{"id":35051,"date":"2020-11-12T08:18:08","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T13:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=35051"},"modified":"2021-11-08T10:41:39","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T15:41:39","slug":"med-aesthetics-miami-turns-to-the-florida-sbdc-at-fiu-business-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2020\/11\/med-aesthetics-miami-turns-to-the-florida-sbdc-at-fiu-business-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Med Aesthetics Miami turns to the Florida SBDC at FIU Business again."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rosanna
Rosanna Bermejo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly a decade after the\u00a0Florida SBDC at FIU Business<\/a>\u00a0(FSBDC) helped her launch her own business, Rosanna Bermejo again turned to the small business development center. This time, she sought help for her business, Med Aesthetics Miami, in recovering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

The skincare and wellness center was closed for two and a half months during the lockdown. For Bermejo, pivoting in the pandemic meant that virtual consultations with patients became the norm, new products and services were introduced, and in-person treatments were\u00a0redesigned, much of it thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) assistance Med Aesthetics Miami received with the FSBDC at FIU\u2019<\/span>s help.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The PPP was critical to keeping our doors open – maintaining employees\u2019\u00a0<\/span>salaries, covering utilities \u2013 during the lockdown,\u201d said Bermejo.\u00a0\u201c<\/span>The SBA loan let us adapt the operations to our new reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FSBDC\u00a0is working hand-in-hand with local businesses to help them adjust to a new landscape. Today, consultants are seeing increased demand for guidance on financial management and retaining or recruiting employees as well as marketing, e-commerce, website development and social media activation.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The goal is not just to help these business weather the pandemic, but also to make them stronger and more resilient moving forward,\u201d said Brian Van Hook, regional director of the FSBDC.<\/p>\n

Since the pandemic began, the FSBDC has helped owners in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties navigate disaster assistance programs, getting funds into the business\u2019\u00a0<\/span>hands and developing strategies to weather the crisis.<\/p>\n

As of October 14, FSBDC had helped 293 small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties secure $40.4 million in COVID-19 assistance:<\/p>\n