barriers to small business growth report · limits to company growth: financing/lines of credit...

Barriers to Small Business Growth

Prepared by:

Regional Economic Research Institute

Lutgert College of Business

Florida Gulf Coast University

July 25, 2014

Barriers to Small Business Growth Report

Barriers to Small Business Growth Survey, 2014

Introduction What are the barriers that limit small business growth? How important are qualified

workforce, training, funding issues, and marketing? This research study provides

primary research for Lee County on the barriers that limit the growth of small and large

businesses. The local Chambers of Commerce and the Business Issues Subcommittee

of the Horizon Council initiated this project to better understand the factors or conditions

that are limiting business growth. An Internet survey, analysis, and the report were

developed by the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University

during May and June of 2014. The survey, analysis, and report are based on the

responses of over 300 executives of small and large businesses.

This survey would not have been possible without the assistance of Mike Quaintance,

President of the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral and Russell Schropp, Chairman

of the Business Issues Taskforce of the Horizon Council, who helped coordinate the

effort with the local Chambers and provided input on the survey design. In addition, the

local Chambers of Commerce including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort

Myers Beach, Lehigh Acres, Estero, Pine Island, Sanibel, Chamber of SWFL, and the

Council for Progress provided input and assistance in identifying and requesting

assistance from the greater business community. The Small Business Development

Center provided advice and assistance on the survey design. A special thanks to

Dennie Hamilton of the Horizon Council, Rick Michael and Brent Kettler, of the Lee

County Economic Development Office; and Hudson Rogers, Dean of Lutgert College of

Business at FGCU for assistance and guidance.

In addition, Dr. Ron Coccari, a staff economist for the Regional Economic Research

Institute (RERI), helped manage the project and the survey process. Finally, Allison

Richey, an FGCU student research analyst, analyzed the survey information and

developed the initial draft report.

Gary Jackson

Dr. Gary Jackson Director, Regional Economic Research Institute Lutgert College of Business Florida Gulf Coast University 10501 FGCU Boulevard South Fort Myers, Florida 33965-6565 239 590-7319 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Executive Summary The purpose of the business barriers survey is to better understand the factors that are

limiting small business growth in the greater Lee County area. This survey provides

insights about key concerns and issues facing small businesses. An email invitation to

complete the survey was sent to approximately 5,000 executives in Lee County.

Responses varied by question but generally ranged between 300 and 400. Executives

completed the survey from May 5, 2014 to May 16, 2014. Three reminders were sent

during the survey period.

Small businesses are defined as having less than 50 employees and represented

approximately 68 percent of the respondents to the survey. Large businesses are

defined as those having 50 or more employees and represented approximately 22

percent of respondents. Nonprofits represented approximately seven percent of the

responses while government represented approximately three percent of the responses.

The key findings of the Barriers to Small Business Growth Survey are as follows:

The biggest hurdles or barriers to growth for small businesses are:

1. Finding qualified employees,

2. Financing/access to capital,

3. Government regulation/signage,

4. Ability to promote/advertise/market,

5. State of the economy,

6. Competition,

7. Infrastructure/roads,

8. Increasing health/insurance costs, and

9. Taxes.

The biggest hurdles or barriers to growth facing large businesses are:

1. Finding qualified employees

2. Financing

3. Increasing health/insurance costs

4. Government regulation

5. Cost of operations/taxes/living

6. State of the economy

7. Permits/licenses

8. Brand recognition/marketing/advertising

9. Competition



Nonprofits indicated that the hurdles or barriers to growth are fundraising,

economy, county support, approvals, membership and finances.

Government indicated that its hurdles to growth are cash flow, capital, property

tax recapture, infrastructure, affordable housing, diversity, low wages, economic

indicators, and arts and culture.

Twenty percent of small business executives do not plan to grow the size of their

business over the next five years because:

1. Already ideal size,

2. Age/retiring,

3. Increasing health care costs,

4. Going out of business/selling, and

5. Economic/market uncertainties.

Twelve percent of large businesses do not plan to grow since already ideal size,

expanding business without hiring new employees, and health care costs.

A lack of qualified employees was identified by 44 percent of small businesses as

limiting their company growth. Recommended changes included:

1. Additional training/certification programs,

2. More work experience for students,

3. Encourage students to pursue vocational/technical training,

4. Additional college degrees/programs,

5. Closer ties between education and business,

6. Increased training of health care workers,

7. Better ways to recruit,

8. Additional IT training and programs, and

9. Change SW Florida image to recruit younger workers.

A lack of qualified employees was identified by 55 percent of large businesses as

limiting their company growth. Recommended changes included:

1. Better and broader vocational training,

2. More manufacturing to attract people,

3. Education should add curriculums in support of local employers,

4. More robust educational environment,

5. Better communication skills,

6. More job fairs, and

7. Change region’s image to attract younger workers.



Access to financing and lines of credit were identified by 37 percent of small

businesses as limiting company growth. Small businesses recommended the

following changes:

1. Greater access/availability,

2. Decrease restrictions,

3. Clear definitions and standards,

4. Decrease requirements and paperwork,

5. Special favors for small business, and

6. Reduce Federal regulations.

Access to financing and lines of credit were identified by 23 percent of large

businesses as a barrier to growth and recommended more access/availability

and more competitive banking.

Local regulations were limiting growth according to 25 percent of small

businesses. The regulatory issues included:

1. Slow permitting process

2. Different requirements for each locality,

3. Sign code regulations,

4. Zoning,

5. Licenses,

6. Fire codes,

7. Insurance,

8. Building codes, and

9. Impact fees.

The large businesses indicated that the major regulatory issues limiting growth

were: (1) building codes/restrictions, (2) local preference mandates, (3) zoning

including a lack of manufacturing locations, and (4) signage.

A lack of information about other geographical markets was considered to be limiting small business growth by six percent of the executives. The recommended changes include:

1. Availability of market research/demographics and 2. Identify companies that are relocating.

The large businesses executives indicated that a lack of information about markets was only limiting growth for 3 percent of businesses.

Most executives indicated that they would expand in Southwest Florida or a neighboring city or county.



Other overall recommendations of small businesses included decreasing government intervention, preventing unlicensed vendors, speeding up permit processes, creating a regional economic development alliance/coordination, businesses working together, lower taxes, access to information, and mentoring/networking.

Other overall recommendations of large businesses included improvements in the quality of life, access to information and preventing unlicensed vendors.



Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................... 2

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 3

I. Future Plans for Company Size ................................................................................ 8

II. Hurdles and Limitations ........................................................................................... 9

III. Reasons for Not Expanding .................................................................................. 10

IV. Limits to Company Growth: Financing/Lines of Credit ...................................... 10

V. Recommended changes for Financing/Lines of Credit ....................................... 11

VI. Limits to Company Growth: Lack of Qualified Employees ................................ 12

VII. Recommended Changes for Better Access to Qualified Employees ............... 13

VIII. Limits to Company Growth: Local Regulation .................................................. 14

IX. Recommended Changes for Government Regulation ........................................ 15

X. Limits to Company Growth: Information about Geographical Markets ............. 15

XI. Recommended Changes for Information about Geographical Markets ............ 16

XII. Given Expansion Information, Where Would This Expansion Be? .................. 17

XIII. Other Comments, Suggestions, or Recommendations? .................................. 18

XIV. Company Characteristics ................................................................................... 18

Appendix A: Business Hurdles and Limitations to Growth ..................................... 22

Appendix B: Why Do You Not Plan to Grow Your Business? ................................. 30

Appendix C: What Would You Change Regarding Access to Financing? ............. 32

Appendix D: Changes to Provide Better Access to Qualified Employees. ............ 34

Appendix E: What Local Regulations Are Limiting Your Company’s Growth? ..... 38

Appendix F: Type of Information Needed to Expand Market or Service Area. ...... 40

Appendix G: Other Comments, Suggestions, or Recommendations? ................... 41



I. Future Plans for Company Size Do you plan to increase the size of your company over the next five years?

As shown in Figure 1 and Table 1, 80 percent of the executives of small businesses

indicated that they plan to increase the size of their company over the next five years,

while 20 percent indicated they did not. Eighty-eight percent of the large business

executives indicated that they plan to increase the size of their company over the next

five years, while 12 percent said they did not. In addition, the survey found that eighty-

nine percent of nonprofit executives plan to increase the size of their organization.

