In November 2012, Brenda Wise, President of GLT Total Office in Lakeland, was looking for a way to spur the growth of her company. Like most companies, GLT experienced a slowdown in sales during the "Great Recession." Then she heard about the Growth Acceleration Services provided by the Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida.
"As most politicians will tell you, small business is the backbone of America and, unfortunately, small business is falling to the wayside in the path of corporate America; so we're constantly looking for avenues to open that door again and be involved in additional business," Wise said.
Preparing for Growth Acceleration
Business had been picking up so Wise wanted to take full advantage of the improvement in the economy to accelerate the growth of the business. However, Wise had concerns regarding the ability of the firm to handle challenges faced by any rapidly growing company. She was not sure the company had the personnel, accounting, and information systems in place to oversee a significant increase in business or sufficient inventory to sustain the growth. She reached out to the FSBDC for answers to her questions.
Jim Parrish, a certified business consultant who specializes in growth acceleration, conducted an assessment of the company's capabilities. After conducting an interview of the owners and management, performing industry and market research for the company, and completing a financial review which compared GLT's financial performance to other similar firms in its industry, he identified areas for GLT to focus on in order for the company to more effectively manage its assets, thereby improving the financial and operational performance of the company while positioning it for accelerated growth.
With Growth Comes Marketing
Since then, the company has grown to 23 employees, added showroom space, and improved its financial outlook.
"We were recently able to land a million dollar job so this year our revenues are going to be 35 percent more than what they are now just simply because we're a woman-owned business. The jobs are out there, it's just that finding them is not always easy," Wise said.
The job came as a result of GLT being a majority woman-owned business.
Next, Bill McKown, a certified business consultant specializing in marketing, assisted GLT in the development of new marketing strategies and tactics designed to accelerate company growth. Wise was particularly interested in the possibilities for her business when it comes to marketing consultation.
"So much of the marketing now is going electronic and as a small business owner it's hard for me to know the right place to invest my money, so I will be looking to get Bill's advice in this area," she said.
