Lisa Pelc is the owner and chief executive of Bella Casa Staging & Redesign in Melbourne, a home staging and interior design company with experts in preparing homes – both occupied and vacant – for a faster, more profitable sale. As redesigners, the professionals at Bella Casa help families reconnect to each space in their home, so that it’s organized, beautiful and a perfect reflection of the family.
In 2017, Pelc found herself at a crossroads of sorts. She had started her business and it was growing, but she was asking herself some key questions: where next? How do I grow from here? That’s when she turned to the Florida SBDC at Eastern Florida State College (EFSC), a sub-center of the Florida SBDC at UCF.
“I came to the FSBDC for assistance because I was having some growing pains,” recalls Pelc. “I wanted to grow my business but wasn’t sure what to do and how to do it. So I reached out and found all of these different business courses and seminars, as well as no-cost, one-on-one consulting. Marty and the FSBDC team at Eastern Florida State College were extremely helpful in areas like strategy, inbound and outbound marketing, financial analysis as well as market research.”
“There is so much at the FSBDC that a small business needs,’” continued Pelc. “You don’t always know what you don’t know, as the saying goes. Working with the FSBDC has really shown me the opportunities that are available for my business. Meeting with Marty every month was like having a personal MBA professor dedicated to addressing my specific business needs. The time together was incredibly helpful and insightful.”
The list of Bella Casa’s business issues addressed with the help of the Florida SBDC at EFSC is long: reviewing and then gaining an understanding of monthly and year-to-date financial results and profitability; conducting market research and building industry knowledge; identifying new market opportunities, and learning how to balance marketing and operations.