Figure 1: Future Plans for Company Size

Table 1: Future Plans for Company Size

Do you plan to increase the size of your company over the next five years?

Small Business Large Business

Number of Responses

Percent

Number of Responses

Percent

Yes 234 80% 72 88%

No 59 20% 10 12%

Total 293 100% 82 100%



II. Hurdles and Limitations What are the biggest hurdles or limitations that you face in growing your

business?

The small business executives’ responses to this question fell into the following

categories:

Finding qualified employees (35 responses)

Financing/access to capital (34 responses)

Government regulation/signage (11 responses)

Ability to promote/advertise/market (8 responses)

State of the economy (5 responses)

Competition (4 responses)

Infrastructure/roads (3 responses)

Increasing health/insurance costs (2 responses)

Taxes (2)

The large business executives’ responses to this question fell into the following

categories:

Finding qualified employees (25 responses)

Financing (9 responses)

Increasing health/insurance costs (6 responses)

Government regulation (4 responses)

Cost of operations/taxes/living (4 responses)

State of the economy (3 responses)

Permits/licenses (2 responses)

Brand recognition/marketing/advertising (2 responses)

Competition (2 responses)

Nonprofits indicated that fundraising (5 responses), economy, county support, approvals,

membership, and finances were their biggest hurdles to growth. Government indicated that

barriers are cash flow, capital, property tax recapture statutes, infrastructure including higher

education, affordable housing, diversity, low wages, economic indicators, and arts and culture.

*Small and large business executive responses for this question along with nonprofit responses

are listed in Appendix A.



III. Reasons for Not Expanding Why do you not plan to grow your business over the next five years?


categories:

Already ideal size (16 responses)

Age/retiring (7 responses)

Increasing health care costs (4 responses)

Going out of business/selling business (3 responses)

Economic/market uncertainties (3 responses)

Restrictions (2 responses)

Government regulation (2 responses)

High Costs (2 responses)

Workforce

Financial


categories:

Already ideal size (3 responses)

Expanding business without hiring new employees (3 responses)

Health care costs (1 response)

The nonprofit organizations indicated that finances and funding were limiting growth.

*Small and large executive responses for this question are listed in Appendix B.

IV. Limits to Company Growth: Financing/Lines of Credit Do you see access to financing/lines of credit as a limitation to your company

growth?

As shown in Figure 2 and Table 2, 37% of surveyed executives of small businesses

found access to financing/lines of credit to be a factor that limited company growth,

whereas 63% indicated they did not. Twenty-three percent of the executives of large

businesses indicated that financing/lines of credit were a factor that limited company

growth, while 77% said they did not.



Figure 2: Limits to Company Growth: Financing/Lines of Credit

Table 2: Limits to Company Growth: Financing/Lines of Credit


Do you see access to financing/lines of credit as a limitation to your company growth?

Number of Responses

Percent

Number of Responses

Percent

Yes 82 37% 16 23%

No 141 63% 53 77%

Total 223 100% 69 100%

V. Recommended changes for Financing/Lines of Credit What would you like to see changed regarding access to financing/lines of

credit?


categories:

More access/availability (13 responses)

Decrease restrictions (7 responses)

Clear definitions and standards (4 responses)

Decrease requirements and paperwork (3 responses)

Special favors for small businesses (3 responses)

Reduce Federal regulations (2 responses)




categories:

More access/availability (5 responses)

More competitive banking

*Small and large executive responses for this question are listed in Appendix C.

VI. Limits to Company Growth: Lack of Qualified Employees Is a lack of qualified employees to fill positions limiting your company growth?

As shown in Figure 3 and Table 3, 44 percent of executives of small businesses

indicated that a lack of qualified employees was limiting their company growth, while

56% said this is not a limitation. Fifty-five percent of executives of large businesses

indicated that a lack of qualified employees was limiting their company growth.

Figure 3: Limits to Company Growth: Lack of Qualified Employees

Table 3: Limits to Company Growth: Lack of Qualified Employees


Is a lack of qualified employees to fill positions limiting your company growth?

Number of Responses

Percent

Number of Responses

Percent

Yes 96 44% 36 55%

No 124 56% 30 45%

Total 220 100% 66 100%



VII. Recommended Changes for Better Access to Qualified Employees What would you like to see changed in order to provide better access to qualified

employees?


categories:

Additional training/certification programs (6 responses)

More work experience for students such as internships (3 responses)

Encourage students to pursue vocational/technical training (3 responses)

Additional college degrees/programs (2 responses)

Closer ties between education and business (2 responses)

More health care training (2 responses)

Better ways to recruit (2 responses)

Additional IT training and programs

Change SW Florida image to recruit younger professionals

Access to qualified employees


categories:

Better and broader vocational training (5 responses)

More manufacturing to attract people (2 responses)

Education should add curriculums in support of local employers (2 responses)

More robust educational environment

Better communication skills

More job fairs

Change region’s image to attract younger workers

*Small and large executive responses for this question are listed in Appendix D.



VIII. Limits to Company Growth: Local Regulation Are local regulations limiting your company’s growth?

As shown in Figure 4 and Table 4, 25 percent of executives of small businesses

indicated that local regulations were limiting their company’s growth, whereas 75

percent said they were not. Twenty-three percent of executives of large businesses

indicated that local regulation was a factor that was limiting their company’s growth,

while 77 percent indicated they were not.

Figure 4: Limits to company growth: Local regulation

Table 4: Limits to company growth: Local regulation

Small Business

Large Business

Are local regulations limiting your company’s growth?

Number of Responses Percent

Number of responses Percent

Yes 54 25% 15 23%

No 162 75% 50 77%

Total 216 100% 65 100%



IX. Recommended Changes for Government Regulation What regulations are limiting your company’s growth?


categories:

Slow permitting process (7 responses)

Different requirements for each locality (5 responses)

Sign codes (4 responses)

Zoning (4 responses)

Licenses (3 responses)

Fire Code (2 responses)

Insurance (2 responses)

Building code/restrictions (2 responses)

Impact fees


categories:

Building code/restrictions (2 responses)

Local preference mandates

Zoning, restrictions on height and density

Lack of manufacturing locations

Signage

*Small and large executive responses for this question are listed in Appendix E.

X. Limits to Company Growth: Information about Geographical Markets Is a lack of information about other geographical markets limiting the growth of your company? As shown in Figure 5 and Table 5, 94 percent of executives of small businesses indicated that a lack of information about other geographical markets did not limit their company’s growth, while only six percent said that a lack of information about other geographical markets was a limiting factor. Ninety-six percent of executives of large businesses indicated that a lack of information about other geographic markets did not limit their company’s growth, while four percent indicated that it did.



Figure 5: Limits to Company Growth: Information about Geographical Markets

Table 5: Limits to Company Growth: Information about Geographical Markets


Is a lack of information about other geographical markets limiting the growth of your

company?

Number of Responses Percent

Number of responses Percent

Yes 13 6% 2 3%

No 198 94% 63 97%

Total 211 100% 65 100%

XI. Recommended Changes for Information about Geographical Markets What information about geographic markets is limiting your company’s growth?


categories:

Market research/demographics (3 responses)

Mentors/international experience

Health insurance options

What companies are relocating

The only response for large companies was the need for a better understanding of

client and referral source opportunities in Southwest Florida.

*Executive responses for this question are listed in Appendix F.



XII. Given Expansion Information, Where Would This Expansion Be? Where Would This Expansion Be?

The small company executive responses are shown in Figure 6. The overall response

the question was low with most small companies indicating that they would expand in

Southwest Florida or the neighboring city or county.

