate the existing Airport Operations Center with the Emergency Operations Center, allowing
By: Dr. Bruce Mark, DC | Hollywood Laser Pain Center | Hollywood, Florida Many Americans living with chronic headaches are not aware that the origin of their pain may be in the neck rather than the head itself. Cervicogenic headache, pain that originates in the cervical spine and refers into the head, has been estimated to account for approximately 15 to 20 percent of chronic headaches in some clinical populations and is recognized as significantly underdiagnosed in the literature. For patients in Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura, and across Broward County who have cycled through migraine medications and neurological referrals without lasting relief, evaluation of a cervical source can be a meaningful step in updating their care plan. Cervicogenic headaches are generally understood not to respond reliably to migraine-specific medications because the underlying mechanism is different. They are commonly described as originating from structural dysfunction in the cervical spine,
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