Figure 6: Where Would This Expansion Be?

There were only two responses for large companies indicating that expansion would be

Southwest Florida and Florida.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

99

4

2 1 1

0

Potential Geographical Expansion



XIII. Other Comments, Suggestions, or Recommendations? Do you have any other comments or recommendations on how to improve the

prospects for small business growth?


categories:

Decrease government intervention (5 responses)

Government action to prevent unlicensed vendors (4 responses)

Speed up permitting process (4 responses)

Regional economic development/coordination (2 responses)

Businesses need to work together (2 responses)

Cut taxes (2 responses)

Access to Information (2 responses)

Mentoring/networking


categories:

Improve quality of life (2 responses)

Access to information (1 response)

Government action to prevent unlicensed vendors (1 response)

Nonprofits suggested a balance between development and environment, improved access to

information, job growth, and business incentives.

*Executive responses for this question are listed in Appendix G.

XIV. Company Characteristics Each executive provided information about his or her firm, including:

Business Type;

Number of Employees;

Company Location; and

Geographic Client Base.



The following figures provide an overview of general characteristics of the responding

companies.

Figure 7: Business Type



Figure 8: Employee Size of Firms Responding to the Survey

Figure 9: Geographic Location of Survey Respondents



Figure 10: Geographic Client Base



Appendix A: Business Hurdles and Limitations to Growth The following list includes specific responses from executives of small

businesses for question- What are the biggest hurdles or limitations that you face

in growing your business?

1 A bad economy.

2 Ability to promote by signage.

3 Ability to reach and market to new businesses relocating to SW Florida.

4 Access to capital.

5 Acquiring and training competent workforce, taxes, insurance costs.

6 Additional lot space for the RVs and acquiring use permits for additional land.

7 Advertising.

8 Affordable loans.

9 Affordable staff.

10 Appropriate and qualified staffing to accommodate the growth.

11 Availability of sites.

12 Being able to charge fees commensurate with growing health care expenses fuel costs and general expenses including direct labor expenses such that we can continue to hire and retain qualified professionals to perform services at the highest standards without compromising quality. As in any industry, we have to continue to market ourselves in such a way to set ourselves apart from competition willing to compromise standards to provide a lesser product at a reduced fee. As a professional engineering firm, we are ultimately responsible for the health safety and welfare of public using our design facilities and that responsibility should not be taken lightly.

13 Budgets in school districts and hospitals.

14 Business activity needs to increase before any more people are needed.

15 Business development / cash flow. Finding affordable, competent employees. Commercial Real Estate leasing environment. Competitive market. Tenant cash flow and ability to sustain. Regulations, complications and related time consuming and expensive expansions / improvements of the buildings. Taxes and use fees become a real burden on expansion / improvement projects. Parking.

16 Business loans.

17 Business tax climate (corporate and other). Healthcare costs via regulations. Excessive laws that increase cost of business.

18 Buyers for homes in Southwest Florida and banks willing to lend money to buyers.

19 Capital for expansion.

20 Capital for new business owners.

21 Capital purchase funding.

22 Cash on hand - we're prepared to grow, but in a bit of a "rock and a hard place". We need more work to employ more people, but we can't get more/larger projects without the manpower.

23 Changing business model for Yellow Pages advertising sales.

24 Clients going concern issues.

25 Competent office staff trained in Quick Books, Excel, etc. Training our service techs.

26 Competition.

27 Competition and getting word out about our services.

28 Competition, marketing.



29 Competition, traffic on Ft Myers Beach, Lake Okeechobee water releases.

30 Continued growth of area by way of families and businesses moving to SWFL.

31 Cost of living- economic issues-real estate growth & other jobs available.

32 Critical mass of technology companies to collaborate and start-up community.

33 Customer development, leveraging MBE status, effective sales force.

34 Development regulations. Infrastructure requirements that don't consider the value of treating and using wastewater onsite.

35 Each locality having their own license requirements. Sanibel does not recognize Lee county license, nor will Charlotte county. You have to do all the same things in each locality and it should not be that way.

36 Economy (2 similar responses).

37 Economy & weather.

38 Employee pool.

39 Employees qualified and that want to work.

40 Enough work to sustain additional employees.

41 Extreme difficulties with health care insurance companies. Discrimination by not only the AMA but the federal government themselves when it comes to Medicare. Economy, of course, it does not appear to be getting any better yet.

42 Extreme seasonality.

43 Financing.

44 Financial limitations.

45 Financing the enterprise. Regulation by federal, state, and local entities.

46 Financing the growth as we are still recovering from very difficult financial times.

47 Financing, regulations.

48 Finding adequate staff.

49 Finding agents that are licensed and can work on a commission-only basis.

50 Finding and training sales associates.

51 Finding clients who are small business owners of Real Estate, not institutional.

52 Finding clients who need our services and are not large investors in Real Estate wanting a name brand.

53 Finding dependable workers.

54

Finding financial help while keeping my doors open. It would be nice if I could get some short-term financial help to clear my debts and have the peace of mind to move forward rather than being overwhelmed all the time.

55 Finding good agents and employees that share my goals and philosophies.

56 Finding good employees

57 Finding good help

58 Finding good people.

59 finding good sales people

60 Finding good staff. Keeping up with marketing and promotions Bad road conditions on Estero Blvd.

61 Finding qualified and hardworking agents.

62 Finding qualified employees and/or having the time to train.

63 Finding qualified employees mainly because we have a unique business (professional sand sculpting).

64 Finding qualified employees that are self-starters, motivated, and problem solvers.



65 Finding qualified employees that are willing to deal with the traffic issues in season. Finding ways to keep those employees over the summer.

66 Finding qualified employees.

67 Finding qualified people.

68 Finding qualified people.

69 Finding qualified personnel.

70 Finding qualified technicians.

71 Finding qualified, dedicated and motivated applicants.

72 Finding qualified, dependable people.

73 Finding qualified, experienced employees

74 Finding the right people.

75 Finding the right talent.

76 Finding workers trained in basic mechanical and electrical repair for golf carts. Housing and other living costs are too high versus what the consuming public is willing to pay for services rendered.

77 Finding workers who want to work

78 For us, cost of commercial vehicle insurance. Traffic accidents instate of Fla. has some commercial insurers not writing policies (We own airport transportation companies).

79 Funding.

80 Funding.

81 Funding and volunteer participation recognition.

82 Funding for expansion at reasonable rates and terms.

83 Gaining and maintaining customers.

84 Getting a business loan.

85 Getting access to the snowbirds. Bank financing for our customers

86 Getting clients. Too many people offering home watch that are not licensed and/or insured and can undercut our rate because of less overhead and/or they add on to their existing business ie pool or yard service and throw in home watch, etc.

87 Good quality client referrals.

88 Government over regulation, especially at the Federal level. The US Government is definitely anti-small business.

89 Government regulation.

90 Government regulation, taxes, permits issues.

91 Government regulatory costs.

92 Growing construction industry.

93 Growing revenue, finding talent, getting region to act/think like a region.

94 Growth in the area; ability of others to sell their homes in other areas to move here; streamlined permitting.

95 Having enough staff for peak season. Everyone wants to work the same number of hours per week year round. Unfortunately, our sales are not that way. November through April are peak months that are double the summer months.

96 Having the financial resources to effectively advertise to capture a larger market share.

97 Health insurance for my employees. By far biggest issue. next would be the continuing regulatory environment created by federal government

98 Health Insurance, property insurance, shortage of labor force, un-skilled workers. Costs are rising and price of product is not rising equally.



99 Hiring the right people. Making sure our technology is up to date to increase efficiencies within our firm.

100 I haven't even started my business for lack of funding available! I have been pre-approved for a 504 and 7a loan but do not have the down payment. I would have employed at least 50 people from Lee County. Just God know how much the county needs jobs! Government and bankers are making it very difficult for regular ordinary people to start up a business in this country! It is no longer the land of opportunity! Pity... and embarrassing for the American people.

101 Improperly licensed competition and requirements from local government that are not clear in what they require

102 Increase traffic and working capital.

103 Internet Competition. Difficulty in connecting with proper purchasing authorities writing business and government agencies. Vague "Item Code" listings for our service. We sell trophies, awards and do engravings are grouped in with signage or sports uniforms.

104 It is really industry specific and needs to be corrected at the state level.

105 It's a seasonal business where the summer is booming and can't grow anymore. The difficult part is increasing business during off-season periods. Consumers want shade and screen during the hot months.

106 Knowing when it is the right time to make the moves.

107 Knowledgeable employees.

108 Lack of corporate business in the Fort Myers Beach area.

109 Lending Institutions.

110 Limited due to uncertainty of the economic conditions which have restricted growth and development over the last five years. Presently see hints of positive changes, but increasing regulations on business, finances and growth are holding hostage any real growth.

111 Limitation on space in currently owned property.

112 Lining up a consistent work flow to justify added personnel.

113 Locating acoustically adequate, reasonable-priced performance and rehearsal space. As a non-profit, we need Inexpensive, but effective promotional opportunities during season, that don't require much manpower for recruiting singers and concert audiences.

114 Maintaining ROI while increasing number of staff; being able to afford benefits -- health care, retirement.

115 Marketing/new client acquisition.

116 Market competition of longer established organizations.

117 Money reserve.

118 Need for a more diversified economy from real estate, construction, and tourism.

119 New business development.

120 Nothing as of yet, just timing.

121 Number of country clubs between Fort Myers and Naples

122 Obama and the economy.

123 Overhead costs are getting more expensive. The cost of payroll expenses, workers comp and general liability.

124 Overhead expense.

125 Parking.

126 Patient acquisition and growing a want for better healthcare in the North Fort Myers region.

127 People.

128 Permitting hurdles! Trying to get a new construction project started (for example, installing the rip-rap) has been a lengthy, painful process.



129 Planning issues, over-restrictive zoning and too zealous local code enforcement.

130 Qualified and trained employees. Regulations, overwhelming when trying to grow and keep current.

131 Qualified employees. Economic uncertainty.

132 Qualified help.

133 Qualified labor force.

134 Qualified manpower that has moved away from SW Florida.

135 Qualified people.

136 Qualified personnel.

137 Qualified personnel. Government regulatory requirements.

138 Qualified Professionals.

139 Qualified professionals for entry level positions.

140 Qualified staff.

141 Qualified workers in the construction industry. Most young people do not want to go into construction.

142 Quality and size of SWFL firms.

143 Quality workers taxes regulation healthcare.

144 Real estate.

145 Recruitment of care staff. CNAs, HHAs, RNs & LPNs.

146 Room and clientele.

147 Sales.

148 Sales Professionals.

149 Saving capital.

150 Saving money for equipment purchases.

151 Seasonal business--very slow in the summer.

152 Signage.

153 Skilled maintenance staff.

154 Space.

155 Startup capital to support infrastructure and resources to guide me in understanding and implementing the initial back office processes.

156 State laws - at the moment they curtail our growth.

157 SWFL is the most difficult market to find talent that I have ever experienced.

158 Talent and strong work ethic.

159 Tax and health care policies both impede my growth.

160 Taxes and availability of capital.

161 Taxes and government over regulation.

162 Taxes and what to do about health Care. Also finding qualified trades people to do the jobs

163 Taxes, regulations, unstable economy.

164 Technical hurdles relating to client acquisition.

165 The City of Cape Coral regulations and permit process.

166 The Counties (permitting, planning & zoning)

167 The county has no facilities that will allow a commercial kayak company to launch in the Estero Bay area where we do business. Regulations are designed to set up kayak vendors for failure. The county lacks a business plan and the facilities to accommodate growth. The focus seems to be on how to shut thriving small businesses down rather than being helpful.

168 The fast changing landscape of media today and finding those experts who are willing to work



hard.

169 The low prices that competition charges and finding qualified trades people.

170 Timing.

171 Trained staff.

172 Travel time, exposure (limited advertising budget).

173 Up to this point it has been poor business climate. Cash flow has slowed the expansion plans into Collier County. Limited budget for advertising and promotion.

174

We are a non-profit and looking for ways to have sustainability and still provide services to the less fortunate in our community. While we do have a game plan, we are going to partner with another non-profit to make it happen.

175 We are small and have limited funding to hire qualified people.

176 We depend on the size of our community.

177 We lack name recognition, so getting our story out.

178 Work force (Labor), Capital, Equipment.

179 Working capital, permitting, qualified personnel.

The following list includes specific responses from executives of large

businesses for question- What are the biggest hurdles or limitations that you face

in growing your business?

1 Affordable financing for large construction projects.

2 All apply.

3 Attaining employees with the correct skill sets.

4 Attracting and keeping a diverse, talented, and well-educated employee base.

5 Availability of experienced, capable employees.

6 Brand recognition.

7 Budget/Cost to operate.

8 Cash flow, quality workers, environmental threats (hurricane).

9 Consolidating debt and refinancing.

10 Developing additional clients and referral sources.

11 Economy.

12 Excessive government regulations. Local preference rules. Lack of skilled labor.

13 Financing.

14 Financing availability.

15 Financing, payrolls, basically cost of operation.

16 Financing.

17 Finding entrepreneurs -sales business can be challenging.

18 Finding qualified candidates.

19 Finding qualified candidates for the open positions.

20 Finding qualified field personnel in the area.

21 Finding qualified skilled work force.

22 Finding quality applicants. We do not have enough parking to accommodate growth.

23 Government regulation, energy prices, recruiting and the local, regional, national and global economy.

24 Government regulations, taxes, and qualified people.



25 Government regulations towards manufacturing Increasing taxes qualified employees.

26 Healthcare and insurance costs.

27 Healthcare and other insurance costs.

28 High cost of insurance and Obamacare.

29 Hiring qualified employees, margins.

30 Hiring supply is weak or un-qualified; digital density of possible candidates is weak.

31 Impact fees!

32 Labor supply for massage therapists. New competition entering the market.

33 Lack of loan demand for business and commercial purposes.

34 Lending resources.

35 Local and state red tape and fees.

36 Local challenge is talent pool of employees, and for our front-line workers, it is the cost of living in southwest Florida.

37 Location restriction.

38 Our business needs skilled individuals. At times, those individuals are not easily available in the workforce environment that we have. We also have a very transient workforce and that affects our employee turnover. Secondly, we plan to expand within the next 5 years. Just thinking of going through the permitting process with the City of Fort Myers for the facility expansion puts a dent on my optimistic view of the region.

39 Qualified and trained staff.

40 Qualified candidates for available positions.

41 Qualified employees.

42 Qualified staff.

43 Rising cost of real state and unstable reimbursement arena in health care industry.

44 Stability of the housing market in the US and the possibility that new home building will slow.

45 Staffing and finding qualified candidates for professional positions.

46 Staffing. We need labor to install our products. We also need designers to assist in selling our products.

47 State of Florida implementation (expansion) of the Affordable Care Act. State of Florida per-capita funding of Mental Health services at 49th in the nation. A bump to the national mean would triple the level of funding.

48 Staying on top of new technology and being able to implement without increasing expense.

49 Sufficient volume of business. Sustained volume of business. Skilled workforce Aging key personnel Increased competition.

50 The availability of qualified and motivated new employees.

51 Tight financial markets.

52 Unpredictable health and insurance costs. Lack of trust in government and leadership.

53 We have a population of clients that are transient and do not stay in the area for financial reasons due to employment or personal reasons.



The following list includes specific responses from executives of nonprofits for

question- What are the biggest hurdles or limitations that you face in growing

your business?

1 Adequate opportunities to raise unrestricted dollars necessary to expand our nonprofit organization.

2 County support.

3 Economy.

4 Finance.

5 Finances.

6 Foundation contributions and Cape growth rate.

7 Fund-raising. The biggest issue faced by many non-profits in SW Florida is that many of the seasonal residents do not consider the SW Florida area as their "home". They donate considerably less to this area than to the community where they spend the off-season, which is often the community where they spent much of their life prior to retirement.

8 Getting necessary paper work approval in a timely manner.

9 Increased competition for fundraising dollars.

10 Indifference to religious participation. Increasing age. Decreasing growth in population.

11 Membership.

12 Onboarding the appropriate employees and increase in the real estate market.

13 Seniors do not want to admit they are seniors. They do not realize that we have activities for 50 or older. Zumba, dancing, singles groups and lots more. 10 activities a day.

14 Steady fundraising streams.

15 The area’s desire to stay small. Not growth friendly.



Appendix B: Why Do You Not Plan to Grow Your Business? The following list includes specific responses from the executives of small

businesses for the question- Why do you not plan to grow your business over the

next five years:

1 Age.

2 Already large enough.

3 Approaching retirement.

4 Because of my age.

5 Business is not great in our area; we need to build in North Fort Myers to help stimulate the area.

6 Company for sale.

7 Currently right-sized.

8 Financial plus restrictions put on the owners of businesses in Fort Myers Beach.

9 Government.

10 Have a manageable size for servicing client properly.

11 Have been in business since 1984 and as a fishing guide, don't need anyone else.

12 I am a mobile notary signing agent; I just work for myself. I do closings for real estate and general notary work.

13 I am an independent consultant with only so many hours in my own day. I am not interested in hiring/managing others. So, a one-person show stays the size it needs to stay to be sustainable and produce work-life balance.

14 I am establishing a consulting business at this time, and because of my age, I do not foresee expanding the business level I expect to service.

15 I am expanding to other countries.

16 I am happy with what the size is and like the freedom of stopping when it suits me.

17 I am the sole proprietor.

18 I plan to increase my business, but not employee base. As a residential Realtor, my partner and I are the only two in our business and that will not change.

19 I plan to increase productivity and projects, but not necessarily personnel.

20 I plan to sell and retire from the business but perhaps consult or teach in a related field.

21 In Comfort zone.

22 I've had a large real estate sales and rental agency, and I prefer the size we are now.

23 Keep overhead low.

24 New health care laws would make it too costly.

25 Niche business that doesn't require additional employees.

26 Not sure if it will be needed.

27 One-person consulting firm.

28 Over taxation and government regulations and the cost of healthcare.

29 Stay below 50 employees.

30 The economy is still shaky.

31 The town will not allow.

32 The trend for my profession in Southwest Florida is to downsize and hire independent contractors. I had a bigger staff before the recession and learned how to accomplish the same quality of work without a large staff. I am preparing to retire and possibly write a memoir or teach on the college level.



33 This is a small family-owned general insurance business. There may be space for perhaps one more employee but it will not push us over the 1-9 employee number.

34 Transitioning to another business model.

35 Trying to stay below 50 employees.

36 Very comfortable with maintaining quality service with current size of company.

37 We are a small specialized marketing firm with specific expertise so we don't seek to expand outside this environment.

38 We are preparing to exit the business.

39 We currently have 2 offices on Ft Myers Beach, and recently acquired the second office. We are still growing into the second office.

40 We only need a certain amount of persons to manage our resort hotel.

41 We serve a very narrow target market and believe that we can only serve our clients properly by limiting the number of clients.

42 We will not grow our Sanibel business due to the high cost of doing business and the lack of qualified people willing to work.

43 Will be retiring in 5 years.

44 Will retire in next two years.

45 Workers Compensation costs too much to justify growth.

The following list includes specific responses from the executives of large

businesses for the question- Why do you not plan to grow your business over

the next five years:

1 As far as the number of employees goes, we do not need to.

2 Happy with stabilized operation.

3 No expectation of material underlying growth sufficient to require increase in company size.

4 No plans for adding more square footage.

5 Unsure about the status of the medical market and health care reimbursements.

6 We are working to improve processes and although our customer base will grow we plan to maintain our workforce size. We plan to do this through efficiency and maximizing technology. Our goal is to keep rates stable for customers while maintaining quality service.

7 We plan to grow revenue but not with more employees.



Appendix C: What Would You Change Regarding Access to Financing? The following list includes specific responses from the executives of small

businesses for question-

What would you like to see changed regarding access to financing/lines of

credit?

1 Access based on past history and credit rating.

2 Accessibility.

3 Allowing smaller and medium sized banks to do what they do best without too many federal regulations.

4 Bank financing is almost impossible to obtain. Nontraditional lenders abound but at interest rates of 45-60%!

5 Banking industry needs to resolve the knee jerk reaction to the banking disaster we should be putting behind us in this recovery. Long standing engineering companies are being penalized for doing business in a design/construction environment where previous banking decisions were a major part of the economic downfall. We are either being told our field of work is too risky for credit lines to be issued or being asked to commit to providing an inordinate amount of paperwork and guarantees to protect the banks from their own bad decisions. Thank God for some local lenders who get it and can evaluate their client base within the framework of a rational and fair process.

6 Banks are trapped in a box, it seems. If it won’t fit their model, they can’t do anything. More locally made loans from local lenders with local knowledge seem like a great idea.

7 Banks only lend money to people that do not need any money.

8 Better access to lines of credit for expansion, development, advertising and promotion.

9 Better loan conditions, i. e. small to no down payment. Current loan criteria very restrictive! There are still good, trustworthy people in this country and we deserve a chance to succeed as well.

10 Business loans are hard to get.

11 Cash down.

12 Change in current elected officials.

13 Clear definitions of what is acceptable and preferred.

14 Companies that have survived the crash in SW FL should be given extra consideration, despite a dinged credit report, for simply surviving without declaring bankruptcy.

15 Easier financing.

16 Easier with less paperwork.

17 Easing of credit line requirements.

18 Easing of credit restrictions by local lenders

19 Eliminate any involvement by any levels of government.

20 Fewer restrictions

21 Finding a bank to work with.

22 For the most part this would not apply to us because we are a non-profit. Becomes very complicated to do lines of credit because board members risk their personal credit to do so.

23 Greater visibility and awareness of the financing process. Where to look, who to talk, process information and qualifications.

24 Hard question to answer.

25 Having small loans to small businesses with minimum rates rather than allocating millions to



selected corporations for jobs that never create.

26 Help to rebuild grow credit.

27 Home lending has improved, but...

28 I would like to see local banks be more willing to lend to successful businesses that bring income to the city.

29 I'd like to see someone have faith in the fact that I would pay the loan back sooner than later but with a manageable payment schedule and no prepayment penalty.

30 Individual credit assessment as opposed to meeting a formula.

31 Information on grants, or funds available that can be used on expansion. Office build outs/remodels, etc. If these grants exist more proactive marketing to make them known.

32 Instead of just looking current personal credit ratings, to base access to start up financing, it would be good to look at the potential growth, experience and involvement in the industry, and the opportunity for success. A comparative approach.

33 Less cash down.

34 Less paper work I also feel that requirements are too heavy - they should not have to require a personal guarantee for a company that has been in business for more than 20 years -

35 Fewer restrictions.

36 Local, community oriented lenders in lieu of the mega-credit card giants that have no interest in local affairs.

37 Loosen restrictions for business collateral loans.....

38 Low interest loans to be granted to businesses that the principle has had personal credit issues due to the downturn in the economy.

39 Lower restrictions on lending. As many of our balance sheets have not performed well over the past several years, the lending institutions continue to look backwards and not forward when it comes to lending.

40 LTV Ratios are not back to where they were. Lee County is training the business appraisals comeback. Community banks not lending and National Banks do not understand Lee County. Terms are not long enough or low enough.

41 Making small business loans less stringent.

42 More competitive commercial Lending

43 More flexible terms that fit each scenario and a more personal touch. Access to the people who approve or decline your loan. All they see is the papers and not the person is also taking a considerable amount of risk.

44 More funding for women minorities.

45 More government loans.

46 More opportunities for women in business and more latitude at the local level for final approval of loan applications in consideration of the whole person and not just numbers entered into a program.

47 Not ready to borrow money.

48 Only as they pertain to the project owners. The lack of financing is holding back many architectural/construction projects.

49 Our industry is not typical of lenders area of expertise. Therefore, they don't have a methodology to evaluate our business so most of our operations are self-funded.

50 Real estate financing is still difficult.

51 Reduced collateral and personal guarantees.

52 Reduced qualification requirements. Requirements based on accounts receivable and cash flow parameters.



53 Regulations, kind of evaluations.

54 Store front business, equipment investments.

55 The market is only slowly returning to normal. A level playing field will be enough.

56 Tighter lender guidelines.

57 Underwriting (2 responses).



What would you like to see changed regarding access to financing/lines of

credit?

1 A more competitive environment from the banks.

2 Easier non-recourse lending.

3 Loosening of credit lines. Banks having more confidence in value of land and the projects to offer non-recourse funding. Tough to risk your entire personal wealth on ANY project right now.

4 Make it more available.

5 More availability.

6 Small banks becoming less frugal.

7 Strong economy.

8 The re-introduction to lot loans.

9 There are no issues as long as interest rates remain at historic lows.

10 Would have to see increased volume of business and profits.

Appendix D: Changes to Provide Better Access to Qualified Employees. The following list includes specific responses from the executives of small

businesses for the question-

What would you like to see changed in order to provide better access to qualified

employees?

1 Access to the qualified employee is not the problem. We're concerned that qualified individuals may not exist.

2 Additional degrees available at local universities. Specifically Risk Management.

3 Additional training and certification?

4 Allow the tile setters and other tradesmen in from South and Central America.

5 An easier way to broadcast we are looking for help. Did you know the chef way to put out a Help Wanted is by Craigslist?

6 Better credit history.

7 Better efforts from Lee County to facilitate vehicle access and exit on Estero and St Carlos Islands.

8 Better general education for administrative/clerical and professional education for Community Association Managers.

9 Better I.T. Programs at the schools related to more than just programming. We need technical people that understand the network and big picture not more web designers.



10 Better product from public schools to come into the workforce. Reading, writing and math skills seem limited.

11 Better technical / vocational training, easier recruiting.

12 Better trained coming out of high school skilled welding, cad-cam design, cnc operators.

13 Better training for para-legal positions in our colleges.

14 Better training.

15 Closer ties between business and education.

16 Colleges change their curriculum to accommodate the needs of our community. Their response is it takes 2 years to change and technology changes so much quicker than every 2 years.

17 Dependable people. People seem to want a job but don't take it seriously.

18 Don't see it changing unless we get more population growth which should bring in more candidates.

19 Education format needs to change to include real-world practical experience. We find that too many college graduates are knowledgeable in theory but have no practical knowledge. They also lack the ability to solve problems and issues that arise daily.

20 Education in the trades.

21 Education system needs to focus on communication skills. Better internships focus on entry level employee as much as management level.

22 Education that focuses on returning to local area for employment; new business incentives to allow for quality of life that will retain graduates in our local market.

23 Education. Currently, few if any conventional educational outlets teach the skills required in our field.

24 Finding committed people is a challenge.

25 Finding professional sales people and service people will always be a challenge in our in industry.

26 Generalized office training. A lot of today's younger generation doesn’t understand professionalism and dependability.

27 Having so many already retirees relocating here and taking over jobs where 30 years of experience outnumbers everyone else. Lack of professional training for young entrepreneurs. More mentoring, less envy.

28 I would like to see FGCU more involved with the private sector. The Finance and Business Programs do an excellent job. Public Administration, Public Policy, etc. need to be as active so they can respond to private needs and expand the practical experiences of their traditional graduates.

29 I would like to see the general attitude of our younger workforce develop a strong work ethic.

30 If it was not so easy to get public assistance and force people to work.

31 In order to keep competitive, we need to keep our pricing low. In keeping prices low, it makes it difficult to pay our employees a decent wage. Taxes are driving us out of business.

32 Increased training in direct hands on care. CNAs, LPNs, HHAs, RNs.

33 Information on candidates. How to find. Any assistance here.

34 More diversification in SW Florida economy which lessons the impact of future economic downturns.

35 More education for life skills in the High School setting. Also more affordable education for business they may not involve a specific degree as the end goal.

36 More emphasis on health care schools and making English mandatory. Communication in health care between caregivers and patients is a growing issue.

37 More experienced professionals in the market. There are many new, incoming business people,



but few seasoned professionals looking to make a move, specifically in our industry.

38 More qualified applicants.

39 More qualified employees to choose from.

40 More qualified/experienced people willing to work rather than receive government funding.

41 My answer "yes" is because it is starting to get that way. Initially, all who went through the crisis got rid of their least competent individuals first, then the qualified people secondly if they had to. A lot of the good ones left town because there was no work. As we recover, good folks locally are becoming harder to find.

42 My clients are all experiencing this phenomenon which impacts my growth.

43 My hurtle with employees it more based on the expense of training and getting them ready to succeed.

44 My situation is unique. We must train them in our industry.

45 Not really related to region directly.

46 Not sure - roofing is hard, dirty work and it takes a young, strong person to do this. Plus they have to pass a drug and background check.

47 Not sure what it will take - those professionals not wanting to relocate to southwest Florida seems to be the issue.

48 Not sure, as the insurance business is difficult for most sales people unless they have had a successful sales career prior. Handling rejection is the most difficult problem to overcome.

49 Only because we have a unique business.

50 Our area should also promote the professional sector, including the large and small businesses that have chosen to be based here. So that people do not simply see SW FL as a vacation getaway. Many workers, especially those that move here from up north, have a "island lifestyle" in mind, and are surprised that we ask they dress professionally and show up to work.

51 Possibly more cooperation between local learning institutions and local businesses.

52 Qualified and trained workforce in the hotel administration & food service industries.

53 Software engineering education programs providing internships to better vet potential employees from schools.

54 State licensing

55

The best and brightest graduates and adult professionals leave this area to find opportunities. I have the same struggle myself. To find senior or director positions I have to look outside of Lee county. Have a look for Fort Myers job opportunities on CareerBuilder: you'll see tons of low-level, low paying jobs, like receptionist, parking attendant, commission sales, front desk position, etc. It's depressing.

56 The construction industry has not been proactive in training young journeymen to complete the trade work nor is there quality superintendents being developed to manage the field work.

57

The quality of candidates must improve. A willingness to work hard and invest in gaining experience is needed. Too many young prospects seek instant achievement and advancement, versus learning and growing within the organization.

58 They are dysfunctional coming out of High School.

59 To have the public school system stop pushing all students into college. Many will not complete a full college career, and will not learn a skill. Schools need to start providing a test on what the student capable of. This would guide them into other means of career education that is not necessarily college.

60 Universities teach the wrong courses. Education is too stilted in its view of how to covey value Lack of integration of private sector, public sector, and educational sector.

61 Vocational Training



62 Vocational training at high school and post-high school level. The number 1 state for golf and golf carts does not provide a vocational program focusing on electric golf carts, scooters, nev's, etc. This should be addressed.

63 We are a retail store so we don't really need people with higher levels of training or education. We just need more employees in season and fewer employees out of season.

64 We could seriously use interns, however no one ever responds when I post ads at FGCU or Edison.

65 We need to raise wages in the area as a whole to attract better candidates. We also need to limit investors from buying houses so our employees can afford them.



What would you like to see changed in order to provide better access to qualified

employees?

1 A more robust educational environment that attracts better candidates; a local economy that holds on to college graduates.

2 At this time there is a national shortage of qualified talent that we are trying to employee.

3 Better and broader vocational training opportunities.

4 Better training & education in the hospitality/customer service sector.

5 Colleges and universities adding curriculums that support the industries the EDC are trying to attract to this region.

6 Education. Broader range of local businesses.

7 FGCU should develop a full engineering department. Local educational organizations should get involved in providing housing and support for interns from around the country. Better STEM education in the schools. Vocational institutions teaching more than auto mechanics and machine shop skills.

8 Finding qualified candidates for specific specialty areas in education is sometimes difficult. Opportunities in SW Florida area are somewhat limited.

9 Focus on trade or other technical education for young people.

10 Funding limits do not support competitive wages for staffing. Last rate increases where in the mid 1990's.

11 Higher wage capabilities.

12 I would like to see more people entering and graduating from massage therapy schools. I would like younger people to be better educated in communication.

13 Improve living conditions and give Rt 41 a quicker facelift.

14 In order to recruit in the South West Florida area, we need to provide better cultural events and entertainment for younger people and make the area a more attractive place to reside year around. Right now most qualified candidates look at the area as a retirement community.

15 It is not only in this area, but qualified drivers/delivery persons are not easy to find.

16 Job fairs.

17 Local training program expansion

18 More activities and events pertaining to college grads, 20's & 30's that makes the area more attractive to live and work. Also, more qualified grads from local colleges and universities whose intention is to stay in the SW FL market.



19 More job fairs.

20 More Manufacturing brought into Florida to attract people in that field Lower home cost.

21 More manufacturing in the area to draw these type of employees. Housing cost.

22 Not sure that you can pre-train or educate servers in advance. Most learn by just doing it and further training once they are aboard.

23 There is not much to do. We have entry level sales positions in a market full of experienced professionals not looking for entry level work.

24 There seems to be in a generation coming into the workforce that is not as committed as their parents’ generation.

25 Trade training through vocational schools. Co-op programs.

26 We currently draw designers from the Technical College in Ft Myers as we do in other parts of the country and that works well. We need a good training program to take entry level installers and teach them our trade. We will be moving more of an employee based laborforce ( We now use subcontractors) that will help use grow our own labor.

Appendix E: What Local Regulations Are Limiting Your Company’s

Growth? The following list includes specific responses from the executives of small


What local regulations are limiting your company’s growth?

1 ADA is too encompassing.

2 All the different localities requiring you to take tests and go in front of local board members to get your license.

3 At the moment Local laws only allow us to be zoned in an industrial area - The problem is we need retail and downtown to increase our foot traffic and marketing ability.

4 Banks and shopping centers are looking for big corporate companies to anchor their centers - not the independents.

5 Cape Coral and Lee County sign codes.

6 Citizens Insurance limits rentals of most homes to 7 nights. Vacationers needs have changed and many can only get away for 4 or 5 nights over a weekend, especially in summer. In addition, the town’s short-term rental restrictions are ridiculous.

7 Complexity of zoning, permitting and impact fees.

8 Cottage food law.

9 Different requirements for each locality.

10 Generally, the lack of any interest by Collier County government in the progress of the city or the businesses.

11 Getting land use permits.

12 In Cape Coral, the proposed new sign restrictions.

13 Insurance.

14 Lack of simplified / predictable processes in DCD.

15 Lee County has different fire department regulations above and beyond Florida’s for gas tanks. Pointless and ineffective.

16 Licensure in each county is different, i.e.: Collier County has a lengthy application process and



ordinances than say Lee County. Or Charlotte which seems to be lax.

17 Liquor license standards are very restrictive and the price very high.

18 Monopoly on access to state park.

19 Most.

20 Need much greater streamlined permitting regulations for faster growth of new businesses and development. Need greater confidence of approvals for new projects.

21 New fire, safety building code regulations and the interpretation of such by local officials, changes in traffic patterns. Also, regulations from Federal agencies.

22 Ordinances that restrict us from getting reasonable access to water in Estero Bay where we do business. No trailer parking. No commercial activity. No alternative options being offered by the county. We cannot operate our business if the county will not allow us to access the water and launch our boats. Regulations have caused us to lose huge amounts of business and have severely hurt our local tourism sector.

23 Our Bonita Springs store is not allowed to have an outdoor sidewalk sale because there are no fire suppression sprinklers outside. The outside of the building is glass cement and metal. I have never been able to figure out the fire hazard that so concerns the Bonita Fire Dept. How often do sidewalks spontaneously combust?

24 Permitting and inspection delays, fire department processing delays for review.

25 Permitting is always a difficult one to handle. In order to improve or modify floor plans the extensive permit process is a timely and costly one. Work that I can have done within a week can take up to six weeks to get a permit to even start.

26 Personal property rights.

27 Regulations such as Cape Coral require a homeowner to hookup to central sewer when the onsite wastewater treatment facility on the property has met current construction standards.

28 Sign ordinances are too strict.

29 Sign regulations.

30 Signage.

31 Somewhat. Road limitation and access.

32 The City of Cape Coral's permit process has caused costly delays and will limit the amount of investment we do in the city.

33 The expense of building. The regulations that are put in place, i.e. retention ponds that are outdated and street scape ideas that force the business owner to pay an huge price.

34 The quantity of regulations required to develop a property and put a building on the property has exploded over the last 10 to 15 years.

35 Turtle Season has a drastic effect our business as we generally work on the beach and essentially cannot from May through October. Specifically, it does not prevent us from working on the beach, just significantly limits what we can do.

36 Use regulations.

37 Water management, fuel, underwater land leases, zoning and permitting.

38 Zoning for restaurant in our center based on parking spaces.





What local regulations are limiting your company’s growth?

1 Activist Pro-Union DOL, local government hiring mandates and local preference mandates.

2 Although we have no state income tax in FL. We have a lot more regulations and fees than in other parts of the county. I think it all comes out in the wash but tough to get use to all the fees.

3 Coastal setbacks, restrictions re height and density.

4 County budget woes.

5 Expansion of meeting areas and guest rooms.

6 Flood elevations changes, the by the book attitude of county staff.

7 I think a lot of the regulations we deal with are there because they are customary with national, state and local governments but most have no real purpose, other than to feed the bureaucracies that hand them out. Like why do you need a state license, then a county license and the city license? It makes it very complicated to do business anywhere today and the locals that can cut out the red tape will flourish in our future and others will die.

8 In some ways-building is much more expensive and due to new state and local regulations building beachfront is almost impossible. This is going to result in our area having dated product for hotels and erosion of future bed taxes.

9 Lack of manufacturing locations, current location is turning into retail and restaurant so we will be forced to move.

10 Sign ordinances, permitting of build out and re-model.

11 Some properties have a number of restrictions on their intended use.

12 Zoning & building processes. Getting approvals is extremely time consuming and costly.

Appendix F: Type of Information Needed to Expand Market or Service

Area. The following list includes specific responses from the small business executives

for question-

What type of information do you need to help you to make a decision about

expanding your market and/or service area?

1 Athletes

2 Back office, accounting, tax requirements in the state of Florida. A top-level mentor approach with a minimum fee for guidance in navigating the state and local requirements for small businesses, as well as direction in where to get help. I have a good foothold in my industry, for the services I offer, but lack of finance, management skills, and knowledge of where to find direction is the biggest concern. The time it takes to do the research to find the available resources is daunting, and quite frankly, my biggest challenge. Business is growing, and is all I can do to keep up with it daily, until I can acquire enough revenue for the back office infrastructure.

3 Market research is a good tool - need more qualified assistance.

4 More demographics about the local population would be good.

5 More detail, on demographics such as household incomes, etc.

6 Practical information relative to the operation of international projects.



7 What are small businesses opting for in the health insurance market? How can I better assist them in finding affordable coverage?

8 Who does Horizon Council buy their awards from for their annual presentations? We would like the opportunity to bid on them.

9 Would be good to know what types of companies are relocating to our area.

Only one response was received from a large business executive: Client and referral source

opportunities in SE Florida.

Appendix G: Other Comments, Suggestions, or Recommendations? The following list includes specific responses from the executives of small


Do you have any other comments or recommendations on how to improve the

prospects for small business growth?

1 Having a regional economic development team that supply quality data and studies to support recruiting and growing our economy would be tremendous. Having different counties, cities, etc., trying to do their own version it tough sledding, consolidate the resources, get professionals to recruit target companies and grow existing businesses with focus.

2 1. First, unite Lee & Collier Counties -- this is a REGION, the use of political boundaries is self-limiting 2. Second, Start a World Class Business School in the region 3. Recognize this is a world class place to operate a Global Business 4. Establish a group of world-class thought leaders to set a vision for our future. 5. Don't blow the opportunity -- 100 years ago Thomas Edison set his winter quarters in Ft. Myers, but the city saw itself and Edison as a tourist attraction, not a world class research center. Today, Naples has the highest concentration of retired CEOs, but we see ourselves as a retirement community, not a world-class business think-tank or a winter home for Harvard Business School. This is one of the nicest places on earth to live, but lacks the vision to become a great place to live, start a business, and attract the best people.

3 Allow kayak companies to access the water on Estero Bay. Require kayak vendors to purchase annual permits that will allow access to all waterways in Lee county.

4 Although qualified staffing is not limiting growth, it is one of the biggest challenges.

5 Asking the government to take actions against unlicensed contractors. Local government should be able to spread the opportunities around instead of the same companies given all the awards.

6 Building permits and inspections on remodels and buildings with less time to hold up project. This is what I hear from my customers.

7 Business people need to work together to hold government accountable.

8 Continue growing business backlog and keep current with the qualified personnel in the area to expedite filling positions as they become available.

9 Create a p.r. identity for Lehigh that could be promoted.

10 Cut taxes across the board. Encourage community banking and common sense lending.

11 Delays and difficulty with permits and licenses. Limitation of what can be done on the site without major hassle with the county. Small business assistance for these would help the process



12 Develop tax free holidays throughout the year. Not just for back to school, but to include all retail products.

13 Enforcement/enactment of laws regarding “under the radar" providers of goods and services in local and/or gated communities. These non-businesses in many cases have no licenses, do not collect sales tax, do not pay fed income tax, etc. The state seems to ignore this problem where these so called "non-businesses" compete with legitimate business who do collect sales tax, have insurance, pay workers comp, etc.

14 Funding access better business climate overall.

15 Get government out of the private sector.

16 Get more business owners involved in the process of change.

17 Get the governments hand out of our pockets.

18 Get the local and federal agencies to respond to the needs of the populace and stop the continuing growth of regulations.

19 Have not participated in programs that were offered too far for me to go to. Would like an opportunity for the same programs to be offered on a rotating basis not only in Naples, LaBelle, but closer in Lee county. I find it hard to get away to attend the outlying area programs. It's wonderful that they are offered but would love the same opportunity,

20 I am a startup company or should I say restarting.

21 I believe offering a mentor program for college and even high school students would be a great idea.

22 I have a greater concern about what I don't know that I don't know!! I am sure there are resources out there that I might tap but do not know where to look and what might be available to us.

23 I think that there needs to be an organization that prioritizes how to actually get the tourism here as well as the fundamentals of a new business. Not just after hours.

24 I think the Chamber is doing an excellent job.

25 I would like to see more education to small enterprises. I wish the public library would support small businesses and not just the nonprofit sector by allowing us to use public facilities for events and workshops. We pay taxes and fees and I feel it's a slap in the face to not allow small businesses to use services at low-cost, or no-cost in the same manner that non-taxpaying entities do. I would love to see lead boards for procurement opportunities that would allow businesses with fewer than 10 employees potentially secure new business. I would like to recommend diverse panels and opportunities for persons of color to discuss challenges to business here, especially those professional business services. Being an outsider, the business community is very "sanitized" and segregated it seems. I read the Florida Weekly every week, and I'm amazed at the networking and special events sections of the paper and how few persons of color are included.

26 IDA for small business loans.

27 If someone wants to start a business and they have prior experience in that field, then check their license history and complaint history from their previous place of business, Virginia, Wisconsin or wherever. If they do not have license issue and complaints then they should not have to take all these tests to obtain a license. Maybe a short test to make sure they have the experience in the field they are applying for a license. I had an air-conditioning license for over 25 years with no complaints or fines and several reviews from my past customers. Florida acted like I had no experience in that field when I moved here and wanted me to take tests that I took when I started in 1989. I decided to do something else with my time as I felt insulted by the fact they would not recognize my Heating and Air Conditioning Trade Master card, which is the



highest rating available in the State of Va. and other accomplishments I had achieved in the a/c business.

28 increasing the quality of products and services throughout the region

29 Local Government agencies, Local schools, local businesses should give preference to local suppliers instead of the internet vendors. There should be some incentive to deal with an entity that pays local taxes, hires local people, lives and shops locally over someone in a cubicle in Mumbai.

30 More networking events.

31 My business is slightly unique because it must be located on government land. What really hinders our growth is the lack of space available for leasing. There an abundance of undeveloped land for expansion but because it is government owned, private funds I invest are only to improve government own assets.

32 Need the EDO and the Horizon Council to step up to help on approvals for developments and projects - they need to help get things moving.

33 Our government needs to make sure local existing businesses are taken care of before attracting new business.

34 Planners and engineers need to look out of box and recognize water harvesting and wastewater treatment onsite are beneficial to development at a much smaller carbon footprint than central sewer, collection, treatment and reuse.

35 Recognize past experience and checking past business licenses for complaints or compliments.

36 Repeal Obamacare.

37 Resurface Del Prado Boulevard.

38 Somehow unlicensed individuals in business need to be stopped. Our little home watch does not have the strength of, for example, the construction industry in dealing with unlicensed businesses. Unlicensed businesses are not good for anyone except the one offering it.

39 Streamlining at permit office(s) so new business people don't have to go to different places to get their licenses.

40 The MLS is now very transparent. Over all of SW Florida.

41 The other issue impacting the success of businesses across sectors in this county is the lack of affluent clientele to support various products and services. Unless your industry is mechanics, health or boating, there are few people here to support fine dining, upscale hotels, the arts, and private schools, which is the sector in which I would like to foster meaningful growth but without families who can afford such a service there will always be a challenge. We have to find ways to attract a better quality and higher educated professional work force to this area.

42 These existing get paid to do know this and have to ask us? Sad, very sad.

43 Town of Fort Myers Beach and Lee County wanting to widen Estero Blvd is not well planned. You cannot effectively build roads for 2 months out of the year. They would be better off hiring police officers to foot patrol areas on the beach that cause backups due to pedestrians crossing where ever they feel like not at cross walks and monitoring cars driving down the center turn lanes in season. Better lighting would certainly help but they don't need to double the size of the road to accomplish that!

44 We are meeting with FGCU (2nd meeting) to discuss a feasibility plan before writing our business plan. The help is certainly a plus for us.

45 We research other markets we are interested in moving into.

46 Would like to see funding for road projects redirected to other governmental infrastructure.

47 Yes, perhaps help with advertising through links on your website....





Do you have any other comments or recommendations on how to improve the

prospects for Large business growth?

1 Fully understand the customer's needs and wants to provide the product/service to meet or exceed the customer's expectations.

2 I had great success with all aspects of Florida government. It took me a little to get use to but we are happy with our Florida addition and look to grow our business in the future.

3 I would love to participate in future initiatives to help grow Lee County's business culture.

4 Improve the quality of Fort Myers beach.

5 In my opinion, there should be a clamp down on unlicensed contractors.

6 Increase in quality family events/activities/parks would contribute to quality of life which attracts young professionals.

7 Just try.

8 Reduce regulation and compliance costs, especially at the Federal level.

barriers to small business growth report · limits to company growth: financing/lines of credit...

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